Wednesday, August 20, 2014

48 10 Minute Decorating Idea: DIY Marble Tray

It is evident that I move things around our home on almost a daily basis.  Not necessarily for organizational purposes; but for aesthetics.  Often times, moving a planter or decorative accessory from one room to another can breathe new life to a space.  Instant decor gratification right?

My dear friend, Laura from Finding Home, believes that decorating your home should be fun and simple and that it is the little things that impact a space and your mood.  With that, she started a really great series on her blog titled, "10 Minute Decorating".  The idea is to find or do something really quick and easy that makes an instant difference to your space.  It can be anything, but shouldn't take more than ten minutes of your day.


Laura invited a few bloggers to join in on her challenge and today I am sharing how I was able to add a little pizazz to my desk in under ten minutes. 

I wish I could say I was the mastermind behind the new trend of marbling objects with nail polish, it is simply GENIUS!  I am hoping that because I did this to my workspace, some of that smart thinking will rub off on me... fingers crossed.

My new farmhouse desk is a blank slate at the moment as I am in the process of finally staining it and giving it a little extra treatment.  To ensure my office doesn't become too rustic {which is a great style, just not my personal style}, I want to add additional colors and finishes to the space.  What better way than with a decorative tray to corral some of my favorite daily office supplies?

I started with a plain white porcelain tray {found at Target} and a slew of nail polish colors that are similar to the colors I am using in my studio space.


The process to marble with polish is quite quick and simple.  Start by filling a paint tray or bin with enough water to submerge your item.  We used water that was around room temp, and it is important to use a bin that you don't love.  The nail polish will end up sticking to the edges/insides {but can be cleaned up with polish remover}.

Like I said, this project is quick.  You really have no choice but to move fast!  Nail polish dries and changes consistency almost instantly, giving you very little working time.  I recommend shaking and opening all of your polish colors before getting started.  I asked my husband to help with this project so that I could take photos, but it really could be done solo.  Although I will say, it was nice to have his help to be sure we could move quickly enough.

Simply adding a few drops of polish to the water will cause the polish to go straight to the bottom.  It was much more effective to splatter the polish around. 


Once all of the colors were in the water, I used a bamboo skewer to carefully mix the colors a bit better prior to dipping the tray.

Then, we just dipped the tray and pulled it right out.  The nail polish instantly clung to the tray and came out of the water in a marble like pattern.


And that is it!  Take it out, it dries quickly and it is done!  Ten minutes or less and you can marble anything you wish!

Because our tray was beveled, we sort of scooped it through the polish {vs just setting it face down onto the polish and pulling it back out}.  The first attempt we ran out of polish before hitting the final edge, you can see the line in the photo above where it stopped.  I also wasn't super thrilled with all of the pink and lack of other colors.  However, the sweetest part of this project is that those mistakes were no problem!  I just used nail polish remover to remove the first attempt and tried again.  The second time, we dipped one half first and let it dry....


And then re-dipped the opposite side and let it dry again.


There will be some imperfections, but that is the beauty of it.  I recommend starting out with something small and working up from there.  And it is surprising how little polish is needed, the water spreads it so a little really does go a long way.


I didn't do anything more to cure it as it seems quite durable, but you could put a protective finish over it if you wanted to.


I really can't stop oohing and ahhing.  It was just what my work happy space needed and I adore how it plays off of the beautiful wood!


If you love these types of quick projects that take very little time yet leave you smiling, then be sure to follow along with the 10 Minute Decorating series over at Finding Home; including additional tips from myself, Michael of Inspired by Charm, KariAnne of Thistlewood Farms and Jessica of Four Generations One Roof


And we also want for YOU to join in with us!  Just share your projects with us via instagram using the hashtag #10minutedecorating and we will all be checking in to see what you creative kids are up to!

How do you decorate in ten minutes or less?  Have you tried out the marbling technique yet and if so, what received the special treatment?

48 comments:

  1. That looks awesome and so quick and easy x

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  2. Oh my goodness, i LOVE this! My brain is swirling with gift ideas! And 10 minutes is right up my alley. :)

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  3. Luv it. I'm off to buy something to marble.

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  4. Super pretty look - great idea!

