The time has come to put on our holiday hats and try to remember all the fun ideas that have run around in our heads for the past few months! With Thanksgiving falling so late in November I am feeling a little pressure to get everything done!
One of the projects I’ve been looking forward to is transforming a tray I bought at a thrift store last spring. It had a folk art snowman on it, but I had other ideas to make it tie in with our Christmas decor.
First, I chose a reindeer template, enlarged it, traced the design onto Heat-n-Bond, ironed that on some red linen fabric, and cut out the design. Just follow the directions for Heat-n-Bond right on the product. Remember to trace your design facing the opposite directions you want it to be on the finished piece.
Next I cut another piece of fabric to serve as the background. In this case I used a cotton chevron in a soft aqua and cream. The background fabric was cut to the size of the tray bottom. Then I just ironed the reindeer onto the background.
To prepare the tray I lightly sanded it and primed it with Kilz (spray paint), not worrying about solid coverage. I liked some of the crackle effect showing through. Let dry completely. If you would like to add feet to your tray, this is the time. I used small finials from the wood craft section of the craft store. Look around…you may be surprised at what you find to use for this purpose.
Now it’s time to lightly glue the fabric with design in place using a small amount of fabric glue. I actually applied the glue to the tray, and laid the fabric on top of it. I plan to have a piece of glass cut to cover my tray, but you could also apply Modpodge over the fabric.
Lastly, I added a simple, free-hand scalloped border using craft paint to match! At the last minute I decided to paint the feet red and aqua… like the way they turned out!
It feels good to have one project checked off my list, but there’s plenty left to keep me busy!
Imagine it. Create it. Live in it.
