how I saved my marriage {diy tiered tray}

I have a horrible habit of leaving all my makeup out on the bathroom counter... it drives my husband CRAZY! I don't know why it is so hard for me to simply put it back in the drawer when I am done, but it is. I have even tried getting some cute drawer organizers thinking that would motivate me, but not so much! It is a strange phenomenon that I don't really understand because I am straight up giddy about organization in every other room in our house, but I just can't get it together in the master bathroom.


So to keep my husband from full on killing me I came up with a plan, and it required some diy goodness! I made a tiered tray {bowl on top/plate on bottom} that now lives on our bathroom counter that my makeup goes in. It is a win/win for us because it gives the illusion of picked up {which makes my husband happy} while not having to actually put anything away {which makes me happy... man how lazy do I sound?}.

Supplies:
~ bowl {I used an old plastic picnic bowl}
~ plate {I used a plastic picnic plate}
~ salt shaker {I used the kind that had a screw on lid, so I screwed that off before I started}
~ E6000
~ gloss spray paint


What I did:
{one} clean your bowl, plate and shaker well before starting
{two} lightly coat the top and bottom of your salt shaker with the E6000 and stick the bottom to the center of your plate and the top to the center {bottom} of your bowl

{three} this is the hardest step of all: allow your creation to completely dry for 24-48 hours!!!! This is super important so that it is completely dry.
{four} paint your tray the desired color and let dry {make sure to do thin even coats... you do not want your paint to run}

Once it was completely dry I added it to the corner of my counter. I also took two glass votives {one small and one medium} and used the epoxy to hold them together as well. Once dry I filled the large votive with some dry split peas and used it to hold my makeup brushes and tweezers.

zebra tray {diy style}

My daughter is turning one in about 3 weeks, and I have been trying to do a little here and there to keep myself for feeling overwhelmed right before the party. I knew a few months back that I wanted to use zebra print and hot pink in her party {with a little flair of poodle... I know that sounds strange but I promise it will be so cute... just you wait}. 


I started searching a few weeks back for some cute zebra print serving trays. Here are a few that I found that I loved...

"More than Paper" Zebra Tray- $40

M & N's Custom Monogrammed Gifts- $42

Haiti Gallery Art & Home Decor- $24.95

Any of these trays would have been a perfect fit for the party, the only problem was the price. I am working with a pretty tight budget for this party, and I could in no way justify spending that much on something that was going to be used for one party {I am sure I would reuse it for other special occasions, but not that often}. 


So, I decided to create my own zebra tray{s} and they turned out perfect for what I needed. It took me about 30 minutes to make both trays and it required no glueing, no sewing, and no clean-up! 

{what you need}:
~cookie tray {I picked up 2 at the dollar store}- $2
~ zebra print duct tape {I got mine at Michaels with a 40% off coupon}- $2.99
GRAND TOTAL {for both trays}- $4.99


Disclaimer: I did not take pictures of the process... in fact the tray in the above picture is one of my old cookie trays, hence the reason it looks a bit *ahem* loved. I will try to explain the process the best that I can.


{here's what I did}:
{one} cut 4 small strips of duct tape and attach them to your four corners {this is important because it creates a buffer, in case all your corners don't line up perfectly}
{two} cut and stick long strips down on the top of your tray, going slightly up on the walls of your tray. 
{three} cut strips of duct tape the length {plus a little wiggle room} of the four sides of you tray. 
{four} doing one side at a time cover the four walls of your tray, lining up the edge of your duct tape to the place were the flat part of your tray and the wall match up and then working up and around the back edge. 
{five} continue with all four walls and you are done!

{what I LOVE about this tray}:
~ It wipes down easily without worrying that you are going to ruin it.
~ When you get bored of the zebra print you can remove all the duct tape and make a different try to match your next party {or better yet just cover over the duct tape}
~ It was EASY!
~ It didn't cost an arm and a leg {I think that may be my favorite part}

I am still throwing around the idea of adding a little monogram to it but I am not sure yet. The tray will be used for food, so the monogram will most likely end up covered up... Hmmmm.... What do you all think? Should I add the monogram or leave it as is?

Fun bird tray

Here is a fun little tray that ended up fitting in perfectly in my kitchen.

Supplies:
Frame with glass
Caulk
Craft Paint
Varnish (optional)
Enough fabric or paper to fit frame

*how do you like that powdered coffee creamer that is poofed everywhere? Nice huh? ;)


I happened to have this frame in the closet, so I removed the glass and painted away. I set it out to dry and then sprayed it with a varnish so it would be easier to wipe down after being used.

Then I added a bit of fabric and caulked around the inside (not as neatly as I would have liked, but it adds to the charm, right?). Here is a helpful tip that I didn't think about. At this point, don't pick it up. It squishes the caulk out and then you get to redo it (hence the non-neatness). Just let it sit and dry overnight.

Add your sweeteners, creamers etc and you are good to go! Enjoy!