Candle Tray for $Free.99

My Hubbybunches asked me to please make a nice little candle tray for the candles we have in the bathroom on top of the toilet. We moved into the new apartment in December after getting married, so we have not had that much time, opportunity or the budget to purchase the small decors for the house.

So, this is what I came up with. The best part is that it cost me NOTHING!!
It was $free.99!!



This was now going to replace the aluminum pseudo-tray I made back in December when we first moved in.




I made the new tray following my hubby's suggestions which were:

1. Long and low sleek looking box shape
2. Maybe covered with aluminum foil and painted
3. Most importantly, long, low and sleek :)

Here is what you will need:

1. Cardboard box ( I had one from Costco from Sunday shopping)
2. Free paint chips from Home Depot (I got the idea from other blogs and stocked up some of these paint chips)
3. A type of glue (I used spray glue I had at home)
4. Paper cutter (optional)

STEP No.1: Cut the Box


I decided that I was going to only use one of the sides of the box (indicated by the red rectangular box in the picture)


I cut that piece into the following measurement. My candles measured around 7 cm in diameter, so I decided to give it 9cm, and in compliance to my Hubbybunches' request of making it low and sleek, I made the sides only 1 in tall.


After cutting the overlapping edges, it look something like this. I hot glued the edges of the box to make it look like a tray. (I know it is really ghetto to hot glue everything, but I have utter love for hot glue and its versatility, it's my confession of the day)

Note: I used some painters' tape to hold the edges of my box together, but if your box looks resistant, then this step is not necessary.

Step No.2: Experiment, Fail, and Paint Chip your way to success

Taking my Hubbybunches' advice, I wrapped the entire tray with aluminum foil and then spray painted it. It looked not as sleek as I knew he would probably expect :(



So, I went looking for resources around the house and I had some paint chips I had collected for another craft project I am still working on. So I decided I was going to use the paint chips.



At first, i was going to cut them into half inch cubes and tile them, but I felt that this would make the box look very small and too boxy (if that makes any sense), I wanted to emphasize the long and sleek nature of the candle tray, so I opted for horizontal strips of paint chips, which corresponds to my objective.
After lots of patience and spray glue in my hand, the final product looked very nice.

Step 3: Enjoy your CRAFTACULAR accomplishment :)





Some post thoughts: I probably should apply couple layers of Polycrylic Protective Finish so it will be protected from the moisture in the bathroom caused by my love for really hot showers.