Serve up an artfully executed message on a metal serving tray

Decorative metal serving trays with handles are easily scored at thrift shops, flea markets, and yard sales. They can be repurposed to create many lovely things, and this project turns an old tray into a trendy piece of wall art with a message and high graphic appeal.

This project is endlessly adaptable because you can customize the what you write and accompanying glue-on objects in so many ways. You could paint the word “Family” on your tray and attach a fave family photo, or the word could be “Welcome” with a costume jewelry pineapple, a symbol of hospitality, affixed to the tray. A holiday version could even be fashioned with the word “Merry” written out and an evergreen sprig attached next to the script. This easy-breezy wall art project is fun, simple to make, and brightens up a wall in a jiffy.

Materials
- Decorative metal tray with handles
- Small plastic paint palette
- Jar of black acrylic paint
- Fine-tipped fine art paintbrush
- Metal fork
- Metal spoon
- Hot glue gun
- Hot glue gun sticks

Instructions
1. Lay your metal tray on the work surface.

2. Place the small paint palette next to it and fill one of its paint wells with the paint.

3. Carefully paint your message or word onto the surface of the tray.

4. While the paint is drying, gather your accessory objects (in our video it’s a fork and spoon) and apply hot glue to the back side of the fork, just below the tines and at the bottom portion of the handle.

5. Affix the fork to the right of the painted word (“Eat” in the video).

6. Repeat steps 5-6, using the spoon and place it on the other side of the word.

7. Allow the paint and glue to dry, and the tray will be ready to be hung.