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.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
I found myself particularly drawn to the silver trays with the raised sides. As I envisioned what kind of makeover I’d be doing, the designs in the metal started to look exotic to me.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
The more I hunted, the more I realized just how many silver trays there ARE at thrift stores these days. What was once a staple in so many homes has now made its way to the giveaway and donation pile.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Either way, once I had my trays in hand, I was ready to give them a splashy makeover with summer in mind. Ready to see the results?
This post contains affiliate links for your crafting convenience. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All blue, bold, and underlined text is a clickable link, either to a product or to a related post. This project is also sponsored by the Charlotte Region ReStore(s).
Preparing to Upcycle a Silver Metal Serving Tray
First, I needed to gather a few things- namely, summer fabrics in bright, splashy colors and prints, as well as some spray paints that coordinated nicely.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
And since I planned on decoupaging the fabric inside the silver trays, I first needed to trace them on paper. This way, I’d have a paper pattern to use while cutting the fabric. Since the tray sides on this one were straight up and down, I simply set the tray on my paper and traced the bottom of it.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Before I did anything else, I quickly made sure my paper template fit inside the tray perfectly. And it did- whew!
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
With my tracing and paper cutting out of the way, it was time to give these silver metal serving trays a fabulous makeover. So, I set up my spray paint station outside and grabbed a can of white primer to use on them first.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Decoupage with Summer Fabric
Next, and after the coat of primer had fully dried, I sprayed my tray with bright turquoise paint.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Then, I let the paint fully dry and headed back inside. Once there, I opened up a swatch of boho fabric and pinned my paper template to it. Isn’t this mandala-inspired fabric absolutely amazing? It was truly love at first sight when I spotted it at Joann (Poor Joann- RIP).
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
After cutting out the circle, I quickly ironed my piece of fabric and grabbed some Mod Podge, a craft paint brush, and my painted tray.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
From there, I simply decoupaged the fabric to the insides of my silver metal serving trays. A layer of decoupage glue, then fabric, then more Mod Podge on top to seal it.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Lastly, I gave my trays a spritz of clear glossy top coat to finish the job. And voilà! Easy, colorful, fresh, and fun for serving cold drinks on a hot summer day.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Outdoor Serving Tray with Boho Summer Style
I absolutely LOVE how these turned out- I really, truly do. Even though I had a clear vision in my mind, they ended up looking better in person. Just as colorful and splashy as I had hoped, and perfect for summer.
AND, another bonus comes to mind- no more silver polishing! As someone who polished a LOT of her mother’s silver a few decades ago, I’m still haunted by the smell of the polish.
How nice it will be to enjoy these without that stinky specter hanging over me.
The great thing about this makeover idea, though, whatever transformation you choose DOESN’T have to be as colorful as mine were. And they could certainly be used inside, as well. I just wanted something splashy for our patio with the outdoor furniture that we were given.
But any color and pattern combinations that you want will work! For any season or holiday or decor style. All you need are the basic craft supplies and tutorial- from there, the sky is the limit.
And if you enjoyed this easy upcycling idea for a silver plate tray, then you may also be interested in this collection of other silver plate upcycles!
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Craft on!
S
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Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.
I always look forward to your creative ideas that you share. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Rebecca!
Love these! Great summer colors!
Thank you very much, Wendy!
Thank you for all the wonderful, creative posts. I live on the other side of the world and look forward to your ideas that inspire me. I have been a repurposer ?? for 40 years and am so happy that more people are interested in this now and are willing to share their ideas. Great work 🙂
Thank you so much- and thank you for repurposing everything you do, too!
Sarah – Always THE BEST ideas! These trays are BRILLIANT!
Don’t forget to share over at the Creative Crafts Linky Party every Wednesday through Sunday
https://creativelybeth.com/creative-crafts-linky-party-51/
Followed and Pinned! 🙂
Creatively, Beth
Sarah, Your upcycles are always so CLEVER! We will be featuring your bright and colorful Outdoor Serving Trays starting this Wednesday on the Creative Crafts Linky Party! Have a great week!
Creatively, Beth
Thank you SO very much, Beth! I always appreciate it!!
I love your blog. Please keep them coming. This comment is in reference to your woven bread baskets. I wanted to let you know that during “spring and fall” clean up weeks in our community, you can usually find broken or unwanted fans on the curb for garbage pick-up. I remove the front covers of the fan cages and after cleanng them up, weave them the same way you do the bread baskets. They make great coffee table display baskets, especially the 18″ or 24″ ones.
SO many folks asked if my “before” photo was of fan cages!!