DIY: Coconut Jewellery Holder

Did you know that coconuts make great storage units? They can easily be transformed into any sort of cup/tray/organiser to hold everything from make up or jewellery to paint brushes and candy. I actually got this idea from my boyfriend; I said I didn't like coconut water and so he got  some whole coconuts to prove me wrong. I still don't like the taste of them but I did get the idea of using the shell for a quick DIY project :).  I experimented a bit with different colours and techniques, and I prefer to decorate just the rim of the shell and leave the rest, I think the coconut skin (?)  looks pretty cool as it is. Here are two coconutty jewellery holders I made and now use to store bracelets/bigger rings and earrings. See below for a tutorial.

DIY

The messy part is opening the coconut. There are two ways to do this. One is to cut it with a saw; this leaves an even and straight edge. The other way is to break it with a hammer and a wrench; this results in a somewhat more natural, frayed edge. Either way, watch out for the coconut water! Then all you have to do is eat or remove the actual coconut fruit so you are left with only the shell.

Here are two options for prettifying the shell: For the first option you need some wooden beads, glue and acrylic paints in a few coordinating colours. I used a shallow coconut shell with an even edge and the end result turned out to be a great earring holder. First paint the beads and let them dry. Then glue them onto the edge of the shell.

For the second option I painted the edge of a coconut with three coats of yellow paint. I think this technique looks best if the edge is frayed.

Of course you don't have to use these to organise jewellery, they also make pretty candy dishes :)