more trays

i know, i know.   what is it with me and trays?  they're pretty much boring utilitarian pieces and yet i'm drawn to them.  maybe i was a servant in another life?

remember these?

i think i paid $3 for the set at a thrift shop.  might'a been $5.  either way, a total steal in my book. i sanded and painted them an off white the day i purchased them and then they sat while the other half and i fought installed and beadboard ceiling on the porch.  so now mother's day is just around the corner (last minute  lizzie) so i got to work tonight on one for my mother in law and one for my mom. more after the jump...



the largest of the three is for my mother in law, she loves to entertain and throw parties.  hell, when her immediate family gets together there are 22 of us.  we're an instant party, just add alcohol.  heh.  i painted the base with 4 coats of blackboard paint and transferred a simple header scroll and 'fromage' ..turned out pretty swell if i say so myself ;)

 

now, my mom..she's tough.  hates 'stuff'.  says 'don't buy me stuff, i haven plenty of stuff, i have no where to put 'stuff''.  god love her.  she's getting 'stuff'.  in the form of the cutest little apron lady from the graphics fairy.

 the apron lady graphic was printed on a water slide decal and laid directly onto the wood. carol from the polka dot closet does it this way sometimes, and she's right, the grain of the wood shows up beautifully behind the image.   i'll give it a couple coats of acrylic sealer and call it a day.

the third tray has yet to be completed, because it's for me.  but, seeing these two trays together, kinda, sorta makes me wish i could keep them all.  damn me for being so magnanimous!

ok, so this isn't really a full tutorial, but i figured i'd show you how i did the scroll and 'fromage' on the blackboard tray.  as you can see, the whole tutorial thing was a total afterthought. 

k, so you print out your graphic.  i found the scroll at freeprintableborders4u.com, and the font is black jack.  print 'em out, cut 'em if you want and cover the back of the paper with regular white chalk.  i sent shivers up my spine several times with the whole chalk noise thing, but it was worth it!  once you've covered the back with chalk, turn it over and place it on your surface, chalk down, printing up.  tape it in place so it doesn't move.  take a ball point pen and trace the outline of the graphic and words and you'll end up with something like this:

typically, i'd outline the graphic and font with a paint marker, but i don't have an off white paint marker and i didn't want it to look like it was outlined, so on this one i just went with my paintbrush and carefully painted between the lines, allowing the first coat to dry and then touching up the lighter spots with the brush again..and then, of course, back with the brush and the black chalkboard paint to fix some slip ups. (we all have 'em!). once all the paint dries, just take a damp cloth and wipe away the chalk outlines if any are still showing.

so there you go, a mini tute on how to transfer an image to a black background.

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