DIY Personalized Wedding Gift Tray

The invitations have already started arriving in my mailbox for this summer. It's wedding season! I love creating fun easy personalized gifts for the bride and groom. The trick is to make something they are going to actually use too, not just something that will take up space. When I saw this blank tray at my local Goodwill, I knew exactly what I was going to do with it! Come see how I took this boring tray and created a fun personalized wedding gift that the couple is sure to enjoy.

DIY Personalized Wedding Gift Tray

I found this round tray at my local Goodwill. It had an IKEA sticker on it, so I'm guessing it's this tray. I cut some vinyl on my Silhouette Cameo with the couples new last name and their wedding date and ordered my favorite staining tools from HomeRight.

The HomeRight Shape Stainer is so easy to use on edges and gives wood a smooth even finish and the HomeRight Deck Pro is flexible and gives full coverage without glopping on too much stain.

For tips on how to cut and use vinyl, check out this post

I placed my vinyl on the tray where I wanted it and carefully peeled back the transfer paper.

I used Mod Podge matte as a sealer over the letters. This is the secret to getting a really sharp crisp line when you peel off your vinyl. Brush on a very light coat. and once it's dry, sand down the whole surface you will be staining.

Look how flexible this shape stainer is! I used it on the edges of the tray and it allowed me to smooth out the stain as I applied it without letting it pool in places.

So you might have noticed a color change. Yep. The first stain I used was coming out too red for my liking. I went back and got a darker stain {Minwax Polyshades classic black satin} and LOVE how it turned out!

The trick with stain is that you want to put it on in light layers. You don't want to slop on paint thinking it's going to cover better. Nope, you want to work it right into the wood. The HomeRight brushes help you do that.

Once your stain is dry and you have the desired coverage you want, peel off your vinyl. The stain I used had a poly sealer in it so I didn't need to add an extra step. If yours doesn't, make sure you seal your completed tray before you gift it.

It's as easy as that!

It's a gift the couple will love having and it will remind them of their special day and the people who were there celebrating with them. 
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