DIY Decorating Projects on a Budget!

Welcome to our first {ditto} DIY challenge!

Are you ready for a fun, doable series of DIY decorating projects? Starting today and continuing once a month, nine very different bloggers will each recreate a project or design element inspired by a haute couture design chosen by Darlene Weir of Fieldstone Hill Design. Each contributor interprets the inspiration in her own style, proving you can create beautiful results on a budget.

In addition to Darlene, the participating bloggers include:

Ruth @ Living Well Spending Less
Cindy @ Skip to My Lou
Jen @ Balancing Beauty & Bedlam
Edie @ Life in Grace
Rachel @ Surviving the Stores
Karin @ Trophy Mom Diaries
Lauren @ I am THAT Lady
Kelly @ View Along The Way
Melissa @ The Inspired Room

Starting next month (Monday, June 3rd) everyone is invited to join the {ditto} DIY challenge. Be sure to visit Darlene for a preview of next month’s theme so you can take part — hint: we’ll be going for the gold!

In case you need a reminder, this was our first inspiration photograph:

{A chic painted tray and vanity vignette, from the home of Nina Bergsten, photography by Marcus Lawett.}

The {ditto} DIY Challenge:

Create your own painted tray and vanity vignette.

Here is my first {ditto}DIY project:

With an hour to spare one Saturday, I headed to the local flea market to hunt for a tray to transform. I could have bought a ready-made tray, but I wanted to play along and actually paint one myself.

I found a round metal tray that felt right—unique, a little porthole-like, with twisted handles I loved. The center was an unattractive piece of wood and the metal finish wasn’t precious, so it was perfect for a makeover.

As often happens with DIY projects, it didn’t go entirely smoothly. Here’s the tale of my painted tray.

I took the tray outside to spray it on a pleasant, almost-summer day: primer first, then glossy white spray paint. A gust of wind blew some dust onto the wet paint, and moments later a large winged bug flew straight into the wet surface and became stuck.

Dang.

I tried to rescue the insect and to save the finish, but the end result was exactly what you might expect—some wing remnants on the tray. Frustrating, but not the end of the world.

Still, I pressed on and finished the tray. With careful styling, the tiny blemish is hidden beneath decorative items, so the tray looks great from every practical angle. Win.

For this challenge I used items I already owned to build a vanity-style vignette on the tray. The beauty of using a photo for inspiration is that you don’t have to copy it exactly—you can adapt the idea to what you already have and what you love.

So, there you have it—my completed {ditto} DIY tray!

Remember that starting next month (Monday, June 3rd) everyone is welcome to join the {ditto} DIY challenge and share an “after” photo of your project. This time we’ll be gilding something—painting it gold—so get ready to sparkle. Details and the link-up will be on Darlene’s blog, and the event will feature all the bloggers listed above.

*Be sure to check out the other Ditto DIY after projects from the links above, and visit Darlene’s blog for next month’s challenge and tips on styling painted tray vignettes in your home.

Have you ever had a bug fly into wet paint?

How in the world did you get it out? Ha!