Homemade Gifts

Serving Tray Craft Projects

Here are six different ways to dress up a plain serving tray, including three kinds of mosaics and two decoupage projects.

All of these crafts would work to recycle an old tray that is past its prime, or use any of these ideas to decorate an inexpensive wooden tray.

Stained Glass Mosaic Serving Tray

Use little pieces of stained or colored glass to create a colorful mosaic, in a random design, as shown, or for a more structured design. The new polished glass mosaic tiles would be great for this project.

Sculpey Mosaic Tray

The secret to this mosaic tray is sculpey clay, rolled and cut as needed to suit your chosen design. Also included on the project page is a simple recipe for faux grout, using sand, glue and acrylic paint.

Decoupaged Gift Wrap Tray

A distressed paint finish sets off the decoupaged gift wrap decorating this tray.

Since gift wrap comes in such a wide array of colors, patterns and themes, it’s easy to get a distinctive look to match or complement your serving pattern.

Botanical Print Serving Tray

Photocopy botanical prints from the library, or copy other images that catch your fancy, then simply glue them to the bottom of a wooden tray. Protect your creation with a coat of protective finish or varnish.

Marbleous Mosaic Tray

Buy a selection of those colorful, flat, glass marbles that you see in the dollar stores these days, and make yourself a mosaic serving tray with a unique glass base, secured with grout. Lots of creativity is possible with this project!

Document Frame Tray

Got a document frame or picture frame that you’re not using? Convert it into a serving tray with these easy directions.

Enjoy your creation!