Hanging On By A Thread: Picture Frame Tray

I saw these cute trays on Lemon Tree Creations awhile back and quickly added them to my crafty list.

The great thing about this project is that it can be done in as little as five minutes and requires very little supplies.

I was happy to find the perfect frame at Goodwill awhile back for $2.99.

I started by taking the backing, hanger and glass off so that I could paint the frame.

I purposely chose a frame that had a back that was not sealed in paper (a lot of frames with art prints are backed that way). This frame had staples holding everything in which made it much easier when putting it back together.

Once everything was taken apart, my frame looked like this:

Then I started to paint. I didn't want the frame to look super-painted (is that even a word???) so I used a dry brush technique. This allowed for the grain of the wood to still be visible.
For dry brushing you take a dry paint brush and dip it into a LITTLE BIT of paint.

Then you wipe off the paint on a rag or paper towel.

LIGHTLY brush the paint brush on the frame. Don't push too hard. You can always add more color if you need it. This is what my frame looked like after the first coat.

I continued to layer the paint until I got the depth of color I wanted.

I had bought these handles for the frame but ended up not using them. The edge of the frame was really narrow and I was worried that the screws would poke out the side. I'm hoping to find a larger frame for our coffee table that will accommodate them. When buying handles, you need to consider whether they screw on from the front or the back and whether that will work for your particular frame.

You can use paper, fabric or photos for the center of your frame. I found this great leaf print that matched perfectly. I used the cardboard print that came in the frame and wrapped the fabric around it and used my hot glue gun to glue it to the cardboard.

Then I put it into the frame. If you are going to use it as an actual tray you are going to want to make the bottom look pretty. You can also put felt on the bottom to prevent it from scratching your furniture.

Ta-da!!!

I love how it turned out. It looks perfect on my entryway table.

It's an excellent place for guests to put their keys when they come over!

Here are a few more examples of frames that I found.

An antique frame requires no painting or handles. A great 5 minute frame simply by adding fabric or paper.