One dollar tray makeover
January 16, 2014
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Sooo…the dollar spot at Target. The place dreams are made of, yes? Pure brilliance – all that cheap inexpensive goodness right there when you walk in the doors? I stop by “real quick” every time and walk away with $10 worth of stuff…every. time.
I made over a little find recently and it’s just a good reminder to look at things that you may not completely love and imagine them with a new color. Spray paint is KING. It will rock your world. This may be the quickest redo ever here on TDC but I love sharing quick and easy. :)
Over the years I’ve found all kinds of goodies in the dollar spot – they have GREAT little scrapbooking stuff that I have to pick up because I’m a non-scrapbooker who loves scrapbooking stuff. I also get these plastic folders every year because I just cannot resist them:
Right around Christmas they had a TON of cute office supplies:
Who DOESN’T need sparkly clips, I ask you?
This is one of my favorite recent finds – I use it ALL the time:
It’s a strainer – I use it for meats in the skillet and pasta in the saucepan. It’s really strong and so much easier to use than the flimsy metal ones we have. And super easy to clean. LOVE it.
I came across this little tray a week or two ago and figured it would look great with a little spray paint:
I cleaned it off and took off the tag, which took forever, then primed it (all I had was black) and then finished it off in gold spray paint:
Super quick, super easy! SUPER cheap.
I almost did navy blue but I didn’t want it to match with my blue lamp on my nightstand exactly:
And I may have squealed a little bit when I saw it with the carafe (also from Target last year). They are perfect together. The carafe makes me feel SO fancy, let me tell you. I use it when I wake up hacking in the middle of the night, terrified that I just swallowed a bug or something. Fancy.
Most of the time the tray holds my phone, or little things like my hair clips that usually get lost. (Read: things cats think are toys.):
So far it’s holding up fine but I may put a clear coat on it to help protect it.
Not bad for one buck and less than ten minutes, right? Who doesn’t need a little bling in their lives? And it took me longer to get the plastic sticker off than it did to give it a redo, no lie.
I don’t like a lot of decorative stuff on my nightstands, do you? We clutter them up enough on my own. Now maybe I’ll just clutter up the little tray instead of the whole thing:
What’s your favorite dollar spot find? Is it your favorite place too?
I love the $1 section at Target. I HAVE to get those plastic folders! So cute!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the dollar area! Well, love and hate. Just like you I can't resist just doing a quick pass through and I ALWAYS end up spending money I didn't plan on. Urrgh. But, it's my favorite place to buy stocking stuffers. This year I couldn't stop putting stuff in my cart. And of course, they didn't all fit in my family's stockings. So I have dollar stuff that needs to be returned. And has it yet? No. Anyone else have a problem returning things promptly?
ReplyDeleteI have the same black accordion file that I use for my taxes and the gold pens! Did you see the cute white and gold stripped bags with pink zippers they had in December? Adorable!
ReplyDeleteMy sweet 15 year old said to me the other day …MOM if I ever need to find you in Target and I know what section to find you at… YES the same one that you love. I LOVE everything you wrote and bought and WOWZER on the tray .. I Might have to copy that idea sister. Have a blessed weekend my sweet friend ..
ReplyDeleteI seem to buy pass the dollar section every time, just always thought...cheap crap, but here I see you proven me wrong :) Guess I will take a look next time I visit my Target and see what kind of treasures await me...Thanks!
ReplyDeleteXoxo,
Michele
Love the dollar section makeovers! Love me some Target to much <3
ReplyDeleteI love how you redid the $1 tray, to make it look much more expensive, and it is perfect next to the carafe!
ReplyDeleteI was just digging through there yesterday! I bought a bunch of the pretty baker's twine they had before Christmas as well as the little pillow boxes. Perfect for earrings that I made as gifts. I also snagged a bunch of no stem wine glasses before Christmas and painted them with silver and gold paint pen Sharpies. Cute!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the dollar spot at Target. I haven't been there in a while though, I may just have to make a stop there. I love what you did with that tray!
ReplyDeleteThe $1 and $2 bins at Michael's are AMAZING! They have SO MUCH cute stuff right now!!
ReplyDeleteHa - I love that section, too! And I'm a sucker for all that scrapbooking stuff - again, not a scrapbooker, but who can resist!?
ReplyDeleteI have a label tip for ya. I HATE when they put those dingdang stickers right where it makes absolutely NO SENSE whatsoever. Hate it. And usually, the top layer comes off and then you're stuck - ha ha - with this layer of sticky goo. Hate it. But guess what takes it off with the quickness? WD40, baby. The miracle in a can.
