Times are really hard, friends...and as expected, this economic downturn has caused a spike in alcohol consumption (New Yorkers may remember this article this past winter in Time Out where victims of cutbacks cited their favorite bars to drown their sorrows...which then begs the question: If you've joined the ranks of the recently unemployed in LA, which watering hole do you go to commiserate?). Anyway, if you'd rather save a few shekels and keep the gin at home, here's a DIY project courtesy of Eddie Ross that shows us how to make a chic tray for hold all of the necessary tools to chase the blues away...

What You'll Need:

• A simple tray, such as this simple lacquer tray over at CB2 for $14.95.
• Decorative crocodile paper from Kate's Paperie which comes in a variety of shades, priced at $7 for a sheet of 20" x 36".
• Spray Adhesive
• Exacto Knife
• Sharp pair of Scissors

Eddie Ross explains the steps:

1. To begin, I cut my sheet of paper into two pieces. To measure for the first piece, I took the dimensions of my tray, then added several inches to each dimension to account for covering the sides of the tray. To measure for the second piece, I took the exact dimensions of the inside bottom of the tray.

2. I laid the first (bigger) piece on a flat surface, with the textured side facing down. I then sprayed adhesive on the bottom of the tray and pressed it down directly into the center of the paper. After allowing that to dry, I covered each side of the tray by folding each remaining edge of paper up and around the lip of the tray. If you have excess paper at the corners, simply miter them by making a small, diagonal cut into the corner to allow the paper to fold more easily over and inside the tray. (Don't worry about the excess paper on the inside; that you'll cover with the second piece.)

3. After the bottom and sides of the tray were covered and smoothed, I sprayed adhesive on the backside of the second piece of paper. To finish, I then pressed it firmly into the inside bottom of the tray, making sure it was even on all sides. To protect the finish, use a water-based sealer, but if you're working with a colored paper, be sure to test it first!

Want to get more great DIY projects from Eddie Ross? Check out his blog over at EddieRoss.com

[ Photos from Eddie Ross ]