{DIY} Christmas Tray

What a nice loooong weekend!  It felt really long to me- in a good way!  We had a great Thanksgiving followed by some decorating and a little shopping for more holiday decorations.  Have you been bustling around decorating your home?  Did you at least get your tree up?  We did, but it’s still a work in progress.  I used red, blue, silver and white in the tree and, at first, it looked like an American flag.  Now, I love the flag and all, but that’s not the look I was going for!  I’ve been adding more turquoise and silver ornaments and I think it’s looking better now.  Also, James is like a moth to a flame with the tree, so there’s really no ornaments on the bottom quarter of it.  Oh, and part of the lights are out!  Might chalk it up to ‘character” this year!  But, there are other holiday touches that are much less complex and took mere minutes to accomplish.  Yay for those!!  You know when you do or see a project and then think, “Oh, you could so easily change that out with the seasons or for the holidays!”?  Well, that’s what I did recently with our living room tray.  image Remember this tray?  It was originally a plain, brown tray from Target that I snazzed up by lining it with black and white chevron fabric. image We use the tray on our living room ottoman to hold the remote, drinks, magazines and such.  image In light of the holidays, the tray got a mini makeover.  I swapped out the fabric for some wrapping paper that has a special message for Santa;)  I think I’ll be on the lookout for some cute holiday fabric too in case I want to change it again. image image I added ribbon to the paper, then covered the paper and ribbon with a thin piece of plexiglass (thanks for the great idea Lauren– and have you seen her holiday decor?  So gorgeous!). The plexiglass is perfect for preventing the fabric or paper from getting spills, etc.  I got mine at Hobby Lobby and had them cut it for $1.00 per cut.  On top of the plexiglass, I affixed an inexpensive green bow.  image Here’s how the tray looks on our ottoman when James isn’t around!  image I’m curious what holiday decorating you did over the weekend, if any.  Or were you shopping the weekend away?!  I’m realizing that it takes much longer to do the decorating with a baby:)  ********** I’m sharing this post with Kate, AKA Centsational Girl!  I love her button!! image

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

43 Comments

  1. The tray looks so cute. I was just thinking today how much longer it takes to decorate with a toddler! We started I guess on Friday, and the old me would have been done with everything by that same night. Not the case any longer! Luckily though she doesn't mess with the tree or our new village. I'm very lucky!!

  2. Cute!

    I still haven't done the first thing. My tree is still in the garage. I really need to get motivated. I think having a 9 month old that pulls up on everything is what is holding me back.

  3. Gorgeous Idea with the tray…am going the same theme this year aswell..and have mixed a bit of turquoise and orange in there as another shade to make it less Australian flagish..lol…hope you are having a wonderful week so far lovely x

  4. so darn cute. I like the paper idea . . and the plexiglass is genious. Can't wait to see your tree! xoxo

  5. Very cute! Unfortunately we got none done, still recouping and cleaning up from Thanksgiving, I am hoping this week is a different story!

  6. The tray looks spectacular. And trust me…I know how much longer it takes with a little man in tow. I worked on my Pier 1 tablescape that is due sometime this week, put up garland over my entertainment center, and worked on my mantel for Miss Layla's party. I plan to tackle the tree. We shall see.

    Love the holidays. 🙂

    Cheers~
    e

  7. Get used to the half-naked tree! The don't stop pulling ornaments off til much later.

    Maybe give James some cloth ornaments on the lower half? You could print photos on fabric…

    Hope you had a good Thanksgiving…

  8. The tray looks great! Such a fun festive idea to switch things up!

    We are having similar issues with our tree — our puppy is very curious and loves to walk under the tree. So the ornaments start above her nose level. 🙂

  9. What a great idea! Does the plexiglass just hold it in ok so you don't need to tape it down? Your comments about your tree made me smile, yes – it's all about character!

  10. I love it! I was just going to change ours out today too!! I am loving that tray though, much bigger than ours. Thanks for the shout out! Still decorating away, hopefully will be done by week's end.

  11. Love it! I have to get cracking on our holiday decorating and you've given me lots of ideas! Love how your staircase turned out too.

  12. How fun is transforming that tray! I think I have that same tray laying around, think I might have to borrow your idea 🙂 It is going to be a fun Christmas for you this year, James is going to love all the Christmas lights! You probably won't have a "perfect" tree for awhile with a baby around. Haven't even started on my Christmas decorating yet…but you are inspiring me to do so.

  13. LOVE LOVE! Yes, it does take longer to decorate with a baby : ) I have a 5 year old also, which has begun to be more of a help since the baby came, thank the lord!

    No shopping took place this weekend, I had the inlaws to entertain. No decorating took place either sadly, because I broke my camers : ( And you know I can't decorate with out a before and after haha!

    Paula

  14. I started ours but haven't taken pics yet as it's unfinished (of course!). I need to buy a few more things too. Our home is much bigger than our last one so I am finding I need some more things.

    I laughed at your comment about the tree. Colin broke about 6 ornaments this weekend. They weren't anything fancy but he thought they were just "balls" to play with! Needless to say the bottom half of the tree is bows only

  15. Very cute! I am so jealous of all you ladies who have your tree up! I was so wiped out from Black Friday shopping I have slacked on decorating. I have got to get on it!!

  16. I have some serious love for that tray! Great choice in paper.

    It is so much trickier decorating with a baby–and now that I have TWO boys it's basically a bedtime task.

    One of my favorite quotes is this: "Cleaning with small children in the house is like brushing your teeth and chewing Oreos."

  17. Cute tray, so festive and happy! Oh, the tree is a big project isn't it? My hubby was putting the lights on for a couple hours! Our tree is decoarted but hard to photograph because it's right in front of a bunch of windows.
    And yes, having a little one does make Everything take hours longer! I miss thoes naps!

  18. Great idea! I think small touches like this are so much fun for the holidays 🙂

    We haven't even cracked the first decoration-filled Rubbermaid bin yet at our house… next weekend will be busy getting it all done! I did pull out my old NSYNC Christmas CD though… wait, did I just admit to that in public?! 🙂

  19. Good call on the plexiglass! I'm google-ing hobby lobby asap– I hope there's on in my area!!!

    on a side note, you just gave me a ridiculously awesome idea — i think i'm going to add wrapping paper to a few random things around the house =) haha

    xoXOxo
    Jenn L @ Peas & Crayons

  20. What a great idea! I love how you can interchange out every-day things in your home for a fun festive look! I adore your blog-I'm a new follower, born and raised in Houston and now living in Kansas City. I love finding people from my hometown!! 🙂 Have a fab week!

  21. We could sure use this fun and festive tray on our coffee table for our remotes, etc. I love it! The bow is a fun touch! I didn't get any decorating done over the weekend. We're wrapping up a very long remodel and things have been in a state of chaos. I hope to start tomorrow! Isn't that cookie on your food magazine fun?

  22. Such a cute idea, I love that you can change it so easily for the seasons. Now if only I could get my children to leave the remote in the tray, I'd be set!

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