Holiday Themed Footed Tray

Looking for a quick & easy way to decorate a footed tray? Let me show you how I decorate a tray using a few key elements!

It’s thyme to start decorating for the holidays!  This year, I am trying to refresh, repurpose and reuse things I already have!  Here’s one of my favorite ways on how to decorate a footed tray!

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Shortly after I started my blog, I was invited to participate in a Blogger DIY Challenge involving making a footed tray and styling it to reflect our own holiday style.  The finished vignette could be for either Thanksgiving or Christmas.

I ended up doing a Coastal Christmas theme which works really well in our home. Let me show you how I did it!

Quick & Easy Way to Decorate A Footed Tray!

Let’s Gather The  Elements Needed to Decorate The Tray

A footed tray is going to be the base of my holiday vignette.  This wooden tray had been on our lanai for quite a while.  It was a little tired looking and very dirty. 

Before:

After:

Here is a brief overview on how I refreshed the tray and added feet!  I used a spray cleaner that is safe to use on wood to clean the tray before repainting it.

The tray was already painted in coastal colors.  In order to keep things as easy as possible, I decided to stay with the same color scheme.  I also wanted to use items that I already had.  I had several cans of spray paint left from my days as a florist so I decided to use those.  I used painter’s tape to protect the areas that weren’t being painted.

I used tiny little flower pots held on with velcro for the feet!

Lantern

Another piece of my display also needed a bit of a face lift.  This hurricane light had also been out on the lanai and the metal had started to rust.  I used the painter’s tape to wrap the glass in order to protect it while I sprayed the metal with gray primer paint.  Once it dried, I used Dresden Clear Glaze to give it a bit of a sheen.

To see another way  I used the lantern, please go to this post: Let’s Refresh The Lanai for the Holidays with a Retro Feel

Ways to Add Sparkle to Your Vignette

Strands of battery operated lights are a quick way to add a bit of sparkle to your vignettes.  I use them year round, not just at the holidays.  I also seem to always run out of batteries so I am planning on ordering a pack of 32 ct AA batteries so I won’t run out as quickly!

I often buy batteries from Amazon AA batteries pk of 32

Glittery Pinecones

A few glittery pinecones will add a lot of sparkle to your holiday arrangements!  If you don’t have glittery ones, plain ones will work as well.

Vintage Ornaments & Jingle Bells

One more tip

Before I show you the finished display, I wanted to share a quick tip on how to add whimsy to your arrangements.  If you have silk pine picks that are individually wired, you can use a pen or pencil to twist the wired pieces to add cute curly pieces.

 

The Finished Vignette!

The finished vignette reflects my love of worn wood, shells, barn tin and architectural salvage.  More about my fondness of those things can be found here:

and here:

I ended up adding a ceramic ornament and a few more battery candles.

I am pleased with how it turned out!  It was fun coming up with a creative way to update the tray and then to stage the tray in a holiday vignette!

I really love how the piece of architectural salvage looks like angel wings!

Save This Pin For Later

One Last Look

Kim’s “Tool Box”

Here are a few tools and products I recommend if you don’t already have them on hand.  Design Master has many, many , many colors to choose from.  One of my favorite greens is Basil. Spray paint has really gone up in price but one can will last you quite a while. 

I love the Design Master products but they have become a bit pricey.  Another alternative is Rust-oleum brand.  I love their paints, especially the chalked spray paint.

Dresden Clear Glaze is a good product to have on hand as it can be used in a variety of ways to give a quick update to an item.  One can of Dresden Clear Glaze will go a long way.  I have used it on wicker baskets that need a quick refresh as well as a way to add a bit of protection to a painted piece.

Design Master Basil Spray Paint

Rust-oleum Chalked Spray Paint – 2 cans

Dresden Clear Glaze

Bolt cutters and wire snips are handy when working with silk flowers and different kinds of wire. I use my bolt cutters a lot!

8 in Bolt Cutters

Set of two wire snips

The Rejuvenate product is a great cleaner.  A word of caution: Please read and follow the directions before using it.

Wood Cleaner

Velcro!

Velcro Dots

 

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