If you are a parent and anything like me, you have heard of Melissa and Doug. Â I was introduced to them as a teacher, and when I became a parent I knew I wanted to use them with my own kids. Â I love the wooden toys they make. Â With no electronics, my girls are free to play with them as they like. Â Some of their favorite toys are the kitchen food. Â We have many picnics and cookie baking days.
Most of Melissa and Doug toys come in wooden trays. Â When I began my “reorganization” of the toys, I realized I really didn’t need to keep all of the trays. Many of the trays could be used with multiple toys, and other toys were easier stored in bags. Â I felt it a waste, however to just through out the pretty solid trays. Â So I decided to re purpose them!
Two trays I used to to keep our junk drawer in check.
I painted the bottom of another tray with chalkboard paint, so that my daughter could have a mini chalkboard.
The re purpose I liked the best? Â A tray to use around the house. Â If you remember I made this chevron tray to help keep our coffee area neat and tidy. Â Ever since that I’ve been itching to try something new.
So, how do you  make this piece of awesomeness?
ONE:
To start off, you’ll have to remove all the paint. Acetone based nail polish remover worked well. Or you could use pure acetone. It’s super smelly, and you’ll need a lot. I suggest doing this step outdoors.
TWO:
After you get all the paint off (or to the best of your ability, as you can see mine is still slightly pink) wash it a little with some mild soap, then lightly sand it.
THREE:
After that find a stain you like, and follow the directions. I used the same stain as I did on this DIY Chevron Tray, since I think black is pretty timeless.
FOUR:
While you could stop there, I wanted to add a little extra. So I decided to paint the phrase “eat, drink, and be merry” on the bottom. To do this I first created the image. You can design your own, or get your free PDF by clicking here. I then rubbed pencil on the the back of the paper.
FIVE:
After that I placed the paper where I wanted on the tray and traced the letters with pencil.
Here is how it looks with all of the letters traced on.
SIX:
Now it’s time to paint those letters! After painting seal it if you would like. I tried using a polyurethane top coat, and it unfortunately ran a bit. After a bit more research I think modge podge or a spay coat would have been a better idea. I hope to test this theory in the future.
SEVEN:
While you could end there, I wanted to dress it up a bit, so I bought some drawer handles from Home Depot, and had my hubby help put them on.
And there you have it! Â Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy! Â I’m looking to try a few more designs, so stay tuned!