I rarely take reader submissions, mostly because I think I’m a control freak and want my blog to be mine, MINE, MINE. But when Morgan from PepperDesignBlog sent this to me, I thought “this is so simple, cheap and cute that America just must see it.” The whole project costs $6, and would be great for a party. You could even paint wood blocks and stack them (like they are tiered) OR paint the wood on the outside many different colors colors (or a black and white stripe?). So here you go, and thanks Morgan for the submission:

Marble cheese plates perched atop kitchen countertops or set out casually for an outdoor party make pretty appetizer stations. Here’s a DIY project to make your own for about $6. The tile options that could be used for a project like this are really endless, but we chose a marble today because, paired with gold, the combination is so classic and pretty.

Materials needed include a 12×12 piece of sample marble tile from your local home improvement store, two 1/4″ x 36″ long wooden square dowels (found right next to the round ones in the lumber & finials aisle), gold spray paint, a hand saw, sanding block, and wood glue.

To prep your dowels, cut them into to four 12 1/4″ lengths. The dowels are so thin that a hand saw is all you should need. Sand the edges with your sanding block until smooth and spray paint gold in a well ventilated area.

Once dowel lengths are dry, apply wood glue along one edge of one piece and firmly press to the side of the marble tile. One end of the dowel should be flush with the tile, the other should overhang the tile by 1/4″ so that the next dowel has something to butt up against.

Repeat on all four sides and allow to dry.

Serve with your favorite cheese, fruit and crackers. Create multiples to build tiers or to stagger down a long table for a full spread of yummy appetizers. Enjoy!

And you are done. I know that there are a lot of cheeseboards out there, and I also know that this one will not last for years, but I love that for a party you could make a lot of these and have the decor be consistent – you could even have 6 in a grid with different cheeses on each of them.

Thanks, Morgan!