DIY Gold Accent Tray

Cute isn't a word I use a lot to describe decor projects in Casa Ronchetti, but I think it works here:

Just a li'l peek of gold! Aaaah! CUTE.

I like metallic finishes, and gold is about to have a big renaissance, but for a casual house like ours it's possible to have too much of a good thing. This is just the right amount to be fun for people who notice it. Obviously, you can bust out more of the glitzy paint if your digs are on the fancier side, but I took it easy this time. Maybe I'll turn up the volume if our next house is an old Victorian...

Anyway! This is another tally for the easy column. Active work time is only about 15 minutes and the materials list is ridiculously short:

>> wooden tray (mine is from Michael's but JoAnn has them, too)
>> white spray paint
>> gold craft paint
>> small paint brush

Not pictured: the tray, but obviously you need that.

First you spray paint the whole tray, then choose an accent point (I did the handles) and add some gold craft paint with a brush. You can tape off the edges if you want, but I just freehanded mine. A word to the wise, however: spray painting in the winter is kind of a pain, so I wouldn't attempt a project larger than this until it's closer to 50 degrees. It's hard to find a warm place for things to dry without getting fumes in the house.

You can use a little tray like this for a lot of things. Maybe as a jewelry zone on your dresser, a place to put cupcakes during a party, or a spot to drop your keys and cell phone when you come in the door.

As for what I'm doing with mine...

It's the remote control. Ha! Puns. It's a big technology pow-wow in the family room, with the TV, all of the video games, the projector screen... and Hubsey's weird disorder that causes him to leave the remotes all over the room. But now they have a little home and people don't sit on them anymore. Everybody wins!

Have you decorated a tray before? How do you wrangle your remotes? Are you getting into the gold accent trend?