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A Summer Stencil

CRAFTS

This is a sponsored post brought to you by FrogTape for Bower Power’s Frog Tape Fridays. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.

 

Yard sale season is upon us and I could not be more excited.  I love yard sales more than any other thrifty shopping experience.  Maybe it’s because of the personal stories that are found when you paw over someone else’s cast off goods.  Maybe it’s because the prices are ridiculously low.  Maybe it’s because usually there is fresh air, warm sunshine and the yard/garage/driveway turned into makeshift stores.  Whatever the reason, this is the season to break out your quarter jar and head out for good deals.

I found this watermelon tray at a recent estate sale.  It was marked $1 and I was there right before the sale was supposed to end…so I offered a quarter and the lady happily agreed.  Most times at yard sales, they throw in things for uber-cheap or even free at the very end just to avoid having to move it back inside the house or drive it to a donation site.

I sanded it down and primed it to get rid of the watermelon motif.  I dig watermelons…I do…but it looked especially rough on the outside and the corners…so a makeover was in order.

I knew that I wanted the bottom of the tray to be different than the edges so I broke out the regular green Frog Tape to protect the edges from any stray paint.

Then I used a little stencil brush and my Martha Stewart stencils to create a little pattern on the bottom.

In the end, I loved how it looked.  It was perfectly imperfect…and much more updated that Sir Watermelon.

This is about when Jeremy walked in and said “oh, another white tray huh?!”.  ‘How many white trays could a girl possibly have?’, I thought.  I started counting in my head.  When I got to four..I quickly replied “No way…this one is gonna be…um…uh…red!”

And then I broke out the sensitive surface yellow Frog Tape and some red paint.

Now it looks way more updated and makes the perfect serving tray for a couple drinks and a small appetizer.

In order to protect the tray from future chipping or wear-n-tear, it’s a good idea to use a protective clear spray.

I honestly can’t wait for the next yard sale…let’s all pray that there are lots of ‘quarter finds’ for us all!  And a strawberry daiquiri waiting for us when we get home 🙂

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Comments

  2. Save my weekend!! We closed on a new house today so I could definitely use a fancy sprayer to paint….well everything.

  4. This fabulous sprayer would not only SAVE MY WEEKEND, it would save my sanity as we paint our kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities!

  8. That’s my usually go to colour as well – white. I love the red with the stencil. I love garage sale finds too, I can’t wait to move so I can start filling up my new house with other people’s cast off’s 🙂

  9. I can’t believe I am saying this given the fact that the majority of my home is made up of revamped Goodwill (the thrill of taking a piece and making it look expensive!)…but I don’t know how to find yard sales. How do you? I’ve heard craigslist and the newspaper but even that confuses me….help?

    C

  12. Cute makeover! Love me some garage sales. Went today (Sat), had a trunk full and I think I spent maybe $25. My best score was a 36″ round piece of glass that I’ve wanted for my kitchen table because it’s faux slate and doesn’t clean up the best. I figured if it doesn’t work, then I’m out zero dollars, woot woot! The second best was a small table (guessing for a plant) for $2 made by Ethan Allen. 🙂

  15. Hi Katie! Love your blog! I can’t seem to find it on your website, but I thought you had a blog email to contact you at. Sorry this is in the comments, but I hope you see it! Thank you, Katie!

  16. would these last pictures happen to be on your new dining room table??? is that too stalkerish? yea, maybe it is….anyways, I can’t wait to see the reveal!!!!

  17. Hello
    Trying to find the post where you painted the metal large fish on a stand.
    I have one and would like to follow along the instructions.
    Could you please send the link?
    Thanks a lot!!

  18. There were no instructions! It was just white Acrylic craft paint on with a foam brush. I think I did three coats and was just really careful around the stem.
    xo – kb

  22. It was silver metallic so it has a bit of gray at certain angles and more of a lighter silver at others 🙂
    xo – kb

  24. You can go on Craigslist (there is a yard sale section) and there are also aps that can help you find local ones. Or you can do what I do…drive around residential areas until I see signs 🙂
    xo – kb

  26. Do you think spray paint would work too? Why did you choose the craft paint ? ( I do not know the difference). Thanks!

    PS : sorry this is in comment section…. But could not find your email for contact.

  27. Super cute tray! I have a question for you… What type of paint did you use to paint on the spray paint? We were trying to paint on spray paint with craft paint and it would not stick.

  29. I don’t know…I’ve never tried to stencil with spray paint! That would be an interesting experiment!
    xo – kb

  32. We had our first yard sale excursion of the season on Saturday, and it just reminded me how much I love summer and yard sales! Our routine is to get up early, get Starbucks, and then drive aimlessly.

    I love what you did with the tray! I like to think of the red as a nod to its watermelon roots!

  34. This is so cute! I love it! I always want to stop in and go to the Estate Sales that I see advertised all over the city, but I need to find a partner to go with me. I am too chicken to venture out alone.

  35. I’m a tray lover, something I picked up living in entertaining-happy Sweden! Love the modern look of the gray stencils with red paint.

  36. Hahahahaha best response. I just used frog tape twice this weekend. One for a chalkboard wall in my son Jack’s room and the other for painting a play table! LOVED IT!

  37. You always have such creative ideas! I love the red with gray stencils!!! And I also want a daiquiri now!!

  38. Save my weekend! I hate spending ridiculous amounts of money on furniture, so I always find my furniture on Craigslist and paint it up! I still have plenty of projects to do with furniture around my house, as well as wainscoting to paint! Plus when we get a new house in a year or so, I want to get a complete fixer upper, so that means TONS of painting and other projects to do! So excited for that! =)

  39. Save my weekend! I’m entering for my girlfriend, she loves to DIY and wants to do a lot of things around the house. Honestly this would save my butt from having to paint by hand constantly too!

  40. So cute! I love the stencil use too. What a great way to dress up a $.25 find!

  41. I had to laugh a little because my husband will often walk in on me in the middle of a project and be like, oh, grey again eh? or I see you’re making another box… I’ve been known to get into a rut or two.

  42. I absolutely LOVE this tray!! My dad is cracking up at me because I am drooling over it here at work. (We work together)… The red is uh-mazing! Your Jer Bear had a great “suggestion”! =D

  43. This is a great project that made a huge difference! I love when you can change an item that you got at a garage sale and make it fabulous like this tray!

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