I love a good tray!
And like most things I love, I have a tendency to collect them and end up with several…or several + 10!
So I’m always looking for ways to make a plain tray stand out. This tray started out just that way… plain wood…poor thing was, as my Gramma used to say, nothing to write home about!
But what this tray had was potential!
(Now that I think about it…that tray and I — we have a lot in common!)
So I got busy…after painting it with Chalky Finish Paint (in Vintage and Everlasting), I decided it needed just a little something else!
About the time I was looking for inspiration for my little tray, my friend Angie sent me her line of Vintage Sign Stencils to try out! Do you know Angie? She’s the creative mind behind: Knick of Time and if you haven’t dropped in to hang out with her, what are you waiting for? You’ll love her farmhouse style and DIY projects!
Looking through the stencils, all of them are exactly my style…but this one seemed perfect for my little blue tray! And instead of stenciling right onto the tray, I added a piece of burlap to give that wood some texture and warmth!
Stenciling on burlap can be tricky but not so much with this lamented burlap (I got it at Michael’s)…
I used Chalky Finish Pain in Everlasting to stencil the letters…but before you stencil…
Cut your burlap to fit the tray bottom. When you use the lamented burlap, it’s much stiffer and easier to work with than regular burlap…
Tape your stencil exactly where you want it (lamented side DOWN) and gently tap-tap-tap your paint on…
You could glue the burlap onto the tray, but I thought I’d use double-side tape so I can make other burlap tray covers and change them out! 
This was so easy and with Angie’s stencil, I made a plain tray into one that’s got some warmth and personality!
Angie has so many Vintage Sign Stencils! This is a good time to start making some Christmas gifts don’t you think??? 🙂
Have a lovely day my friends…all this talk of milk and cream has made me want a cup of coffee…I’m off to Starbucks! xo
That was such a great idea to use burlap inside the tray, rather than stenciling directly on the wood, Robin – it looks beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing Vintage Sign Stencils with your readers!
Blessings,
~Angie
I love this! Makes me want to sit on your back porch and drink coffee with you! Such a neat idea with the burlap and chalk combo. 🙂
Oh Julie, come over and I’ll make coffee! Spend the night we’ll make it a fun few days! ox