It's a sign~

Every time I step into my favourite second hand shops I always seem to stop and stare at the pile of silver trays and plates that are constantly accumulating on the shelves.  For the longest time I've been trying to figure out what I could do with them, but no matter how hard I stared at them, nothing would come to me.

And then I picked up the latest edition of Somerset Home.  There it was, right in front of me...the perfect project!

Angela Harris from yourangil.blogspot.com created beautiful objects with these trays to decorate her home and send out affirmation messages to her family.  I was so excited when I saw this, I knew that I had to make some for my house too!

Here are the supplies that I used:

Most important are the trays, the chalkboard paint and a brush, and some tape.  The rest is just fun embellishments~

Steps
1) Lightly clean the area that you will be applying the chalkboard paint to. 

I did a little research on cleaning silver (apparently toothpaste and a soft cloth are the way to go) but I quickly decided that what I loved about thiese little treasures was the patina.  It gives them character and age.  So, I left the rest of the tray alone and continued.

2) Tape around the area that you want covered with chalkboard paint.  This was my first experience using chalkboard paint and I thought that this step would ensure a nice clean edge....sadly it did not.  It wasn't bad but when I removed the tape it did lift some of the paint.  So, if you have an ultra steady hand you can skip this step.  Otherwise, just be super gentle when you remove the tape later on.

3) Paint the chalkboard paint onto the tray.  Give it 2-3 coats alternating the direction of your brush strokes on each layer.  It takes about an hour or so to dry in between each layer depending on how thick you paint it on.

4) Once the last layer of paint has dried thoroughly very, VERY gently remove the tape.  Now for the fun part - embellishing!!  Tie on pretty ribbons, sparkly butterflies, and other things to personalize them.  If your tray doesn't have handles or a filigree edge, you can use a hot glue gun to attach things.

5) Write special messages on the trays for your guests or family members and hang on doors or special places.



Aren't they gorgeous?!?!?  I hung the one above on the outside of my washroom door.

And the one below hangs on the door knob to my guest room.

I thought that I'd be able to set this one on the door casing outside of my studio but it wouldn't stay up there.  I ended up using a 3M Command Strip and sticking it right to the wall.  I love it!

What do you think?  Could you make these more 'masculine' or maybe more professional for an office?  What else could you use them for?  Leave a comment and share your ideas~

Don't forget to sign up as a follower and enter my giveaway here.

Hey!  This project has been featured on Lambaround as a Best in Show nominee! 
Check out Lamb's site and vote for my project to win~

My top referrer this week was Blue Cricket Design .  Go visit Becca for inspiration and creativity~

I'll be posting this project at the linky parties on the linky tab above.  Check them all out for more fun and great ideas~