DIY Tray Makeover #SwapItLikeItsHot

Most of the time I don’t consider myself to be a creative person. Really. Even for writing a DIY blog. But once in a while I surprise myself! Getting thrift store items from a stranger will do that to your creativity.

Today I’m showing you the makeover of my two items I got for #SwapItLikeItsHot A fun event we put together where a group of us got to shop for thrift items to send to someone else to makeover. I showed you the before pictures here and even made a quick video of me opening my box of goodies from Melody at My Passion for Decor. I got a bamboo tray and a small red shelf and the wheels started turning.

Bamboo DIY Tray Makeover

First I worked on the bamboo tray. I loved the shape of it and was definitely going to keep the inside part as is.

To add some contrast to it, I decided to paint the edge white. First I taped it off and then covered the inside and have it a quick coat of primer then gloss paint, both spray versions.

The white looks nice against the inside and it’s a perfect tray to use for drinks on the new patio.

I love the contrast against our dark Acadia wood table, which I’ll be showing soon as part of our backyard makeover. It’s a great size to hold outdoor summer essentials.

Small Shelf Turned Tray

Since I got two items, I had another chance to make over another tray. At first I thought I might use this as a small shelf, but realized it would make a perfect utensil tray to hold forks, spoons, napkins and other items around the house. That way I could carry them outside easily.

I loved the four compartments, so I thought of a color scheme and got to work. This got a light sanding and then several light coats of Meadow Green in Rust-Oleum spray paint. We have a planter that I painted this color so I thought it would go with that and the greenery of the outdoors.

To cover the bottoms of the inside of each of the containers, I cut white foam to size and just pushed it in. I originally thought of using white marine vinyl, which is easily wiped clean, but didn’t want to buy anything extra. I’m a cheapy DIY-er like that 🙂 I use what I have on hand.

Instead of just leaving the outside of the shelves turned tray green like I painted them, I had the idea to add a silver trim. I saw a cutting board in the Pottery Barn catalog with a metal edge and liked the idea of it. To do this I used metal flashing, which is typically used for roofing a house. But I love that it’s a thin shiny metal, that can be used for a variety of DIY and craft projects. I already have some other ideas for what to do with it. It comes in lots of sizes but I bought the smallest amount which was 10″ by 10′ for about $10. Look for it in the roofing section of the home improvement store.

I measured the sides of the tray and then cut four pieces to fit each length. The sides of the tray were just over 2 1/2 inches so I cut the pieces to 1 1/2 inches wide.  I used E6000® Craft Adhesive* to hold it on the sides of the tray.

To create handles for the tray I picked up these cup pulls from my local Habitat for Humanity and spray painted them white. I also glued them to the sides of the tray. I plan to screw them on but I need to get smaller screws. That’s the life of DIY, always getting supplies!

Here is how the shelf turned tray came out.

I love the bright green with the silver flashing trim and white handles. There’s so much space in the compartments, I bet you could use it for snacks or food too, if you used liners.

I had so much fun being creative with these items! And now I have new trays for my new patio. Many thanks to Melody at My Passion for Decor for sending me these to makeover!

#SwapItLikeItsHot

Now come see the rest of the makeovers in #SwapItLikeItsHot at these blogs. And follow the swap on Instagram too, just search for #SwapItLikeItsHot

• Jessica at Gourley Girl and Guy
• Charlotte at Ciburbanity
• Bee at Windgate Lane
• Dena at Hearts and Sharts
• Danielle at Two Little Superheroes
• Jen at The Chronicles of Home
• Melody at My Passion For Décor {Who I got items from}
• Lindsay at The White Buffalo Styling Co.

*This post contains affiliate links.

See all of my projects here.