{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

{wear that room} gold & lucite

Because it's November and because I miss my family, all I seem to think about lately is Thanksgiving.  It's one of my favorite holidays as it always meant one thing: a weekend with my favorite people.  (And, food and football...obviously.)  Although I won't be back in the US in time for Thanksgiving, we Americans on this side of the world are having a little celebration in honor of this wonderful holiday.  So today's wear that room features a bit of dreaming.  If I had an Upper East Side apartment with that dining room, I would transform it into this outfit for Thanksgiving dinner.

What will you be wearing for Thanksgiving dinner this year?

I'll be featuring a few more Thanksgiving posts

in the next few weeks before the big day

I'm really so grateful to you all

for your support of this little blog,

xx

{ps}:

How amazing is my latest giveaway?!

Be sure to enter, it's the perfect necklace for the holidays!

{dream home} coffee table scapes

You all know by now I've been planning and dreaming about decorating my condo once I return to the US.  I've been posting about it a lot lately!  Some of my ideas have been a little questionable, I admit.  My latest obsession over the weekend was coffee tables.  For now, I'm leaning towards an all white living room weaved with metallic and shimmer and a few well-placed objects of color.  Sometimes I think I want a white coffee table and then I quickly change my mind and think maybe metal, or a lucite trunk, or a tufted ottoman?! 

These are some of my favorite looks: 

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lovely lucite

Clear, crisp, crystal.  I love lucite furniture.  From the designs below, it's easy to see that it blends seemlessly into any style--classic, modern, or in between.  I could go on and on with photos, but I'll share these favorite few.




{I love the classic styling of the settee and chandelier against the modern lucite.}

 




{an unexpected combination of warm wood and cool lucite. love it.}

 




{dreamy.}

 





{this is by far my favorite use of lucite. gorgeous kitchen.}

 




{omg. lucite trunk.}



{all images via my pinterest}