Picture Frame Tray

Today I plan to share a practical, ingenious idea you can do yourself to add a personalized touch to your home. I created a serving tray by simply attaching cabinet handles to a framed painting. This picture frame tray is great for saving money on a decorative platter for your guest room, kitchen, or coffee table.

This DIY craft is special because I am the artist of the painting. For me, it was a completely unique way to show off my artwork other than hanging it on my walls. For you, your framed piece could highlight anything personal to you: photographs of your family or just a great fabric print that accentuates your couch pillows.

So how do you do it? First, you find any old frame that is the size of tray you desire. I wanted one on the skinny side, but the one I had was an oak stain color. It didn’t fit with my décor, so I sanded it a bit and spray painted it white. Next, I drilled pilot holes through the frame to match where the cabinet handles would go. I used long screws that went through the wood frame and into the cabinet handle on the surface. The screw head was still sticking out on the bottom, so I covered each in one of those felt stickers that help items slide on furniture without scratching. Lastly, I dropped in my painting and voila, it was done!

I use this as a decorative piece for my coffee table and, of course, as a tray to serve guests their drinks. I love this project because it is simple and really cost effective. I paid about $4 for the two handles at Home Depot and $1 for the frame at a garage sale. The spray paint cost $1 at Walmart and the felt stickers cost $0.88 at Home Depot as well. The painting was something I had made previously and cost nothing. So the total comes to about $7; compare that to a $30 tray at Target. Plus, this is something you can be proud to say you made yourself!

Thanks for reading! I really hope you were inspired by this idea to try it for yourself!