How to control countertop clutter

I don't know about you, but we get a TON of mail. We of course get the usual bills and personal mail, but we also get some mail for the previous owners. Also, when you buy a house, your name is given to tons of local companies, so we get tons of "Hey, new neighbor! Call us today for your free estimate!" mail for siding, doors, windows, yard work, pest control, you name it. Then we get tons more ads and coupons for tons of businesses. You know, the ones that just say "Current Resident" instead of your name. And of course there are the credit card offers. Ugh. Thanks, but no thanks! Too much mail!!!
We tend to walk in the door with a handful of mail and place it on the counter. So, all of those unnecessary papers lead to our countertop looking like this most days....

We needed a solution. Desperately.
So I decided to make a cute little tray to keep on the counter. When we bring the mail in, we'll immediately throw away, shred, or recycle any mail we don't need (ads, coupons, credit card offers, catalogues, etc. The rest of it, instead of sitting in a giant pile on the counter, will go into the tray. At least then it won't look so sloppy! I'm also going to look into how to stop the junk mail. (Let me know if you have any tips!)

Here's how I made the tray...
I painted an unfinished wooden tray (which you can buy at any craft store) with black paint. You could also use a previously painted or stained tray if you have one. You'll just need to sand it first.

Then I printed out the word "MAIL" in the font I wanted to use. I was too scared to free hand on such a small surface area. With nowhere to rest my hand, I would definitely not have a steady hand! I ended up using "Sketch Serif" from dafont.com. I did end up changing the font a bit by not filling in all the tiny little lines, but only because my paint pen is too thick for those lines.

In my last chalkboard project, I transferred the print using chalk, but its such a messy process I decided to try a different transfer technique. I used pencil!

I covered the back of the paper with pencil. Then, I centered the paper on the side of my tray and traced over the letters with the pencil. Press down hard with the pencil so that the lead on the back of  the paper will transfer to your project. 

Yay! Much less messy than chalk! 

Then I traced the pencil markings with my white paint pen. I love paint pens so much.

And voila! My very un-sloppy countertop!!!

Linking up here: Tiny Sidekick, City Farmhouse, The Turquoise Home, Design, Dining, and Diapers, The 36th Avenue, Liz Marie Blog, Tatertots and Jello, It's Overflowing, I Heart Organizing
Featured here: