Today has been such a busy day.

I have been on the hunt for supplies to make a serving tray, and found some unique inspiration at IKEA.

It is one of my favorite go-to places to find supplies.

Here’s how my tray turned out:

The first section I visit is “the seconds,” or the clearance section.  I found a black piece of wood for 50 cents, yea, you heard me right. Can you believe it?

Then I headed over to the kitchen section to look for some handles. These 6 inch black kitchen cabinet handles will work just fine and for $4.99 for 2, not bad. You’ll need 2 packages.

Now for the rest of the supplies:

Black and white acrylic paint, paintbrush, container for paint, clear glaze and sandpaper.

 
Begin by giving the wood a light sanding. (Be sure to use a fine grit sandpaper. You want to rough up the surface a bit for the paint to adhere to it. Next wipe off the dust with a damp cloth.

Next, start applying the white paint.  It will take several coats to cover the black. A little patience is needed between coats. (It dries pretty quickly, though.)

Now you’re ready to draw your design.

I  placed the handles on the tray momentarily to mark where they will go. Don’t screw them in place until you have finished  painting your design.

I sketched my design in pencil. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it free hand you can always use a stencil. Now don’t worry to much about making mistakes. It’s only paint and if you make a mistake  just paint over it.

Here’s what I came up with.

 I decided to attach the handles with Gorilla glue instead of screwing them in.  This stuff is great and is holding fine.

Now for the under-side. It’s your personal preference.

  I purchased some wooden balls  (Hobby Lobby) and painted them black.

Again using the gorilla glue,  I attached them to the four corners.  I really like the raised look.

I don’t have a picture for this last step, but be sure to spray your tray with a clear glaze or you could even use Decoupage.

This will seal the surface.

Well, there you have it.

Hope you like it.

I do!

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