Ikea Tray Makeover

I found this Ikea tray at our local Goodwill store for $4.00 and thought I could turn into something decorative for our little apartment...

This is what it looks like now...

First, I gave the entire tray, including the metal handles and sides a light sanding using 100-grit sandpaper.  Remember...I live in a little apartment and our shop full of tools are...well...still in our shop at our home in BC!  So, sanding without a sander is not much fun.  Anyway, I sanded it, but probably not as nicely as it would have been with the proper tools, then wiped the surface to remove any loose dust.

I then applied dark walnut stain to the entire tray and wiped the excess off.

 

When it dried, I applied Buttermilk and Tuscan Red by DecoArt and Forest Moss by FolkArt in random stripes by drybrushing onto the surface.  Once the paint dried I, again, lightly sanded the surface to remove some of the paint giving it a more weathered look.

It still needed something...

 so I stenciled the number "2" to the bottom right corner using buttermilk paint.  I let it dry and removed some paint to make it look as though the number weathered as well.

I am happy with the way it turned out and it will add some color to my "revamped" floating shelves...a project I will share later. 

 

 

 

Thank you for stopping by...

 

Lesa