The marble trend is still going strong for 2017, but you don’t have to splash out on real stone to get the look. Transform a plain tray into a chic catchall with this easy project.

Materials:
- A cardboard or wooden tray
- Acrylic paint in three complementary colours, or two colours plus white
- A small paintbrush

1. Lay the tray, right side up, on a hard work surface. Pour two or three large dollops of each paint colour onto the top of the tray. 

2. Tilt the tray to one side until vertical, then gently tap the bottom edge onto your work surface, allowing the paint to drip down to the edge of the tray. Rotate the tray 90 degrees and tap the bottom edge again to create a marbled design. Repeat until the surface of the tray is coated, adding more paint, if needed, as you go.

3. Using the paintbrush, paint the rim and the sides of the tray in one of the colours. 

4. Let dry overnight.

Tip: Add a metallic hue for a glam accent, or go with grey and white paint for the look of Carrara marble.