Tray Charming

Trays have somehow become a theme item around here. I haven't had a chance to fix up the great office tray I picked up at Goodwill over the weekend, but thanks to some dresser and office rearranging, two plain, balsa wood trays landed in the living room.

I stuck magazines in one (you can sort of see it through the glass part of the coffee table) and threw leftovers from an earlier table scape in the other. The natural wood wasn't bad, but I felt like a little punch of color could make things even better.

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This morning I grabbed three cans of paint, and with no clear idea of what I was doing, set to work.

First, I used a sponge brush to apply a light coat of acrylic French Blue. I think any kind of paint would work for this, I just happened to already have this bottle on hand.

Next, I poured a little of my free Glidden Fresh Guacamole onto a plate, and mixed in a smidge of the French Blue - not enough to really change the color. I mostly wanted to tone down the yellow undertones in the paint and make sure it would blend well with the blue already on the trays. After I did my mixing, I applied a few strokes of the green over the blue, and quickly wiped with a damp paper towel. I repeated this process over the entire outside of the tray. You can leave on as much or as little paint as you want.

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Finally, I repeated the same process on the inside of the tray, but this time I used white paint, mixed with a tiny smidge of the green. Once I saw the results, I decided to also apply a little of the white paint over the green and blue on the outside of the tray. I used very little and wiped almost all of it away, I just wanted enough to mellow the blue/green a bit. I was hoping for a beach-y driftwood type effect, and I really like the results!

Let's move in for a closer look.

I like how the inside, with only the wash of white, is a bit brighter than the outside with it's washes of green and white.

There is nary a sea shell in sight, but I still feel like there is a calm beach vibe. I redid the arrangement inside the tray for a greater range of textures. I also felt like I needed to add a smidge of red in the form of the book binding, to keep this working with the rest of the room.



I like how the colors work really well with the tones in the sofa.

Of course, once I fixed this all up, I felt like the display on the typewriter table across the room looked a little too red next to these new cooler colors.

No problem, I just switched out one of the books for a new book with a pale aqua spine.

There ya go! I think that helps tie things together nicely.

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Anyone out there have any other ideas for mixing and layering colors to create that beach-y vibe we all love so well? Do tell!

<3

Hattie