What do you do with your keys when you come home? Do you empty your pockets when you’re getting ready to go to bed each night? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a place for all of that stuff so you don’t lose it? That’s exactly what a valet tray is for, and today I’m going to show you how to turn a flower pot drip tray into a personalized valet tray, so that you can corral your clutter in style!
Put it right near the front door to catch keys and loose change, or use it as a dresser valet tray so that you have somewhere to empty your pockets each night!
DIY Personalized Valet Tray
Here’s what you need:
- a plain terra cotta drip tray
- craft paint
- paint brush
- cling stamps
- ink pad
- spray sealant
- sand paper
This project was inspired by a little project sheet I found at Michaels the other day, and it’s actually the project I’m planning to create during the Pinterest party I’m hosting at Michaels this weekend! If you want to get crafty with me in Chicago (or with any of 99 other bloggers throughout the US and Canada!), you can check out the details here!
The original project used full size flower pots, but I already have some awesome painted flower pots that are still in great shape (because I remembered to seal them this year!), so I put my own little spin on the project. And you know me…here at Practically Functional I focus on crafts that are not only cute and creative, but functional too! So when I saw these drip trays in Michaels, I knew they would make perfect valet trays!
The first thing you need to do is paint your drip tray. Using a dry brush and a very small amount of paint, gently sweep color onto the tray. My goal was to do a super light coat so it looked a bit faded and aged.
If the color isn’t quite dark enough, do a second light coat! Then get a small piece of sand paper and gently rough up the edges of your project to age it further.
Wipe down the entire tray with a slightly moist paper towel to remove the dust. You don’t want to get it too wet or you’ll remove paint; a drop or two of water on the paper towel will do the trick!
Then grab a cling stamp and your ink pad, but don’t put the stamp onto a stamping block. You need the stamp flexible so that you can roll it onto the sides and edges of the tray. Gently stamp the design onto your project a few times. Don’t worry if the full stamp design doesn’t show up each time; it’s supposed to look vintage!
Once the ink is dry, go over the whole tray again with sand paper, and wipe away the dust again. Then spray the project with a clear sealant to protect the paint from nicks and dings, and you’re done! Set it by your front door, or set it up in the bedroom as a dresser valet tray, and get control of that clutter!
What do you do with your keys and the contents of your pockets each day?
I link up at these awesome parties!
Betsy @ Romance on a Dime says
So so cute! We’ve done this with a bowl. It helps my husband know where his keys are. Thanks for linking up!!
~ Betsy @ Romance on a dime
Crystal says
What a great idea!! Super cute. Love it 🙂
Jacque says
Very cute, what a great idea!!
Laura Beth says
Makes everything look so much more organized! Good work :o)
Angie @ CCC says
I love this idea! Thanks!
Gina says
I just LOVE this – I know the hubs could really use a “landing spot” for all his stuff. Adding to my project list 🙂