{Tutorial} Make Your Own Hand Painted Zebra Tray

I recently wrote about my DIY coffee table update and tutorial on how to add nailhead trim to wood furniture.  I also recently created this hand painted zebra tray. 

A quick side note on this project:  I had jumped on the lacquer tray bandwagon and ordered one of the small rectangular lacquered trays from West Elm.  So excited that it had arrived...I opened the box to find this...

Yuck!  And this...

Double Yuck!  Oh, so not good.

After a quick phone call to customer service, the representative so kindly offered to send another tray as soon as possible.  Unfortunately, they were now on back order.  Rats!  But, in the interim the representative suggested that I keep the damaged tray and dispose of it because it was too costly for them to have the damaged tray shipped back. 

Dispose of it?  Me? 

Well, anyone who knows me at this point clearly knows that I wouldn't be disposing of anything.  This tray was the perfect candidate for a little DIY.  And since another white tray was on it's way to me I thought it best to do a little something different with this one.

A little Gorilla Glue repaired the seam and I was ready to go.

Here's how to make your own hand painted zebra tray...


You'll need...

Tray
Black Spray Paint
Photo of Zebra Print
Pencil
Ruler
White Acrylic Paint
Paintbrush
Spray Clear Coat




First, if necessary spray paint the tray black.  Looks much better already, doesn't it?

Find a photo of a zebra print online (any will do).  Use it as a model.

{HartsFabric.com}

Measure the interior of the tray and draw a pencil line down the middle.  This line will act as a reference point when drawing the print so the lines remain centered.  Zebra is a very forgiving print, so don't worry about being perfect.  Using your reference photo sketch the zebra pattern onto the tray.  As you draw, mark lightly with an x the portions that will be painted white.

Paint the zebra print with white acrylic paint in the designated areas.

Once the paint is dry erase any pencil lines that may still be visible.  Spray the entire tray with a clear coat.

Wait more than 24 hours to make sure the clear coat is completely dry before placing anything on the tray.







Painting is one of my favorite activities.  I find it so relaxing.  Do you like to paint?  Have you worked on any paint projects lately?





XOXO,





Linking to...
A Bowl Full of Lemons
Sassy Sites
Imparting Grace
Serenity Now
It's Overflowing