December 20, 2023

Decoupaged Pottery Barn Knock-Off Tray

Whenever I flip through a Pottery Barn catalog, I often think "I can make that, and for a lot cheaper."  Just this week, I saw a vintage-looking decoupaged typography tray, and thought I could definitely replicate this for a few bucks.
Pottery Barn Trays
My Knock-Off Trays. Tres Manifique, eh?
As a member of the #GlueNGlitter group at Social Fabric, I had the chance to play around with some of Elmer's Memory Keeping products and create a knock-off item of my choosing.  How fun, shopping for craft supplies and making something.  I've mentioned before that I'm a big Elmer's fan here, so I knew I'd find exactly what I needed to make this project.

I headed to Walmart to find what I needed.  First off, the glass trays.  I picked up 3 square candle trays, $3 for the large, $1.50 each for the small ones.
Then I headed to the Elmer's Memory Keeping Aisle, which was a little hard to find, since it's not in the Crafts section.  Instead, I found it near the greeting cards, stationary and gift wrap.
There were lots of possibilities for adhesives, glues, and cutting agents.  And it looked like a lot of people were either crafting with or gifting these items, since there were some empty spaces too.
I wanted to pick up a CraftBond Dual-tip Flexible Pen, a CraftBond Flexible Dual Tip Glue Pen,and X-ACTO templates, as well as an X-ACTO Knife and Self-Healing cutting mat.
There were so many nice products, including Precision scissors and larger scissors, including ones with decorative edges.
 The adhesives were not limited to the typical Elmer's glue, but included glue dots and runners,   adhesive spot stampers and refills.  It was a little overwhelming, figuring out the best products to buy, especially that I'm not into scrapbooking.  Though as an artist, I do appreciate how many acid-free options there are when it comes to adhesives and creating archival items.

Everything you need for creating paper memories, save for the photos.

Once I got home, I gathered the materials and got to work.  Here's what I used:
Three Square glass candle plates (1 large, 2 small), Elmer's Dual Tip Glue Pen, Retractable X-ACTO Knife, X-ACTO Stainless Steel Scissors, X-ACTO Basic Shapes Templates, and the Dual Tip Flexible Pen in black (they were out of silver, which is the one I wanted).
I also created a template similar to the Pottery Barn one using Photoshop and printed it onto copy paper using a laser printer.  Unfortunately, one cannot use an Ink jet printer because the ink will smear when in contact with the glue.
I'm uploading my template for you HERE, as a free printable. 

I used my scissors to cut out the paper so it fit the larger glass plate.
Using the pen,  I traced over some of the decorative flourishes along the edges, to make them stand out a little more.  This would have looked prettier with the silver pen, but alas, my store was out of them.
Alternatively, you could use the X-ACTO Shape Templates to draw an original border around the edges.  There are so many possibilities.
Once I finished preparing the paper, I turned my glass plate over (I made sure to remove the stickers and wash the glass of any residue first) and spread the glue from the Elmer's Glue Pen on the back.
I then spread it evenly with a foam brush
 I carefully laid the paper on top, making sure it was evenly placed, then smoothed it down.
Next, add another layer of glue, and keep spreading the paper down with your fingers or the brush.
Any bubbles can be popped with an X-ACTO knife, then smoothed out.
While the larger plate was drying, I moved onto the smaller trays. I found the images here and here.

I used the self-healing mat and X-ACTO knife to cut out the picture by tracing around the edges.
I used the Marker to create a black border around the image before gluing it on the glass.
Then I followed the same steps as above, and got three really cute trays to use as gifts.
And it cost under $20 to make them, compared with$14 and $29 each at Pottery Barn.



They can hold trinkets, jewelery or even dry food, though only the top should be wiped clean. Submerging it will take the paper off.

Hope you make some of your own! They would make a great collage project for kids using magazine clippings or even stickers or their own artwork.

You can read more about my shopping experience via my Google+ post.
Disclosure: This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for #ElmersHoliday #gluenglitter #Looks4Less #collectivebias#CBias

9 comments:

  1. What a great project idea (and gift idea)! I'll have to keep this in mind for future occasions.

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  2. I can't even tell the difference between your plates & the catalog ones! They are lovely.

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  3. They turned out great. Even better than the catalog ones.

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  4. Wow! These are beautiful. You did fantastic work. Thanks for the tutorial. :D

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  5. great project! I loved these trays and you've inspired me to make my own.
    here from tt&j

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  6. Love these! I'm def going to have to make these.

    I'm working to build my blog and would to hear your feedback. Please stop by if you get a chance: www.SerendipityandSpice.blogspot.com

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  7. They look fabulous! I've gotta remember to go over to Social Fabric and get all set up with the new website. I never manage to get over and do that! Missing all these chances to play around with Elmer!

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