Make a Dollar Store calendar page decorative tray with paint and Mod Podge using an easy heat-press method for a smooth finish.
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Sometimes the best Dollar Store craft supplies are hiding outside the craft aisle. Case in point: those little silver trays you can find in the kitchen or party section.
Add some paint, Mod Podge, and a pretty calendar page, and suddenly that inexpensive silver tray looks completely different!
This Dollar Store Calendar Page Decorative Tray is a quick decoupage project that uses the heat-press method for a perfectly smooth finish. No bubbles. No wrinkles. No calendar page disintegrating under your paintbrush. We love that.
DIY Fall Calendar Page Tray
For this project, I chose a calendar page with a pretty floral arrangement and paired it with a muted green paint.
Does the finished tray look fall-ish? Spring-ish? Somewhere in between? I’m honestly not sure. But I liked it, so we’re going with it!
That’s also what makes this project so easy to customize. Choose a calendar image you love, pull a paint color from the artwork, and you can make a decorative tray for just about any season.
Video Tutorial: Dollar Store Calendar Page Decorative Tray
Watch this quick video to see how this craft came together:
Dollar Store Calendar Page Decorative Tray
This Dollar Store calendar page craft transforms a simple silver tray into pretty seasonal decor using paint and wrinkle-free decoupage.
Materials
- Dollar Store silver tray
- Fall calendar page
- White spray primer
- FolkArt Matte paint in Mossy Meadow
- Matte Mod Podge
- Brown kraft paper or scrap paper
- Painter's tape
- Sharpie
- Parchment paper
Tools
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Mini heat press or household iron
Instructions
- Watch the Video Tutorial. Watch the video tutorial to see how this fall tray craft came together.
- Prime and Paint the Tray. Lightly spray prime the raised edge of the silver tray. Once dry, paint the edge with FolkArt Matte in Mossy Meadow. Mine needed two coats for good coverage. Don't worry about painting the center — we're covering that with the calendar page.
- Apply Mod Podge. Brush an even coat of matte Mod Podge over the entire front of the tray, including the center and painted edges. Let it dry completely.
- Make a Paper Template. Use a loop of painter's tape to temporarily secure kraft paper inside the tray. Press firmly around the inside edges with your fingers to create a crease outlining the shape.
Remove the paper and cut along the crease. - Cut the Calendar Page. Place your template over the calendar image and trace around it with a Sharpie. Cut just inside the traced line, then test-fit the paper inside the tray. Trim as needed.
- Heat Press the Calendar Page. Center the calendar page over the dried Mod Podge and cover it with parchment paper. Use a mini heat press to reactivate the Mod Podge, working over the entire image until it's smooth and securely attached.
- Finish and Display. Let everything cool and check the edges to make sure they're securely attached. Then your little decorative tray is ready to display!
An Easy Dollar Store Fall Calendar Page Craft
That’s it! One inexpensive silver tray officially transformed into pretty seasonal decor.
Use your finished Dollar Store Calendar Page Decorative Tray as part of a fall vignette, prop it up on a shelf, or add it to a side table.
And don’t get hung up on finding the exact same calendar image or paint color. Pick a calendar page you love and coordinate your paint to match.
Fall florals, pumpkins, Christmas artwork, spring flowers — this is one of those easy Dollar Store calendar crafts you can remake all year long.
PIN this decoupage tray craft for later:
