Upcycling Ideas for Decorative Trays

Upcycling Ideas for Decorative Trays

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.

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Mirrored Tray from a Picture Frame

Mirrored Tray from a Picture Frame

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

Upcycling a Bamboo Tray with Blueprint Paper

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

Outdoor Serving Tray with Boho Summer Style

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

Thanksgiving Sign from a Bamboo Serving Tray

 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

Painted Tray in Spring Pastel Colors

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

Painted Wood Pumpkins for Rustic Fall Decor

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.

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Buffalo Check Decor for Autumn

Buffalo Check Decor for Autumn

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 ›