Painted tray

I love the look of painted trays almost as much as I like woven baskets. They are the coolest way to keep things neat and organized and add a bit of style to boot. They are fun to use on a table or ottoman and are great to hold bills or papers on a desk. They come in a multitude of colors, shapes, sizes and styles but if you are into making things your own you can find a plain one at a thrift or discount store that you can then paint or embellish to suit your own personal style. 

I found this tray tucked way in the back on the bottom shelf at my local Homegoods store. It was a bit beat up but for $7 I didn't care. All of the scratches would be covered up anyway with a couple coats of spray paint. I've painted a tray before a bright red but this time I wanted to go a bit more neutral so I could use it in multiple rooms. 

This was a very simple project, but to start I roughed up the surface a bit with a piece of sandpaper so that it would accept the primer. I followed with a couple of coats of Rustoleum's Painters Choice spray paint in Dark Gray.  

 I decided I wanted the inside to be ivory so I taped of the top edges and along the handle side so that the ivory paint would not seep through. I wanted the inside of the handle to be ivory so that you could see it from the outside of the tray and it would look like an accent. I followed up with a couple of coats of gloss top coat to protect it.

Here is the final tray.