Bottle Cap Tray

Along with food, I also love decorating and sprucing up our tiny apartment. I'm very new to this DIY thing (thanks to an addiction to Pinterest and several home design/DIY blogs) and to be honest, I'm not very good at it. I don't know how to sew, I don't have the patience or space to refinish or paint furniture, and I certainly don't have the tools to tackle any major projects. With that said, I've been trying to update my apartment to make it exactly what I want it to be - a cozy, inviting space that truly feels like home. As many of you probably know, this can be especially difficult in a rental apartment. We're not allowed to paint the walls (I'm working on that) and obviously can't make any permanent changes to the layout or fixtures. I have tried to be creative with this - changing knobs on the cabinets, adding art to the walls and above all, filling our home with interesting decor. Just yesterday, I ordered this pillow, which besides looking exactly like my dog, I think will add a little bit of funkiness to the space.

Awhile ago, I saw this DIY tray and thought it was adorable. Not only did it look cute, but it seemed simple enough that even I could do it. In college, my boyfriend and his roommates collected endless beer caps  (they were really into beer) for some unknown reason. After college ended, we somehow ended up with the gallon-sized collection, and it has been sitting in the trunk of our car ever since. Realizing that my boyfriend was never going to do anything with this massive collection, I figured I could borrow (ok, steal) a portion of the bottle caps and he would be none the wiser.

So, I went ahead and bought this tray from Amazon in the hopes of revamping it into a stylish serving tray. I bought it about a month ago, and it has been sitting in our coat closet ever since. Then, last week, I went ahead and spray painted it white with some primer that I had on hand from a previous DIY project (I painted some brass lamps). Another week went by, and the tray (now white) sat untouched. I had plans to paint the bottle caps white, blue and green to match the aqua-y (yes, I know it isn't a word) and light green color scheme we seem to have going on. I even went to Home Depot and AC Moore last night and bought the spray paint and the acrylic resin (in the fake flower department of any craft store) I needed to tackle this project.

Then, when I got home, I took out the bottle caps. As I looked through the selection, I realized it would be a shame to cover up all these different colors and patterns with paint. Not only did we have a huge variety of different bottle caps, but they had meaning. I looked through the bottle caps and remembered the endless amount of Abita Strawberry beer my friends and I all drank upon our return from New Orleans senior year. I remembered the countless Anchor Steams, Sierra Nevadas and Sam Adams beers my boyfriend and his roommates drank in their disgusting, dirty apartment and I got a bit nostalgic. It didn't seem right for me to just cover up all those memories (yes, beer was a big part of our college existence), and so, the project changed. I decided to create a tray that not only was functional and funky, but brought back memories of some of the best friends I have in this world.

It didn't take me more than a half hour, but I tried to select a variety of different bottle caps. While some are repeated (did I mention they drank a LOT of Sierra Nevada?), I like the way it all turned out. It's not perfect, and there's some dead white space, but I expected that. Right now, the tray is sitting at home setting (the acrylic water has to dry for 24-48 hours) and it will still probably need a glossy coat on top, but I'm happy with it. I think it'll be great for serving drinks or appetizers this weekend when my boyfriend's parents visit us.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bottle Cap Tray

Materials:
Wooden tray
Lots of bottle caps
White spray paint (or whatever color you want the tray to be)
Clear, glossy spray paint
Acrylic resin
Plastic cup or bowl
Disposable stirrer (I used a plastic knife)
Toothpick

Spray paint the tray using whatever color you like. I used a basic, white primer, and will be going over it with a clear, glossy coat once the acrylic resin has completely hardened.

After the tray is completely dry, arrange your bottle caps in whatever pattern you would like. Be aware that they aren't going to fit perfectly, and there will be some dead space in the tray.

Once you are satisfied with the layout of the bottle caps, mix the acrylic resin. The package should come with directions, but you basically mix the two components together in a DISPOSABLE cup or bowl for about 6 minutes (stirring for 3 minutes clockwise, then 3 minutes counter-clockwise). Then, simply pour the resin into the tray.

As your pour (very slowly), you may notice that some of the bottle caps start to float up. Use your toothpick to press them down for a few seconds. I had to go over the tray a few times to get all the floaters to stay down, so this step requires a little patience.

Let the tray dry for 24-48 hours, until completely hardened. The surface should feel smooth to the touch, not sticky. If it feels sticky or tacky at all, let it rest for longer. If it still feels that way after a couple of days, you'll definitely want to use the glossy coat to cover that up. Spray the clear, glossy spray paint to add a little shine to both the white tray and the surface of the bottle caps.