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  5. So that is really cool! I may just have to try it....our office is looking mighty masculine right now

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  6. I LOVE this...the colors you used - yummy...the style...the simplicity of it....I can't wait to do this technique on something. I hope it comes out as pretty as your tray did. XO

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  7. Amazing :) definitely have to try this :)

    style-mepretty.blogspot.com

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  8. Hi Jen, when I tried to go on website to see other 10 minute organizing ideas, the website glitched and took me to app store to buy some game app! I tried three times, and all three times I am taken to this game app. I am not able to stay on Finding Home website to read the posts.

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    1. Oh no! I just checked the links again and didn't run into that problem, but I will be sure to let Laura know. So sorry!

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  9. I love the colors you used. Thanks for sharing

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  10. This was amazing! now I want to marble everything I have that's white!

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  11. This is an off the wall question, but what type of camera do you use? I am wanting to purchase a new one to use for my blog and need some good recommendations. :)

    Thank you in advance.

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    1. Hi Kristin!

      I use a Canon 5D Mark II http://amzn.to/XAT7sr. Purchased it last year and have been loving it, but I was also quite happy with my Canon Rebel XSi as a good starter DSLR.

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  12. If you did "cure" it, what would you recommend using? I would like to try this as a gift idea, but I don't want it chipping and looking cheap a week after they receive it.

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    1. I would just use some protective spray like this: http://amzn.to/1pf8Ac9

      xo!

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  13. This might be the coolest thing I have ever seen.

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  14. I was looking for inexpensive decorating ideas to feature on my blog and the blog I write for work - this is amazing! I need to try it!!

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  15. That came out beautifully! I want to try this. :)
    Alice
    www.alicemanfrida.com

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  16. I'm really liking this idea, there are so many nice colour options to get a different result!

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  17. oh gosh this looks so cute! and easy too!
    x ish
    http://www.tiny-heart-beats.blogspot.com

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  18. I've admired a lot of your creations, but this one takes the cake. Easy AND fabulous. One of the coolest things I've seen, for sure. Nice job!

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  19. What a great idea, thank you for posting this! X

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  20. Such a fabulous project! I've tried marbling, but never with nail polish--it looks like fun! Would love to know the colors you used.

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  21. How fantastic is that? I feel a new addiction coming on. So cute an if it's that quick and easy, what's to stop me from marbling the entire house?! 😀

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  22. I love this idea and the colors you used are perfect! This would be such a great DIY gift idea as well!

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  23. Does the nail polish odor linger on the tray?
    -Megan

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    1. Hi Megan! The odor was a little strong during the process so I recommend doing it outdoors or in a well ventilated area. However, it dried odorless. :)

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  24. Wow this is a fantastic idea!! Thanks for sharing

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  25. I amazes me the things people invent. I wish I had vision like that. Well done.

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  26. LOVE LOVE LOVE! You and all the bloggers on here have the best ideas! I am so doing this - too cool!!

    http://abugslife0612.blogspot.com/

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  27. Love it is so much - you brought it! Thanks so much for partnering with me on this.

    Take care, Laura

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  28. Love this. I may have to go to the dollar store and pick up some in expensive trays to try this out on.

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  29. I'm so glad I discovered your blog! This is a really cool project. I'll try it some time.

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  30. How come I had never seen your bog before? I absolutely love it!!!! :D

    | www.noirettediary.com |

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  31. Just had a go - thanks for the idea! I am now thoroughly addicted :) check out my version:

    http://cosychichome.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/marble-chic.html

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  32. I think the tray is really pretty, but I'm hesitant to discard the nail polish water down the drain. It doesn't seem very environmentally friendly.

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    1. If you wait a minute or two after you dip, you can remove the nail polish out of the water with a bamboo skewer or tooth pick {just run it through the water and all of the polish will stick to it}. It comes right out so you don't have to wash it down the drain. xo!

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  33. Awesome creativity!!! But how you spread it so carefully all around?
    :/

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  34. SO NICE, so cool!!!!!!!

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  35. What a fantastic idea! And what a lovely result!

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  36. The tray looks amazing! The colours you picked are perfect.
    I've used this technique to decorate my nails, but now I'm thinking about what else I could use it on.

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