DIYIYD (Do it Yourself if You Dare): Geometric Tray

I had a wooden tray given to me years ago that was gathering dust in the cupboard and was screaming for a makeover. Given my current obsession for all things gold, geometric and chevron print, I was inspired to take this boring little tray to the next level. I knew I didn't want to spend much on this project, so thought the easiest way to recreate the look I had in mind was to get creative with some tape and acrylic paints. On a steamy Saturday I headed to Spotlight and bought a tube of metallic gold and matte white acrylic paints for $3.50 each (I didn't even use half of these), so the total cost of the project is around $3, what a score! Here's what you'll need:

• Wooden Tray (or tray of any kind, melamine, plastic, acrylic)
• 2 colours of acrylic paint
• tape (preferably painters tape, but I only had the smooth opaque plastic kind and it worked fine, just make sure you press it down really tight when you are doing your initial design)
• scissors
• paint brush + paint sponge

Start by lining the side edges of your tray with the tape - this is to stop the paint riding up the sides.

 

Then take your first colour (this is the colour that will appear as stripes in the finished product) and paint the entire base thinly, wait for the first coat to dry (about an hour), then do your second thin coat and allow to dry overnight. If you are painting on wood like I am, you will need to paint all your strokes with the grain to ensure a smooth looking finish.

Now it's time to get creative with you tape. Feel free to make up your design as you go along, or go online and search for a pattern you can follow. To create this chevron/geometric pattern, basically as long as you keep your lines even and diagonal with triangle shaped arches, you can't go wrong. Just cut off section of tape and lay them down and ensure they are pressed tint so no paint sinks underneath. if sections of tape overlap each other then slightly lift and use a pair of scissors to remove the offending bits that don't line up.

                                                                
Once you are happy with your design (remember, you can gently lift the tape and move around if needed) you need to cover with your alternate colour (I used matte white) using a sponge or a brush if you prefer.

Allow this to start to dry, about 20-30mins should do it, then very gently start to remove and discard your tape, section by section until you are left with the finished product and leave overnight to dry. The next morning I used a cotton bud and non-acetone polish remover to remove any white smudges left on the sides from the tape (and my heavy hand).

Overall, I am pretty stoked with how it's come up. considering it only cost a few bucks to put together, I would be more than happy to use this tray to serve up a pot of tea, or display it on the coffee table with my beloved ceramic pineapple and a homemade candle.