Supplies:

1. 2 wooden boxes.  I purchased mine from Michaels.  They are slightly different from the ones from Dollar Tree.   

2. A black hanger.  If you want you could also spray paint the hanger gold for a different look.   

3. Stain or paint depending on how you plan on coloring your boxes.   

4. Wire clippers to cut the hanger.   

5. Gorilla glue or hot glue  

6. Clips and tape to hold things in place as the glue dries.   

7. Stencil or vinyl to decorate 

8. Mask and gloves when staining the wood boxes 

I started out by staining both of my wood boxes with a dark walnut stain.  If you are staining, then you should do so outside or in a well-ventilated area.  You should also wear a mask and gloves.  If you do not have stain or do not like to use stain, then you could also paint your boxes.  You can use a brown paint and wipe it off right away to give it a stain look.  I have also heard of people using coffee to stain pieces.  Allow the boxes to dry.  I allowed mine to dry outside to help with the stain smell.   

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The next step is to cut the hanger to make the sides.  I cut my hanger with the wire cutters.  I tried to get close to the center of the hanger where the hook was.  This way my tier tray could be as tall as possible.  I then used the lines on myself healing cutting mat to help me cut the other side of the hanger to about the same length.  Once one side was cut, I used that to cut my other side.  I placed the already cut side on top of the side I still needed to cut to show me where to cut it.  Once both sides were cut, I used my wire cutters to cut off the little hook piece on the hanger.  If one side is not even or too long, then you can use the wire cutters to trim it down.  If only a little bit needs to be trimmed down or smoothed out, then you can use some sand paper to even the edge.   

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If you plan on doing any design on your wood boxes, I suggest doing that now, before you glue everything together.  I had some stencils I had bought a while ago, that I liked.  So, I used a cream color paint on my stencils to make my designs on my boxes.  I decided to do two different designs on each of my boxes/tiers.  I used painters’ tape to help hold down my stencil as I dabbed the paint in an up and down motion over my stencil.  A stiffer bristle paint brush also works best.  Also try to not get too much paint on your paintbrush so it does not seep under your stencil.  You could also make your own stencil, hand paint a design, or use vinyl just to give you a few other options.   

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Once everything is finished and dry, it is time to assemble.  I used gorilla glue, because I thought it would be stronger and hold up better than hot glue, but hot glue would probably be easier and hold just fine. You could also use a combination of hot glue and gorilla glue if you want.  I first made sure I knew where/how I wanted my pieces to be assembled before applying any glue.  I wanted the box at the top to be slightly back further than the bottom box.  This would look nice, and make it easier to use the bottom shelf.  I also wanted the sides/cloths hanger to be showing past the box a little at the top.  You could make the side/hanger the same height as the top box if you want.  I used painters’ tape and these small clips I got from Dollar Tree to help hold everything in place as it dried.  I let the glue dry overnight before removing the tape and clips.   

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The last step is to decorate your tier tray with cute items.  This project takes a little bit of time to make, because you have to wait for everything to dry.  Over all this is a great project to try.  It is not too difficult, and can save you a lot of money instead of buying something similar.  I got this idea from a tier tray I saw at Michaels.  The tray I made cost less than $2 to make, since I had everything except for the boxes on hand already.   I also made a taller tier tray.  If you are interested in learning how to make that one, then check it out here.  I would love to see what decorations and items you decorate your tier trays with.   

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If you are interested in learning how I made the little blue tree in the picture above, then you can check out my post about it here. It actually is not to difficult to make.

I made a similar tier tray, but with a different color scheme, and used the wooden boxes from Dollar Tree.  This way you can compare which wooden boxes you like best, and which style you like best.  In my other example I painted my wood boxes white, and made a marble look on the inside.  I also used a white hanger, which I spray painted gold for that one.  If you are interested in seeing more information on that one, then click here.   

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