Easy DIY Picture Frame Tray

I found this vintage frame at a garage sale for .25 cents. SCORE! That's why I have a junk pile laying around for picking. HA! But you never know when the creative mood strikes, and I want to be prepared.

The bonus with this frame is that someone had already painted it a beautiful farmhouse green. I could have used it as is, but I want a more subtle look for my picture frame tray. The first thing to do is to clean up the frame. I used my foam sanding pad to remove any chipped-off paint and clean it with a damp cloth. Now it's ready for paint.

Next, you'll need to measure the opening for the bottom of the picture frame tray. You'll do this by flipping the frame over and measuring from edge to edge where the picture is inserted. Since it will be used as a tray, I measured from the longest end to end. Then you'll need to cut your boards to the correct size. Because every frame is different, you'll need to adjust your boards (or wood) you're using. For this project, it just happened to work out without having to adjust too much. I did leave a little gap between the boards to make up for the difference. And I see no reason that you couldn't use different sized boards. That would add to the charm.

Use wood glue to secure your boards to the picture frame. You may also want to secure the boards with nails. It just depends on what kind of wood you're using for the bottom of your tray and if it's decorative or functional.

How about that for a "waiting on paint to dry" project? Now I have a beautiful picture frame tray that will surely spark conversations when guests come to visit.

xo, Do

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