Making A Chalkboard Tray

There are lots of good things being planned for Shabby But Chic that are taking up lots of my time but I wanted to share this simple, fast project with you.  Thrift shops, yard sales and flea markets are a great source for "silver" trays.  

I found this one at a thrift store for 1/2 price for only $2.00!  It's a great size, is heavy and has built in handles.  However, you can use oval ones and round ones.  Unless you use a stand, you're going to need a way to to hang these trays.  So, instead of using ones with handles, you can find ones with little open spaces or holes made into the design around the edge of the tray.  

I usually prefer to use chalkboard paint in a spray can.  But on the day I decided to work on this project, it was cold and rainy outside so I chose to apply the chalkboard paint with a brush.  It's easy to decide what part needs to be painted and you can use painter's tape to mask off the outside border of the chalkboard paint area.  Just take care when removing to the tape to prevent the paint from being pulled off.  Or you can do what I did on this one and use a small flat paintbrush to freehand the outside edge before filling in the rest of the tray.  Coat the entire area well and let dry completely.

Apply another coat of paint (or two, if needed).  I cut a length of burlap ribbon with finished edges and tied each end to the built in handles.  Next, I took two smaller pieces of ribbon and tied simple bows onto the handles to hid the knots from the hanger burlap.

Freshly painted chalkboard paint needs to be "seasoned:" before using.  To do this, take the side of a piece of chalk and completely cover the surface as in the above picture.  Then wipe well with a cloth to remove the chalk.  Another tip for writing on chalkboards is to wet your chalk before using.  The chalk writing will be extremely light but will darken as it dries and you will have nice, crisp lettering.

These trays can be used for menus, memo boards and message boards and for writing sayings of your choice.   Check your china cabinet for forgotten trays or pick up one at a thrift store or yard sale and see how easy it is to transform and repurpose it.

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