DIY Vintage Pallet Tray

This post was made in collaboration with Walnut Hallow.  All opinions are 100% my own.

Good morning friends.

  I am so glad you have stopped by today because I have a real treat for you.  I have joined up with several other bloggers to participate in the Create and Share Monthly DIY Challenge hosted by Stephanie at Casa Watkins .  

We were each given a wood item and a woodburning tool by Walnut Hallow and the instructions to complete it in any way we chose. I decided on their pallet tray and transformed it into the tray below.  

I am in love with the way it turned out - so vintage looking and perfect to hold a few Spring related items to make a wonderful vintage Spring centerpiece for our dining room table.  Let me show you how I did this transformation.

First of all - Walnut Hallow is a company that specializes in unfinished wood pieces and the supplies to finish them as you choose.  I chose to use their Rustic Pallet Tray for this and they sent a woodburning tool for me to try out. I have never done any woodburning and was excited to learn how to do it.  I turned to Pinterest and read several articles about how to use the tool itself and then practiced with it on a piece of scrap lumber.  I found that it was quite easy, very relaxing and a lot like coloring only with a very hot tool instead of markers.

I decided to make my tray into something vintage - surprise. I chose a Folkart stencil to use for my lettering.  First of all I traced the words I wanted onto the sides of the tray with a pencil.

Then I used the woodburning tool to begin tracing each line.  After I had burned a letter outline I then decided to fill in each letter with solid burning.  I used the pointed tip for all my woodburning.  But the tool comes with 4 different tips and I can't wait to come up with some other projects to try them all out on.

Then I used Johnson's Dark Walnut stain to stain the entire tray.  I applied it lightly at first and then darkened it around the edges and in some areas I thought it would have shown more wear had it been around for several years.  I love how it turned out - so vintage looking.

I then filled it with some Spring related items I had sitting around the house (specifically in my craft closet).  A painted bucket with a bird nest and eggs, some painted peat pots, a wire basket, some flower seed packets and a few "faux" spring flowers and ivy to complete the look.  Sitting on the vintage crochet doily just completes that vintage look I was going for.

This is a view of one end of the tray as I wanted it to resemble an old vegetable or fruit crate you would have found at a Farmer's Market.

This is a view of the other end of the tray. I think it actually looks as though it has been around for years.

Loving this "vintage" tray and how it completes my Spring centerpiece.  
Thank you Stephanie and Walnut Hallow for the opportunity to participate in this very fun challenge. 

   Be sure to visit all the other bloggers and see their great projects - just click on the links below to be amazed. And if you want to try your hand at a new craft - check out Walnut Hallow and their great selection of wood products.  
What do you think?  Maybe a woodburning project is in your future? 
Until next time create something you love.

Pallet Tray Projects

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Pocketful Of Posies:  DIY Military Coin Shadow Box

Vintage Romance Style: Easy DIY Laptop Stand

Shabby Grace Blog: Herb Garden Tray

Vintage Paint and More: DIY Vintage Pallet Tray

Domicile 37: Electronics Tray

Iris Nacole: Bohemian Tray

Lovely Etc: Simple Pallet Photo Display

The Southern Couture: How To Decorate Your Home For Every Season

Green With Decor: Decorating The Bathroom Walls

Medium Basswood Round

Run To Radiance: Faux Succulent Centerpiece DIY

A Shade of Teal: DIY Clock

One Mile Home Style:  Golden Home Sweet Home Wall Art

Flourish & Knot: Monogrammed Cheese Board

Lehman Lane: DIY Rustic Boy's Room Sign

Knock It Off Kim: Rustic Treat Stand

Farmhouse 40: Wood Open Sign

DIY Beautify:  Wood Slice Clock

Creatively Homespun:  DIY Children's Step Stool

Chatfield Court:  DIY House Numbers

Large Round Clock

Monica Wants It: Gold Polka Dot Clock

The Twin Cedars: DIY Lazy Susan

Tastefully Frugal:  DIY Drum Clock

Uncookie Cutter: Tabletop Clock

The House Down The Lane:  Kid's Art Cheese Tray

Refashionably Late: Stenciled Clock

Homeology: Rustic Modern Wall Clock

My Life From Home: DIY Baseball Clock

Old House To New Home: DIY Stenciled Clock