A new year brings plenty of talk about transformation. Transforming our bodies, our minds, our life.. you name it. I for one have more resolutions than I can count! So, it seemed natural to start the New Year off with a transformation DIY Project. I got a little help from my man Edgar Allan Poe, and transformed a thrift store find into a Gothic Serving Tray.
I picked this serving tray up at a thrift store. I use serving trays all of the time, so it’s one of those things I like to buy when I find good ones. By “good ones”, I mean the structure of the tray… I look for ones that are heavy in weight, paintable, and handles are a plus. This particular one was so unique because of it’s shape. I recently bought some red craft vinyl, and was itching to find a project for it. I thought a red quote on a black tray like this one could be really striking.
Believe it or not, Valentine’s Day is only a handful of weeks away, so I figured I’d choose a love poem for my quote… just in case any of you are looking for a Gothic Valentine project. If not…. any quote will do. While doing my research for this project I came across so many amazing quotes…. now I need to find more projects to put quotes on! At the end of the day, I landed on Annabel Lee. Annabel Lee is my favorite poem of all time… perhaps obvious given the name of my blog. Man, I had a hard time choosing a line from that poem! Each one is so amazing!! Last year around this time, I created a Framed Annabel Lee Chalkboard with the popular quote “We Loved with a Love….” as a piece of Dark Valentine Art. I figured I’d go with a different line for this project. Before long, I’ll be able to put all of my creations together to complete the entire poem!!
One thing to remember when choosing a quote. The longer the quote, the smaller the font, and the harder it will be for the cricut machine to accurately cut out each letter. So choose a quote that packs a punch in a small package!
While I think a simple quote in any color, on a black tray will look great, the natural lines of this tray were screaming for a border.. something simple, yet ornate. Because of the unusual shape of the tray, I drew this border myself to ensure a perfect fit. If you find a thrift store tray, there’s a strong chance it will be a more standard shape than this one. If you are not willing or able to draw your own border, there are tons available online in more standard shapes, whether for sale on Etsy or for free under google images. My design and quote pairing is available for digital download in my Etsy shop.
Here’s what you’ll need to recreate this project:
- Serving Tray
- Sander / Primer – optional
- Black Paint
- DecoArt Triple Thick Gloss Glaze
- Paint Brushes
- Cricut Machine
(I used the original Cricut Explore, but there are new & improved versions out since I purchased mine years ago)
- Cricut Tools
and 12×12 Cutting Mat
or 12×24 Cutting Mat
- Red Craft Vinyl
- Transfer Tape
(I used the original Cricut Explore, but there are new & improved versions out since I purchased mine years ago)
and 
or 
1. Clean, Sand, or Prime the tray as needed.
2. Paint the tray (I used a flat black paint)
3. Upload your border image as a cut image and type your text into Cricut Design Space. Choose your font carefully. While I am forever impressed with the Cricut’s skill at cutting vinyl…. you are just asking for trouble if your font is too small, too thin, or too detailed. Resize each element to fit inside your tray.
4. Prepare your image for cutting. If you want to cut the entire image (border and text) out all at once, you can arrange it within design space. Because Cricut automatically rearranges each component to maximize space once you send it to cut, you’ll need to weld the images together. Word of warning – welding cannot be undone. So save a version of your work before and after welding. EVERY damn time I think I have my final version, I have to go back & make changes… nothing more frustrating than not being able to!! If you are OK with cutting each element separately, you can rearrange the elements on the Mat Preview once you click Make It. I chose this method. With so many moving parts to this design, I felt more comfortable attaching them one at a time. So, I flipped the text vertically, and moved both text components into the inside area of the border. No sense in wasting vinyl!!
Note – a standard cutting mat is 12×12. Depending on the size of your tray, you may have to use a 12×24 mat. If that is the case, Cricut will automatically set your border to cut vertically.
5. Send your image to cut. Design Space will walk you thru each step as soon as you click Go.
6. Separate the cut image from the vinyl.
7. Use Transfer Tape to adhere the image to the tray. There are easy to follow instructions that come with the transfer tape for attaching the vinyl to it.
8. Brush on the Gloss glaze in a thin layer. Once dry, reapply a few more times. This ensures the vinyl does not peel away from the tray surface.
Enjoy!
If you’re a Poe fan like me, then not only will you want to check out that DIY Annabel Lee Chalkboard…. but you may also want to save these DIY Poe Christmas Ornaments to your pinterest board for next year!!
This DIY Ouija Board Serving Tray is another great tray idea not to mention another Cricut Project. Like the idea of Serving Trays, but don’t have a cricut machine? Try this Black & Gold Tray created from a thrift store frame!
Another beautiful and stylish project, Alex. I have some boring wooden trays, as well as a couple of ornate beauties that could all use a makeover. I need to find me some of this triple gloss glaze. Sx
Thanks Sue!! I really like working with that glaze. I’ve tried a few other similar products (polycrylics, mod podge, etc) and really like this one the best. It takes several coats, but creates a nice seal.