The Giveaway Winner is...

Time is up for this week's giveaway & we have a winner!!

This week's winner is the lovely @dcollyer! She will receive a gorgeous spiked tray from The Way We Are as well as our surprise gift: A Black Dots print professionally framed with a black frame and matting – a beautiful piece valued at $100! Congratulations!!!

Stay tuned for some great news from MADE BY GIRL + a new shop re-design!! Have a great weekend.

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TRAY GIVEAWAY + MORE!!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

I don't know what it is... maybe it's the crisp weather & the quick arrival of the holiday season... but we're doing some more GIVEAWAYS at MADE BY GIRL!  This week, (1) lucky reader is going to receive a cool tray from The Way We Are  - this tray has some with some serious edge –– Spikes!! Who says trays can't be fashion forward too?

 BUT that's not all.  Keep scrolling to the bottom to read what else!! Enjoy your weekend!!

HOW DO YOU ENTER?

All you have to do is:

• Regram one of the photos ABOVE of this gorgeous tray on Instagram.  You can either save the photos or take a screenshot from your device! Simple right??
• Make sure you hashtag #MBGgiveway 
• Follow both @thewayweare & @madebygirl on your instagram.

WHAT DO YOU WIN?

HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU HAVE? 

You have (1) week to Instagram your photo! This giveaway will run from 10/11- 10/18
WINNER will be chosen on 10/18



-images by jen ramos

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YOUR WEEKEND

-image by jen ramos

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DIY: Leopard Print Tray

Hi All, Happy Nov 1st! It's Jana here to share a DIY to update your trays for the new Season. With the weather turning a little more crisp & cool I look for simple ways to transition my decor accordingly!

Inspiration for this DIY came from a project I saw on Martha Stewart over the summer. Since my lacquer tray is a mainstay when I entertain, I loved that I finally had a solution to the inevitable sliding of drinks and h'orderves on the glossy surface. 

To add an autumnal twist, I decided painting leopard spots on the cork would add the perfect punch of personality.

Materials:

Sponge

Cork (cut to size of your tray base)

Brown & Black Paint

Gloss Varnish

Cut the sponge in various round and oval shapes, add in a few kidney bean shapes as well.

 Sponge brown spots on tray - vary the sizes so a larger spot is surrounded by slightly smaller spots.

Sponge black spots around the brown spots. I found pairing 1 black spot to 1 brown, 2 black to 1 brown, 4 black to one brown, and fully encircling the brown dot with black dots created the most natural patterns.

Coat the gloss varnish over entire surface. 

Make drinks & treats, add a few flowers and you are set for the perfect Indian Summer afternoon!

-Photos by Erik Melvin

-post by jana bek

 

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GIVEAWAY: PERSONALIZED LUCITE TRAY & IPHONE CASE

Hi again!

We're back with another giveaway! Today we're giving away a personalized lucite tray & an iPhone case to 1 lucky winner from Pretty Smitten. Click HERE to customize your tray- everything from the the design element to the monogram font! {You can also choose from the other designs!} And click HERE to customize your iPhone case! 

THE PRIZE:
One personalized 12"x 12" lucite tray + one personalized iPhone case (4 or 5)! Total prize worth $135.

HOW TO ENTER:
It's EASY.  Leave a comment here with your email then TWEET about this giveaway + link to this giveaway on twitter.  

DON'T HAVE A TWITTER?:
It's okay, you can still enter by leaving your email- so we can contact you.

GIVEAWAY ENDS ON:
Tuesday, October 16th! The winner's will be listed here on my blog, so come back to see if YOU won!

{Cheetah Rugby Stripe Tray}

{IKAT Collection Tray}

{Cheetah iPhone 4 or 5 case!}

{IKAT Collection Platter}

Pretty Smitten personalized trays and iPhone cases make the perfect gift. Check out their Etsy shop here for more personalized items!

Good luck & make sure to come back to see if YOU won!

 
-images via pretty smitten

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DIY: Decorative Tray

Hi Made By Girl Readers! It's Jenny Bevlin bringing you another wonderful DIY project. I love decorative trays because there are so many uses for them. You can use them to serve food (preferably breakfast in bed!) or you can put them on your bar cart or coffee table to serve cocktails. 

You can also use them to display jewelry, perfume and nail polishes. The best part about this tray is that it is made with a picture frame. This lets you switch out the design inside the frame with your changing decor. 
 

  

What you need to make this tray:

 

• Picture Frame
• Two Drawer Pulls or Handles
• Drill and Drill Bit (The drill bit should be the same size as your screws.)
• Two Screws that are a little longer than the thickness of the frame
• Measuring Tape
• Pencil for marking
• Decorative insert (You can use decorative wrapping paper, fabric etc. I designed my insert in Photoshop and had it printed at the local print shop.)

Steps: Flip the frame over and measure the length of one of the sides.  

Mark the center with your pencil.  

Measure the bottom of one of the handles to see where the holes measure. Mine measured at 0 and 3, therefore I know that I need to drill the holes 1 1/2 inch on both sides of the center of the frame. 

Mark where the holes will need to be drilled with your pencil.  

Drill the holes for one side. Repeat by measuring, marking and drilling the holes for the other side. 

Insert the screws up through the bottom of the frame and put the handles on the front of the frame. Use your drill's screw driver to screw the screws tight into the handles.

- images by Jenny Bevlin

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