Letterpress Tray Redo

Hi there peeps.

A year ago I bought an antique letterpress tray.  And it sat on my dining room table for 6 months (old  house).

Then we moved, and I swore it would not sit on a table for 6 more months. So, I hung it on the wall in my bedroom.

And stared at it. And stared some more. I knew I wanted to alter it, but how?

Paint it? Add colored paper? Use it to store jewelry? Add photos? So many choices.

Well, I finally decided it was time to do something. I love the tray, and I need to make it mine!

So, I decided to go for the paint. And not just 1 color, but rainbow colors.

First I painted a base coat of cream on the entire front surface. This took longer than I expected! But I wanted the colors to pop.

Then I chose rainbow paint colors and painted the bottoms of each slot.  I added some walnut brown stain on top of the tan edges. I wanted it to be darker and not so perfect looking and to blend in better with the original brown sides.

Now the fun could begin! I just started to add random things. I bought a few items specifically for this project, but I really didn't need to. I had so many things already. I just opened drawers and picked out things that I love.

That's when I noticed some themes emerging. Cameras, travel, love, keys.

I really love the way it turned out! Not what I thought when I bought the tray that day in Boston.....

But better!

And if my rainbow style is not your thing. That's OK. I included a few other redos I found online.


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This last one is my favorite. I love how funky the pastel army men are.

 

Who knows, maybe one day I will find another tray and will have to redo another one....

 

Feeling inspired? Enjoy your Saturday!


Linking up with The Scoop @ LollyJane