{loved it. made it.} DIY gold striped acrylic tray

I am absolutely loving anything clear/acrylic/lucite these days

And I've been on the hunt for a tray but the ones I've found and loved have been a little more than I care to pay for a plastic tray.

So my solution: make it! And it was so simple. Seriously, simple. 

The key is taking a common picture frame and re-purposing it. 

I used an 11x14 acrylic box frame and flipped it around. 

So the front side of the frame became the bottom of the tray. Make sense? 

Here's what I did:

My supply list was simple: 11x14 box frame, gold paint, tape, brush, Mod Podge

Take the frame and flip it over so the front of the picture frame becomes the bottom of the tray

Tape diagonal stripes, begin in the center and work out to the two sides. 
I thought this would be the hardest part but it really wasn't. 

I didn't even measure, just eyeball it.

Finished taping!

Brush on the gold paint with a sponge tip brush

Finished the first coat of paint. See how light and see-thru it is? 

It took 3 coats of paint to get the desired results for me.

This was the hardest part! Letting each coat of paint dry. It's really critical! So have a cup of tea and wait :)

Ok after all 3 coats are dry, remove the tape!

Ta-da! You're done! Well, almost. This last step is really important. 

Make sure to seal the paint with a coat of Mod Podge. 

This will ensure that it'll stand up if you use it in the bathroom.

Now you're done! 

Here's the finished product 

Lessons Learned:
*make sure to really push down on the tape to smooth out all the bubbles, 
otherwise the paint will seep through
*if/when that happens, just scratch off the excess paint once it's dry...you can even use your nails
*don't attempt this on the same day you get a fresh shellac manicure
*or else wear gloves


So what do you think? Easy enough, right?

I hope you'll make one too and tweet me a pic!

Can't wait to see yours!

enjoy your day,

xx