Each year I make Jell-O shots for my annual haunt party and this year I wanted to come up with a unique way of serving them instead of just setting them out on an ugly old baking tray.  Therefore, I found a DIY serving tray idea I really liked on Pinterest and decided to give it a whirl, but wanted to put my own spin on it.

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Supplies 

• Saw 
• 1 x 2 scrap wood 
• pallet wood
• Sander
• Titebond Wood Glue
• 1.5″ nails 
• Hammer or nail gun 
• Black spray paint 
• Aged Paper 8 1/2 x 11 print-out (see tutorial) 
• Mod Podge
• Antique Wax
• Paint brushes 
• Sand 
• Black acrylic paint 
• Brown acrylic paint 
• Red acrylic paint  
• Orange acrylic paint 
• Antique Maple Gel Stain 
• Satin urethane spray sealant 
• Drawer Pulls (with screws)
• Screwdriver

Cutting the Wood

First, I had Chris use a saw to cut some scrap wood we had lying around from some other projects.  I wanted the inside width of my tray to equal 15″, thus allowing me to fit my 8 1/2 x 11 paper print-out I planned to put inside, yet still leave some space between it and the sides.  Therefore, Chris cut four pallet boards 19″ long, then lined them up one above the other. 

Next, he cut two pieces of 1 x 2 wood to 19″ and laid one at the top and one at the bottom.

He then measured between the top and bottom pieces and cut two additional pieces of the 1 x 2 wood to this measurement. 

Sanding and Assembling the Tray

At this point, it was my turn to take over.  I first used a Sander with 60 grit sand paper to sand down all the wood pieces in order to smooth the wood out and avoid any future splinters.

Next, I laid all the boards out the way I wanted them and used Titebond Wood Glue to attach the 1×2 pieces to the pallet boards.

Then I placed glue all along each of the 1 x 2 pieces.

I then used my finger to spread the glue all over the bottom of each piece.

Next, I hammered four 1.5″ nails into each 1 x 2 to secure them in place.

After assembling the tray, I spray painted the entire thing black and allowed it to dry.

Tray Graphics

I then brushed Mod Podge over the inside pallet boards, and placed my DIY Aged Paper over this. In this case, I used a Ouija Board print-out that I aged.

Following this, I brushed additional Mod Podge over the top of the paper. 

After the Mod Podge had dried, I used some very fine grit sanding paper over the print-out, then rubbed Antique Wax all over the wood adding a little over the print-out as well, to give the whole thing an antique look.   

Rusting the Tray

Next, I mixed up some black acrylic paint with sand and dabbed this into the corners and crevices resulting in some additional texture.  Eventually this will aid in giving the tray a rusted appearance.

By the time the painted sand dried, I was ready to get this tray looking old and crusty! To do so, I first mixed together the brown, red, and orange acrylic paint, drying brushing it on in various areas especially over the areas with the sand. 

After the acrylic paint had dried, I used some Antique Maple Gel Stain over the dry brushed areas. Obviously wearing gloves for this is advisable!

If you’ve read other tutorials from my Terror House Haunt Blog, you may in effect, have noticed that I use this technique with a number of my projects. The Antique Maple Gel Stain coupled with the acrylic paint and sand really give a great rusted, aged, appearance which accordingly, is exactly what I’m looking for with Halloween props.

Seal the Deal

At last, I sprayed sealant over the entire tray and for a final touch screwed Drawer Pulls on each side as seen below.

Definitely make sure to check out my other tutorials on how to make Blood Clot Jell-O Shots or Aging Paper to place on your new (old) tray!  Hope you had a spooktacular Halloween!

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