Our Hopeful Home: Thrift Store Tray Transformation With Paint and Contact Paper

pink glass rabbit candy dish vintage pedestal books birds nest eggs

Shopping your crafting stash can be a real thrill. Especially during times like these while we are all staying home, doing our part, foregoing the usual thrifting and craft store trips we normally take. It also saves money, and that's a win-win in my book! My latest project involves a thrifted vintage tray I found in my junkin' stash. It's amazing what you can do with a little paint and contact paper from Dollar Tree.

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paint brushes Thrifty Chicks logo

I got the idea for this project from my Thrifty Chicks' monthly challenge. This month's theme is trays. (Be sure to visit my friends' awesome projects at the bottom of this post as well!)

thrifted wood square tray Chinese influence art deco

Here's the thifted vintage wooden tray I found in my stash. It wasn't my style, but I knew when I found it at Goodwill that I would eventually find a way to make it pretty.

How To Transform A Thrifted Tray With Paint And Contact Paper

SUPPLIES

1. thrifted tray

2. paint and brush

3. quatrefoil contact paper (or get it from Dollar Tree)

4. pencil and scissors

Can Rust-Oleum Chalked ultra matte paint Linen White

First, I wiped down the tray since it was a bit dusty from sitting around my studio. Then I painted the outer and inner edges of the tray with my Rust-oleum Chalked Ultra Matte paint in Linen White. I didn't paint the inner base of the tray since I was going to line it with contact paper and I didn't paint the outer bottom of the tray since, well, it was the bottom and no one would see it.

white square tray quatrefoil contact paper

Here she is after painting and adding the quatrefoil contact paper I bought at Dollar Tree. I've linked to where you can get it online if your Dollar Tree doesn't carry it. I love this pattern -- I think it functions as a stencil hack! I had wanted to distress the tray but was too eager and went ahead styling it and taking pictures.

black lacquer tray before contact paper liner

A few years ago I made the same transformation on a black lacquered thrifted tray. You can read how I handled cutting and applying the contact paper for that tray in How To Use Dollar Tree Contact Paper For Faux Stencil Effect. That tray was also wooden and square with cut-out handles, so now I have two updated trays that match!

Here's my blank canvas.

With Easter right around the corner, I tried my hand at an Easter vignette. Right now it's in the living room on a side table, but I might put it in the foyer. Later, I can place each one of the square trays on top of our two end tables on either end of the couch -- like bookends. That's the beauty of trays: you can set up a vignette and then move the whole thing around the house!

pink depression glass rabbbit candy dish vintage books

I'm hardly decorating for Easter this year, but I did pull a few of my favorites out of storage. Like this pink glass bunny covered dish. I created the birds' nest out of some straw I had in my stash. Then I filled it with some pretty faux blue speckled eggs. I'll keep that out all spring.

spring nest aqua speckled birds eggs shabby chic vintage books

I love adding vintage books to my vignettes for color and texture. And pedestals, like this thrifted and painted vintage white chippy one, add height and visual interest.

spring birds nest blue eggs pink glass bunny vintage books chippy pedestal

round tray galvanized tin moss balls ironstone pitcher blue hydrangeas

I also painted and added quatrefoil contact paper to an ugly round tray from Target. Visit DIY Wooden Tray Target Decor to see just how huge a transformation that was!

The quatrefoil contact paper has been sold by Dollar Tree for at least the past few years, and they still carry it in all the stores near me as well as other patterns. If you can't find any at your local Dollar Tree I've provided a link above in the supplies list. Finally, you can pick up all kinds of inexpensive trays at thrift stores and estate sales. And each one of them has potential!

Well, that's it for today, friends!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my

Thrift Store Tray Transformation
and that I've inspired you in some way.

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