Upcycled Serving Tray

This outdated wood Christmas tray becomes a new upcycled serving tray with a vintage vibe, perfect for a cup of tea, or displaying trinkets.

A while back, my mother-in-law handed me this cute little wood Christmas tray that she had in her basement, and said, “Here, you take this. I know you can make something cute with it!”

Okay then, mission accepted! You guys know how much I love a good upycle!

I am partnering with the Dixie Belle Paint Company for this post. Paint and supplies were generously provided to me by Dixie Belle, but all ideas and creations are my own.

How to Make an Upcycled Serving Tray

I think this tray was originally meant to be used as a wall hanging because it had brackets on the back, but I had something different in mind, so I used a pair of pliers to pop those babies right off.

Next, a close inspection of the tray revealed that the print was just a piece of paper glued on.

Some water, a putty knife, and a tiny bit of sanding with a sanding sponge took all of it right off.

In no time, this little tray was ready for its makeover.

Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paint

Next, I gave the little tray two coats of paint using Dixie Belle’s Chalk Mineral Paint in the color Drop Cloth.

This is such a nice linen-white color with a bit of warmth.

It really does mimic the color of painters’ drop cloth, which I love to use in projects. Remember my Chair Cover DIY using an actual drop cloth as the seat fabric?

Nail Head Trim Stencil

You guys, I’m so in love with this new Nail Head Trim Stencil!

It was the perfect choice to add some extra pizzaz to this vintage-inspired DIY serving tray! Especially when I paired it with Dixie Belle’s Amber Gemstone Mousse.

I used a foam brush to dab the mousse gently on the stencil.

Belles & Whistles Transfers

I love the vintage vibe of these transfers, especially the pocket watches!

I selected three different watch transfers from the Hot Air Balloons and Watches transfer package that I wanted to use for this project, and cut them out.

After I had the watch transfer pieces arranged how I wanted, I carefully peeled away the backing, laid my transfer in place, and gently rubbed using the stick that was included in the package.

It’s just that easy! I applied all three watch transfers and I was done!

I did not apply a clear coat to my tray, because I plan to use it as a display piece with my dad’s and grandfather’s antique pocket watches.

But how cute would this be to serve a cup of tea along with a sweet treat, like a slice of Lemon Blueberry Loaf or Almond Raspberry Tart?

If I was planning to use my tray for serving food, I would definitely have added a coat of Dixie Belle clear coat in Satin to give it extra protection. (Plus, just to be on the safe side, I’d serve the food on individual plates using this tray, rather than put the food directly on it.)

My Finished Upcycled Serving Tray

This Upcycled Serving Tray was such a fun project to make, especially because it gives me the perfect way to display these sentimental watches that I inherited. The Dixie Belle transfers are such a close match to the real ones, don’t you think?

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Make your own using Dixie Belle supplies:

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog.

• Chalk Mineral Paint in the color Drop Cloth
• Sanding Sponge
• Gemstone Mousse in Amber
• Nail Head Trim Stencil
• Belles & Whistles Transfers– Hot Air Balloons and Clocks
• Mini Angle Brush
• Small Round Brush
• Satin Clear Coat