My Messy Crafting Adventure Begins
You know that feeling when you stare at your fancy perfume bottles just sitting there? Yeah, me too. Thought they deserved a better spot than my dusty dresser. Saw some fancy Dior displays online, nearly choked on the price tag. Nope. Decided right then I’d make my own. How hard could it be?
Gathering My Supplies (Mostly From Junk Drawers)
First thing, raided my house like a crazy person. Found:
- Some leftover glossy white spray paint from that garden chair project last summer
- An empty picture frame buried in the closet (glass missing, perfect!)
- Really thin plywood scraps my partner swore were “useful someday”
- Ugly acrylic rhinestones from my kid’s abandoned craft kit
- That super sticky glue gun lurking under the sink
Hit the cheap craft store for velvet fabric. Grabbed two fat quarters in deep navy and classic gold. Total loot cost me maybe ten bucks.
Building That Tiered Look
Okay, this part got fiddly. Measured the perfume bottle heights. Sketched three tier shapes on the plywood scraps like a kindergartener. My hands shook cutting them out with the jigsaw. Whoops! One edge looked like a dog chewed it. Sandpaper saved my butt. Took forever.
Spray painting outside? Disaster. Wind blew leaves onto the first coat. Had to scrub it off and restart. Finally got them smooth and shiny white after three tries. Patience? Yeah, mine ran out after coat one.
Making the Fancy Backdrop
That empty picture frame? My canvas. Cut the navy velvet a bit bigger than the frame opening. Pulled it tight over the cardboard backer, folded edges around, and glued them down like wrestling an octopus. Shoved it back in the frame. Suddenly looked… expensive? Shocked myself there.
Glued my crooked tiers onto the velvet inside the frame. Arranged them stepped. Hot glue everywhere. Burned my finger twice. Dropped a rhinestone. Spent ten minutes crawling around looking for it.
The Fun Part: Blinging It Out!
Used the gold velvet scraps to glue tiny strips onto the step edges. Tweezer fingers activated! Then attacked with the kid’s rhinestones. Made a simple border near the frame edge with the little clear ones. Went wild adding a cluster near one corner. Kinda looked like a weird jewel. Loved it.
Final Reveal (Warts & All)
Slid my perfumes onto the tiers. Stepped back. Holy cow. My $10 mess actually looked fancy! You can totally see where I smudged the paint (left side tier), and one gold velvet strip is crooked, but who cares? It sparkles under my vanity light. Looks like I robbed a store display.
Honest truth? Took me half a weekend, three glue sticks, and three cups of coffee. Almost quit twice. So glad I didn’t. Feels amazing when you make something beautiful from total junk. Go raid your closets and try it!
