Supplies:
- 2 wooden boxes. I purchased mine from Dollar Tree. Michaels also has wooden boxes that are slightly smaller than the Dollar Tree ones.
- A white or light colored hanger. A lighter color will take less spray paint to cover, then a darker color like black.
- Gold spray paint or other color of your choice.
- White paint.
- Wire clippers to cut the hanger.
- Gorilla glue or hot glue
- Clips and tape to hold things in place as the glue dries.
- Resin. I used total boat
- Pigments, glitter, and other items to decorate the inside of your tray. If you do not want to mess with resin, then you could also put down a marble looking cardstock or shelf liner. You could also just leave the inside plain.
- Gloves and mask when working with the resin.
I started out by painting both of my wooden boxes white. The wood likes to soak up the paint, so you may need to apply a few coats. Then allow your paint to dry.
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, then you can use some sand paper to even the edge.
Once my hanger pieces where cut I spray painted them gold. I spray painted one side, then waited for that side to dry before slipping them over and spray painting the other side. I also applied a clear top coat, because I noticed the spray paint seemed to scratch off easily. If there are any small pieces that need a little touching up, you can do so by applying more spray paint, or by applying some gold acrylic paint to the small area.
If you plan on doing any design on your wood boxes, I suggest doing that now, before you glue everything together. Instead of doing a design on the outside of my box, I am going to decorate the inside bottom of each of my boxes. I thought a marble look would be very pretty with the white and gold I was using. You could use shelf liner or cardstock to make a marble look if you do not have or want to use resin. I decided to use resin for my piece. The resin did make my trays heaver, but it was still okay. Make sure you have proper ventilation, gloves, and a mask if working with resin.
I started out by placing a layer of clear resin in the bottom of my wooden box. This was also to test if there were any areas where the resin may escape. For my bottom shelf I mixed some black pigment in with my clear resin, then poured it in 3 areas of my tray. This made the black pigment a light gray color. For the top shelf I applied a few drops of the black pigment directly on top of my first layer of resin in the shelf. I then used a tool to spread it around a little. This method allowed the pigment to keep its color more. I then added drops of gold and white pigments to both shelves. I used tools (popsicle stick and pointy dentist pick) to move these pigments around to my liking. I did similar designs in both shelves. I then added some gilding flakes and glitter for a little extra sparkle and texture. I wanted the bottom of my shelves to be smooth, so I did not add anything too thick, like clear stones, to my resin layer.
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.
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 also make 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.
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 Michaels. This way you can compare which wooden boxes you like best, and which style you like best. In my other example I stained the wood a dark walnut color and used a black hanger for that one. If you are interested in seeing more information on that one, then click here.
