Decorative trays are something I’m always drawn to in thrift stores. Sometimes, they’re plain and an ideal canvas for a makeover idea. Other times, though, I see them as the catalyst for another project completely, no longer living life as a tray. And then there are those even rarer times, when I find something else completely that I end up turning into a tray.
Mirrored Tray from a Picture Frame
March 23, 2022 · By · 2 Comments
As a fun change of pace, the Charlotte Region ReStores had asked me to develop a project that celebrated the Pantone Color of the Year for 2022 (“Very Peri”). There were lots of ways I could go about this, but I didn’t just want to do a simple periwinkle makeover. So, I decided to take it one step further and upcycle a small picture frame from one of their thrift stores into a mirrored tray.Read more ›
Upcycling a Bamboo Tray with Blueprint Paper
February 9, 2022 · By · 17 Comments
Several years ago, I found this bamboo tray at the Goodwill Bins (aka, the Goodwill Outlet). Even though it wasn’t all that special, I knew it was a blank canvas that I could have fun with- someday. I just didn’t know when that day would come.Read more ›
Outdoor Serving Tray with Boho Summer Style
July 21, 2021 · By · 11 Comments
When it comes to thrifting, I’m usually like a heat-seeking missile when it comes to anything made of wood. But that means that I sometimes miss out on other upcycling opportunities. And when I spotted a ton of silverplate pieces while at Habitat ReStore recently, I decided to grab something from the pile. We’d recently acquired a new patio set from a friend of mine and I thought I could make an outdoor serving tray to use with it.Read more ›
Thanksgiving Sign from a Bamboo Serving Tray
November 18, 2020 · By · 5 Comments
A bamboo serving tray is not exactly a rarity at thrift stores these days. They vary in cleanliness and condition, and when I spotted a stack of them at Habitat Restore, I decided to give one a makeover as my latest project for the Charlotte Region ReStore blog.Read more ›
Painted Tray in Spring Pastel Colors
March 25, 2020 · By · 23 Comments
Now that I’m doing the right thing and staying home, I can’t breeze by a thrift store for project inspiration. Instead, I went “garage shopping” and decided that this rectangular wooden tray was ripe for upcycling. I needed a relaxing activity to calm my nerves and thought that painting it might be just the ticket.Read more ›
Painted Wood Pumpkins for Rustic Fall Decor
September 24, 2017 · By · 69 Comments
I find pieces of Monkey Pod Wood at thrift stores from time to time, but I recently found a couple of them that sparked an idea. Both were scratched up, and with their short little handles, I quickly envisioned them as painted wood pumpkins.
Buffalo Check Decor for Autumn
September 21, 2017 · By · 35 Comments
This project, my friends, was driven entirely by my obsession with one of Funky Junk Interiors’ most recent stencils. She created a Buffalo check stencil for her Old Sign Stencil Shop (affiliate link) and I have been dying to try it out. I decided to create some Buffalo check decor on a wood tray from the thrift store using her stencil. I thought it would be lovely as rustic cabin decor to use for my autumn decorating!Read more ›
