Repurposed Thrift Store Serving Tray

Turn a Cheap Thrift Store Frame into a Unique and Functional Serving Tray

A couple weeks ago I went on a thrifting treasure hunt at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I left with some pretty awesome finds including:

2 Silver Platters
Several Old Paintings
2 Candle Sticks
2 Small Bowls
6 Pull Handles

I worked my DIY magic and transformed these items into:

Jewelry Pedestal Bowls
Repurposed Frame Christmas Wreath
Repurposed Chalkboard Silver Platter and Menu Board

I have some more things up my sleeve, but I won’t be able to share those until after Christmas because they are going to be Christmas presents. Anyway, I took two of these frames and the pull handles to make these trays. Here’s how.

Time: 20-30 minutes

Materials:

Materials list includes affiliate links for recommended products that I use.

Old Frame
Two Handle Pulls
Screws
Drill
Screw Driver
Paint and Paint Brush (optional)
Fabric
Scissors
Ruler
Pencil
Felt Scraps or Packing Paper
Staple Gun (optional)

Making the Tray

Instructions:

Remove and backing and glass from the frame. If you’d like, you can paint it. If you do, I think spray paint is the quickest and easiest way to go.

Next, measure how far apart the handle screws are. You want to measure from the center of each hole. The handles I bought did not have screws, so I went to Home Depot and found some that fit the depth of the tray. On a side note, after some help. An associate and I figured out that these screw handles were metric.

Measure where you will be drilling the holes into the tray. You want to make sure the handles are centered. Mark with a pencil and drill a hole. Place the handles on top and use a drill to screw them in.

Cut a piece of fabric to fit the frame. I used an old coffee bean sack. Place the glass and fabric into the frame and fasten it.

To finish off the back and avoid scratching a table top with the screws on the bottom of the tray, glue small felt pieces to cover the screws. Lastly cut a piece of thick brown packing paper and cover the bottom of the tray completely (including the screws). You can do this by gluing or stapling it on.

That’s it! These make great gifts. I have made them I the past and used them in my bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen. Just change the fabric for a new look.

If you liked this, check out some of my other trash to treasure projects and thrift store transformations:

Here’s another fun thrift store upcycle!