Recycle an Old Serving Tray into a Bulletin Board for Christmas

Yard and garage sales are excellent places to find worn out objects that can be recycled into new useful items. These items may require some extra work such as patching, removing some rust or refinishing some wood, but the results make the effort well worth it. One item that can be recycled and added to your Christmas decor is an old serving tray. These make excellent display areas for Christmas cards or family photos.

Items Needed to Make a Christmas Bulletin Board

-Old metal serving tray (oblong)
-Spray paint for metals (your choice of color)
-Acrylic paints (your choice of colors)
-Christmas sponge shapes
-Picture hanging kit
-Assorted Buttons (red and green)
-Peel and stick magnets (preferably round ones)
-Paintbrush
-Glitter (optional)
-Mod Podge or spray on sealer
-Glue (for metal)

Instructions to Make a Christmas Bulletin Board

Inspect the serving tray for rust and dents and fix as needed. Spray paint the front of the tray with the metal paint and let it dry thoroughly (for these instructions I am using a black gloss color). Make sure to cover the tray with an even coat. If you prefer, you can use a metal paint that is put on with a paintbrush.

While the tray is drying, cut out circles from the magnet strips (unless you have round ones), using the buttons as a guide. The magnet circles will be glued to the back of the buttons. Although these magnet strips are sticky on one side, they never hold for very long, so reinforce with glue.

When the tray has dried, decorate it with the acrylic paints and sponge shapes. Since the tray will be used to display holiday items, such as Christmas cards, you may want to decorate the edges only. A candy cane or holly leaves sponge would be a good choice. Perhaps decorating one corner, like the upper left or lower right sounds more appealing to your creative side. A brightly painted white poinsettia with just a hint of red and medium green leaves on the black background would look lovely.

After the tray has dried completely, apply several layers of Mod Podge or other sealant. Be sure to let each application dry before putting on the next coat. Sprinkle a little glitter in between the layers of sealant to give your tray some sparkle.

Use the picture hanging kit to affix hangers to the back using glue formulated for metals. Hang on a wall where friends and family can admire your Christmas card display.

The colorful magnet buttons will hold your Christmas cards or photos in place.

Source: Personal Experience