DIY Buffet Tray

A few months ago we got a new buffet for our kitchen- mainly because we needed a lot more kitchen storage space... But the bonus was that I got a whole new area to decorate!  My husband and I decided that one of the things we wanted for the top of the buffet was decanters for liquor/wine/etc.  So I thought, why not get some kind of cool tray to display them on- or better yet- make one!  So, off to Michael's!  I didn't really know what I wanted to do, so I just wandered around Michael's for a while to see what I could use to make a tray. And this is what I came up with!  All in all it probably cost me about $10-15 to make, and was really easy.  The hardest part was being patient as I waited for everything to dry. The cool part is that you can use this same basic idea and customize it with whatever colors and design you want.  Here is what I did:

Materials:

• Wood Plaque (I used an 11x14 oval, but pick whatever you want)
• Spray Paint (I used brown)
• 2 Pieces Scrapbook Paper (Pick whatever design you want!)
• Scissors
• Mod Podge (I homemade mine- just equal parts Elmer's glue and water!)
• Sponge Brush
• Krylon® Crystal Clear Acrylic Gloss Coating

Instructions:

The first thing you want to do is trace the plaque shape onto your scrapbook paper.  You will have to use 2 12x12 sheets if you use the 11x14 oval, so match the designs up as best as you can.  Nobody will notice if it isn't perfect!  Trace the shape with pencil onto the paper, and cut out the circular shape.  Next, spray paint your plaque and allow it to dry.  Be sure to get the sides really well, since that is the painted part which will show.  Once it is dry, you are ready to Mod Podge!  Coat the tray with the Mod Podge, and stick the paper onto the tray, matching it up as best as you can.  Use your sponge brush to brush the Mod Podge over top of the paper, being sure to smooth it out as you go.  Do a thin coat (if it is too thick, the paper may get wet and tear).  Allow it to dry to the touch, and repeat the Mod Podge coat a few more times.  I probably did about 5 coats, letting it dry in between coats. Once it is all coated and dried, you can finish it off.  Spray the Krylon gloss coating over top- this will make it waterproof and seal it all up.  Once that layer is dry, you are done!  Time to admire your fabulous new buffet tray!

I love how this looks on my beautiful buffet, and it is a perfect size and shape to display our decanters.  It was nice to be able to customize it to perfectly fit into the decor of the room, too!

DIY Springtime Wreath

I have seen a ton of DIY wreath ideas on Pinterest and other places lately, so I felt inspired to make my own.  It is finally transitioning to springtime here (well, as spring as it gets here...), so I decided to start transforming our house away from the depressing wintertime stuff, and get some joy and color into our lives!  This wreath took about 30 minutes and probably $10 at Michael's to make (as long as you go during a sale and armed with coupons as I always do).  It was really easy and I love how it makes the house look!  Hope it inspires you to make something similar for your house...

Materials:

• 1 Grapevine Wreath (I used the 14" I believe)
• 3-4 Bunches of Fake Flowers (I used white and yellow)
• 1 Small-Medium Wooden Letter (of your last name!)
• Acrylic Paint (I used turquoise)
• Paint Brush
• Hot Glue Gun
• String/Twine (for hanging)

Instructions:

First you want to paint your wooden letter using your acrylic paint and brush.  I only did one coat and it was fine, and dried in about 20-30 minutes.  Set it aside to dry.  Take your flower bunches and separate them into individual strands or stems.  I found it easiest to stick the flower stems into the wreath and secure them as best as I could by kind of winding them into the wreath.  I also used the hot glue to glue down certain areas, especially at the end points.  Play around with the placement to get them looking how you want.  Once the letter is dry, use hot glue to attach it to the wreath.  Finally, attach some twine/string to the top (my wreath had a loop at the top to make it easier), and cut it to the length you need for hanging.  Hang it up and admire your cheerful springtime wreath!

Wine Cork-Cork Boards

We drink a lot of wine in our house, and we always keep all of our wine corks.  At one point about a year ago, I realized that we just had a vase full of wine corks, and they could probably be put to good use.  So I went Pinterest-ing of course!  There are a MILLION wine cork craft ideas out there, but I wanted to make something that was actually functional in our house.  So I have been making "cork boards" using actual wine corks.  It is super easy and the most important ingredients are corks and a hot glue gun.  Check out some of the ones I have made!

Yard Stick Cork Board

Materials:

• Yard Stick
• About 40-45 Wine Corks
• Hot Glue Gun
• About 1 inch of string/twine

Instructions:

Before you glue, lay out your corks so that you know you have enough and the proper placement.  I also made sure that they were all facing the same direction and arranged them the way I wanted.  Once you are ready, glue them on one by one, starting at the top.  Once the yard stick is covered, you are done!  So easy.  To hang mine, I made a loop out of a bit of twine and hot glued it to the back of the top, so that it could hang from a small nail.  You could use any type of hanger you want though.  I think it looks great on my thin room-dividing wall!

Framed Cork Board

Materials:

• Picture Frame (mine was 10x10 and I got it on clearance at Michael's for $2)
• Spray Paint (if you want to paint your frame)
• As many Wine Corks as will fill it
• Hot Glue Gun

Instructions:

Since I wanted to change the color of my frame, I took it apart and spray painted the frame itself brown.  Remove the glass, since you won't be using it.  My frame came with a cardboard backer behind the glass, so that is what I used to attach the corks to. If yours doesn't, you can cut a piece to fit and use that. Arrange your corks in the pattern you want and make sure they will fit, and that you have enough!  I put the frame back together once it was dry (minus the glass) and glued them right onto the cardboard so that I was sure to fill up all the space in the frame.  Glue them on one by one until they are all on there nicely.  And that's it!

There is so much you can do with wine corks, and I hope this provided some inspiration!