Re-purposed Mixed Media Serving Tray - "Laughter"

As I was looking at a variety of great creations on Pinterest, I came across where someone had taken an old wood frame and turned it into a serving tray. As you know I love to re-purpose frames, so I decided that I wanted to give this a try. I also decided that I wanted to create a one of a kind mixed media piece to go inside. Below are some photos showing you the step-by-step process I went through in creating this tray. Feel free to email me at: judesigns@hotmail.com with any questions.

I had an old wood frame, that I picked up at a thrift store, and thought it would be perfect for this project due to the width of wood it had, the face of the frame was inset, and it had a unique design around the edges.

I painted the frame in a variety of different greens, sanding and distressing in between coats. I have several old drawer pulls on hand, so I found a couple that I thought would work perfectly. Because of the slope of the wood frame, they wouldn't look right to attach them to the top of the frame sides, so I drilled holes through the sides and attached them on the outside of the frame. Once the handles were attached, I filled the holes with wood filler and completed the painting and distressing process.

For the mixed media piece, I used the backing out of the frame as my base.

I decided to create an art piece with a coffee cup and saucer for the inside of the tray. I also wanted to use some of my scrap paper, since I seem to have piles of it. :)

To start with, I used Mod Podge and glued on pages from an old book as the first layer.

I then added the scrap papers I had chosen and glued them across the top leaving some space for the book pages to show through.

I like to recycle cereal and cracker boxes and use them in my projects to add dimension.

On this project I decided to use an empty cereal box to add dimension to the cup and saucer. I traced it and then cut it out. I forgot to take photos of the rest of this process, but it was pretty similar to how I created the back ground. I used old book pages for the mouth of the cup and decorative paper for the cup and handle.

I also used old book pages for the saucer, embossed, and painted it.

I added my "Laughter is the best medicine, but coffee is a good substitute" saying to it and also added some steam coming out of the coffee cup.

Here is a photo of the completed mixed media piece before I put it into the serving tray.

I didn't feel like the backing on this frame was sturdy or strong enough for it to be used as a serving tray, so I added a thin wood backing.

Once glued in, I used wood filler to fill in the gaps around the perimeter, then once it was dry, sanded it and painted it to match the rest of the frame.

My final step was to add bumpers to the bottom, so that it won't damage or slide around on furniture.

This was a fun re-purposing project. If this has inspired you to make one, I would love it if you would come back and post a photo. I would love to see YOUR creation!
Don't forget to visit my facebook paget at: Dippity Dot Creations. If you would like to place an order for a serving tray or a mixed media art piece be sure to email me at: judesigns@hotmail.com