30 Day Crafting Challenge Day 10 – Easy Farmhouse Style Tray DIY

The farmhouse style is all about creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. Soft, neutral colors, plush textures, and natural materials all contribute to a cozy and comfortable space that feels welcoming and relaxed. And adding unique and personal touches to your decor can make your space feel even more special and one-of-a-kind. This is why this easy farmhouse-style tray is a perfect addition to your decorating!

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Easy Farmhouse Style Tray DIY

You will not believe how easy it is to make this tray – that is, until you read this! You only need a few supplies, and most of them are from Dollar Tree. So here is what you will need to make your own Farmhouse Style Tray:

• 7 Dollar Tree shelf sitter type signs
• Wood glue
• 2 Drawer handles
• E6000 Craft Glue
• Chalk paint

And that’s it! Super easy, right? So now all we have to do is assemble the tray and paint it.

How To DIY A Farmhouse Style Tray

To begin, take 6 of your Dollar Tree shelf-sitter type signs and line them up.

You can usually find these close by the frames sections of your local Dollar Tree. And as you can see, I had signs that said different things. The important part is making sure they all are the same length and thickness. Side note, these would make a great DIY ladder too. Not a tall one, like my Pottery Barn Inspired DIY Blanket Ladder, but a small version that could sit on a table or even in your kitchen. Hmmm….the ideas are starting to take over now. Oops, ok, that’s a project for another day! Back to our tray…

Once you have your signs, remove the sticker on the back and sand off the adhesive. The back side of your signs will be the viewable part of your tray. So be sure to get the sticky adhesive residue off. Otherwise, it will show through once you paint your tray.

After you have all the glue off, you will attach the signs together, lying flat, and with the backside facing up.

This is an important step! Make sure you have all the backs up. Otherwise, if you have some of the saying sides up the paper backing will show through onto your finished tray.

Now allow the glue time to fully dry before moving on to the next step.

Next, take your seventh Dollar Tree sign, and cut it in half. Then you will attach each piece to either side of your tray. You can measure it off or eyeball it. I chose the latter.

And following the same guideline, glue the half signs down with the back facing up. Like this:

Then allow it to fully dry before moving on to painting your tray.

Painting The Tray

Now this is where the project gets fun! I think that’s because you can really see those signs being transformed into a usable decor piece for your decorating. Choose the type of paint you want to use for your tray. I chose chalk paint because I love the way it looks. But if you have acrylic paint or even latex paint, you could use that as well.

Can you see the little signs I have on either side of the tray? These help to raise the tray off of my work surface. This makes it easier to paint the tray. So go ahead and paint the entire tray. The top, the sides, and all of the extra sides – like from the raised parts. Be sure every viewable side is painted. I did 1 coat of paint for my tray because I wanted it to look a little worn and rustic. If you want perfection, use at least 2 coats of paint.

And once your tray is dry, now you can attach the drawer handles to the sides.

For my drawer handles, I found these in the clearance section at Hobby Lobby. I have found that they have some beautiful vintage-looking handles and knobs. But when they are regular price, they are a little spendy. So I always check the clearance area of my local Hobby Lobby to see if there are any deals.

You can secure the handles to either side of your tray with E6000 glue. This stuff is strong. And it works very well for securing things together. Once you have the handles in place, allow the tray to dry overnight before using it for decorating.

Easy Farmhouse Style Tray DIY

See! I told you that was easy! And as you can see from the farmhouse tray photo above, you can choose different colors to make your tray. This was the first tray I made, and I used black chalk paint. It looks really nice for Christmas decorating too.

I even made those Christmas trees. Seeing this picture now makes me excited for Christmas decorating 2023!

You Can DIY!

And if you want to see how easy it is to make this, I have a video that walks you through the entire process start to finish. You can find it on my YouTube channel – which has a new name! Now my channel is called DIY Diva. How appropriate is that?

I am having so much fun making these crafts and bringing them to you. I hope you are enjoying my posts! And I hope I am inspiring you to create something beautiful for your home.

Happy Crafting!