Bath CADDY? Bath SHELF? Bath TRAY? Toy holder??????

A while back I mentioned to Mr. Magic that I would LOVE to have a bath caddy or bath tray made to go over our bathtub.  Because he is amazing at interpreting my “hints” as what they really are…. “requests”, he made it happen.  But I was a little shocked at how!  He may be genius!  I should marry that man.

He came home one day with this kitchen cutting board (butcher block) that he got from a local Restore in Kansas City.  It was not long enough to go the long way across  the tub as a bath caddy, so he had to engineer it a little.  First, we cut the block right up the center WITH the strips of wood.

Then, he drilled holes into the edges of both pieces so he could use a dowel rod to connect them together into one long bath caddy piece.

He used wood glue in the holes and on the edges of the pieces to give additional support.  He used a wood clamp to put the 2 pieces together overnight.  He failed to take a picture of the clamps and for that, he is grounded. ha!

And then he stained it.  I didn’t stain it… HE DID.  I taught him so well!!!  We used Old Masters gel stain in Dark Walnut because the color is always perfect.  He wiped it on with a rag.  After it dried, he used marine (spar) varnish as the topcoat.  We figured if it’s good enough to protect a boat against water, it can certainly stand up to our bathtub splashing.

And then, tragedy.  Somehow the bath caddy tray got dropped and it snapped off a section of the tray.  Grrrrrrrrrrrr.  There was weeping and gnashing of teeth.  But in hindsight it was actually good because better to snap HERE than in the tub and on someone.  Can you imagine?  OUCH!

Many of you saw this pic on my Magic Brush Facebook page with super fun guesses as to what it was.  You all have vivid imaginations…. I love it! But this is the fix that Mr. Magic came up with.  He drilled boards onto the bottom of the tray going across the wood.  Not so pretty, but it works!  Listen, we are not “fancy on the bottom of projects” type of people.  We are “look good on the top” kind of people, so if this fix bothers you, we couldn’t do projects with you. Ha!  Also, I know you are wondering why the pieces Mr Magic drilled across the bottom don’t go all the way across the bath caddy?  Well, because then they would hit the edges on the inside of our tub.  Ug.  So many things to consider on tub projects!

For instance, this side of the tub needed a “lip” and for the caddy to “hug” it.  (And thanks in advance for not noticing the grout needs replaced.)

The other side of the bath caddy, however, needed just needed to sit on the edge with no lip piece.  If you go to make a bath shelf, take your tub dynamics into consideration!

Note: I would also suggest you put pads under your end pieces as not to scratch your tub.  At the writing of this blog post, this step (which I’m guessing is mine to do since Mr. Magic did the rest of the project) is not finished. It would be as simple as me getting the pads out of the kitchen drawer and walking them up to the bathroom.  But let’s be real.  It’s easier to type about it than it is to actually do it.  The estimated time of completion for me to get pads under the bath caddy is approximately 2017. Or whenever Ava slides the shelf and it scratches my tub.  Just keepin’ it real.

Oops.  Almost forgot!  The handles are from Hobby Lobby.  Cuz’ well, I adore them.  They weren’t cheap…. $11.99 for each.  But get them when they are on sale or use a coupon!

And speaking of keepin’ it real, THIS is how the bath caddy has REALLY been being used a few times.  We all know the staged pictures of candles and books are just smoke and mirrors, right?  THIS is real life.  And equally as beautiful in my opinion.

So there you have it.  Another amazing project that my hubby did for me.  I have this bath caddy / bath tray / bath shelf pinned on my Pinterest page for you to repin and as always, feel free to share this with a friend.

Happy creating,

Jennifer

If you loved this DIY project, check out my 10 easy updates to do before dinner video! It’s free and these quick little projects — some involving paint, some not — will make a BIG difference in your living space and for staging a home to sell!

I also have more projects Mr. Magic has helped me build, including this armchair “C” table that again lets me stack books conveniently where I am sitting. Speaking of books, did you know I wrote one?  How was that for a segway?! If you buy it, you could read it in the bath with your new bath caddy tray and in your comfy sofa or accent chair! Genius!