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Easy Mod Podge Craft – Serving Tray Makeover

By Manuela Williams

I walked into Goodwill a few weeks ago looking for a tray to use in my living room and unbelievably, they had about 6 Ikea  Klack  trays! I rarely walk into a thrift store and find what I’m looking for the first time! These trays are a really nice size, not heavy and very plain. Which makes them really easy to makeover in many differnent ways to fit into your decor.

Easy craft project -  tray makeover

This is such an easy old school makeover 🙂 .  All you need is scrapbook paper/wrapping paper/wallpaper (some kind of decorative paper), spray paint, scissors, sponge brush, (x-acto knife is optional) and mod podge!

Easy Tray Makeover Steps

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to Amazon and/or Etsy, which means that I may earn a small commission from some of the links in this post. Please see our Disclosure Page for more information.

Step 1.  Spray paint your tray – don’t worry about over spray in the center unless you are using a very light colored paper and are worried about the spray paint color showing through (in which case tape off the center before painting).

step 1 in tray makeover is to paint the tray

Step 2.  Measure and layout how you’re going to place your paper. It’s great if you have a big enough piece of paper to cover the whole thing. But if you don’t, like I didn’t,  take the extra time to make sure you patterns line up properly.

apply mod podge to tray

Step 3. Brush mod podge on the tray and place your paper on top. Gently smoothing out the bubbles with the tips of your fingers.  Use your x-acto knife to clean up the edges if you need to. Don’t freak out if you have a bubble or two that you can’t get out. Trust me – it’ll look lovely when it’s dry.

decoupaged tray

Step 4. Apply  2 coats of mod podge to seal the tray. You want to protect your paper and be able to wipe the tray clean.

easy mod podge tray makeover

I tried every piece of paper that  I had in the house and came to the conclusion that I wanted gray but I didn’t have any gray paper. Since we’re a one car family, I couldn’t just run out to Michael’s or Hobby Lobby so I downloaded the quatrafoil pattern I used. There are lots of places where you can download and print out free patterns. There are also lots of etsy sellers that offer instant digital downloads for a $1 or $2 if you can’t find what you’re looking for.

mod podge tray makeover

You can find my cloth covered book post  here – that’s another really easy craft!

 

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Filed Under: DIY Projects, DIY Projects, Easy Crafts, Fluffing my nest, Tutorials Tagged With: Budget Decorating, DIY projects, Easy Crafts, mod podge, thrifting

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Comments

  1. Kathleen Grace says

    August 16, 2013 at 3:46 pm

    I’ll have to keep an eye out for some of these. I could really use some trays and I like the clean lines of these.

  2. Dawn says

    August 16, 2013 at 4:31 pm

    Great score at the thrift store:) Your project turned out terrific.

  3. Theresa H. Roach says

    August 16, 2013 at 4:48 pm

    What a wonderful transformation:) I love it! Have a blessed day dear friend, HUGS!

  4. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says

    August 16, 2013 at 5:51 pm

    It looks great, Manuela! Isn’t it great when you go thrifting looking for something specific and actually find it. Love your fabric covered books and that Provence pillow on your sofa in the background.

  5. Poppy says

    August 17, 2013 at 5:23 am

    Hi Manuela,

    Love the grey pattern against the bold and brilliant red and it looks perfect on that grey ottoman! Thanks for sharing all the great tips!

    Poppy

  6. Vee says

    August 17, 2013 at 9:28 am

    Okay. I have one. I just tucked it away because I don’t care for the white. I can live with the wood without painting so perhaps just some paper and mod podge. Thanks for the tutorial!

  7. Penny @ The Comforts of Home says

    August 17, 2013 at 10:08 am

    What a great deal for the tray! I love the red and gray together.

  8. Cynthia says

    August 17, 2013 at 12:58 pm

    Cute project, easy and nice impact!

    Cynthia

  9. Debbie-Dabble says

    August 17, 2013 at 2:01 pm

    Great idea!! I have a similar tray so thanks for the inspiration!!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!!

    Hugs,
    Debbie

  10. Brenda Kula-Pruitt says

    August 17, 2013 at 3:31 pm

    It looks great, Manuela! Gray was perfect. We don’t have an IKEA, so I’ve never heard of those. It should be against the law to not have even one IKEA in every state, don’t you think?
    Brenda

  11. Terri says

    August 26, 2013 at 6:54 pm

    I have that before tray in my kitchen. It keeps my coffee pot and coffee jars corralled…I may just have to make it pretty…

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A Cultivated Nest makes no claims of “expert status” and the owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the use of the information found on this website. Posts may contain affiliate links. A Cultivated Nest is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. A Cultivated Nest is also a participant in the Etsy affiliate program via Awin. This means that I may earn a small commission from some of the links in my posts. Please see our Disclosure Page for more information.

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