I have a strainer like that too! It is amazing because there is so little clean up. I just toss it in the dishwasher vs cleaning a big colander or something.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite thing I ever bought at the dollar store was a bag of dirt (Ok, maybe it was $2). For someone living in a tiny condo with no car and no easy access to a gardening center it was an amazing find to be able to pot a few plants on my balcony!
I am such a sucker for the dollar spot also. Those folders? I have used them for so many things. I have a question though. Where do you do your spray painting in the middle of a cold snowy winter??? I live in Minnesota and just resign myself to pack all my paint away from fall to spring (and then try to do all my painting projects over the summer). I am dying to know if there might be a way to keep going through winter!
ReplyDeleteI love your phone cover! I never would have thought of a white one but it looks so classy. What kind is it? Speaking of phones, my husband made my daughter a wooden iPhone for Christmas using a Target $1 phone skin and a piece of wood! Check it out if you want!
ReplyDeleteLove the dollar section at Target!!
ReplyDeleteToo cute, I never, ever thought of spray painting plastic...where have I been? Great job!
ReplyDeleteI am the same way - I never walk out without picking up about 10 items too from the Target Dollar Spot. I love putting a bunch of stuff together to add to gifts. I remember seeing this tray, bummed I didn't pick it up now. I don't remember seeing that carafe though, super cute. It all looks great. Can't wait to go to my Happy Placem i.e. Target tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI love the blinged up gold tray! nice finds!
ReplyDeleteI saw those little trays too and thought how great they would look in gold! I wasn't sure how well the paint would hold up though. But maybe I'll give it a try! Thanks for the inspiration =).
ReplyDeleteSo funny, I already bought that same exact tray with the intention of painting it gold. Great minds think alike!
ReplyDeleteI can never pass up the dollar spot at Target! Love your little gold tray! Very nice.
ReplyDeleteFabulous job on the tray. I also like to have space on my nightstands. I do my best to keep them clutter free.
ReplyDeleteThat $1 section gets me every time. Love this little tray! Can't beat an easy diy that looks good and helps organize.
ReplyDeleteI make a beeline to the dollar spot every time I walk in the door. I spend throw at least 5 items into my cart within seconds. By time I leave that section, I have to go through my cart and take some stuff out if I'm still going to be able to afford what I actually went to Target for!
ReplyDeleteOne dolla make you holla! I love that you can take something so simple and turn it into something so amazing! You.are.awesome!
ReplyDeleteI bought the same tray... one in teal and one in mustard! I love the idea of spraying it... cute!
ReplyDeleteCute! Yo have such great ideas. I saw those trays and I would've never thought of spray-painting it.
ReplyDelete1. When I die, my children have proclaimed that my ashes will be sprinkled in the Dollar Spot because "that's where you would want to be."
ReplyDelete2. I've used both goo gone and wd40 to take off labels, but my favorite is a hair dryer (maybe because I can find it without going into the cold garage?). Blow directly onto the sticker, it heats up the glue, and it the label peels RIGHT.OFF.
3. Love the tray. I'm not into the whole metallic fad, but it certainly looks super fancy nancy in your room!
I recently saw those little trays, never thought to spray paint them, and I paint everything!! I did just pick up some fun straws for Valentine's Day and some silver scrapbooking letters.
ReplyDeleteLove that dollar spot too!! As someone else asked - how/where do you spray paint in the winter? I have plenty of things that could be done now, but don't know where! ???
ReplyDeleteBling is always a good idea! !
ReplyDeleteBling is always a good idea! !
ReplyDeleteI love that section of the store! My favorite find currently are the gold and silver click pencils!
ReplyDeleteI have been reading your blog for quite some time and absolutely love everything about you and your style. I had to leave a comment today because your killin me with the stuff you found. I'm heading there right now, (well, not now as it is 6:20am and it isn't open). Must have strainer. Must paint tray. Must be just like you. See, you're killin me. I swear you are in my head. Your comments are exactly how my brain works. Too funny. So thanks for sharing your thoughts, projects, life with me! I love it!
ReplyDeleteWe really are sisters separated at birth.You're the taller, more clever sister, able to translate my Target Dollar Aisle Addiction into a pretty post. LOL
ReplyDeleteI make a mixture of baking soda and just enough vegetable oil to make a paste and apply it to sticky price tags ect. Just let it sit for a little while and they come right off!
ReplyDeleteMy last project was painting some of the little bud vases from the dollar spot. I hate those stickers! Your tray looks quite luxurious, love it!
ReplyDeleteJust glad to know I'm not the only sucker for cheap crap from China. I'm still a little embarrassed, but at least I'm not alone.
ReplyDeleteI love the Dollar Spot! Always so many great finds!
ReplyDeleteI linked to this page in my new post! (see it here)
ReplyDeleteKaren
Fearlessly Authentic