Reclaimed wood hot cocoa tray with a cool lettering trick and video

Scroll to bottom of post for the video!

Reclaimed wood hot cocoa tray with a cool lettering trick
I currently have this agenda for my home. You already know I’m in the midst of cleaning and painting.

But more than that, I really want to get rid of all the stuff I don’t like. The goal is to be able to swing the camera around, click wherever I wanted, and be proud of what I see.

BIG undertaking! I’m still carrying around 20 year old + furniture, and 2 chairs from the thrift store that never did get slipcovered. One is now gloriously shred from my cats. Whoops…

It’s a scary thought getting brand new stuff, with the threat of it getting wrecked. That’s probably the main factor that’s held me back this long.

BUT! Seeing the same ‘ol stuff that doesn’t work gets tired and old, and it’s time to ramp things up.

The big plan is to eventually get to Ikea and finish this dream off, but until then? It’s one small piece at a time, and bonus points if  I can make myself.

Case in point… this funky little reclaimed wood tray is perfect! It’s easy to make, super productive, and easy to take apart and make something new when I get tired of it.

And it’s something that gives me an instant lift towards my end goal of loving everything I see.

Reclaimed wood hot cocoa tray with a cool lettering trick
I actually really love trays. In fact, I’m kinda crazy about them.

Here’s a red one I made for a friend.

How about the industrial pipe handled one?

How about the giant cutting board one?

Shall I go on? 🙂

Well, I just find them flat out useful.

So today, I’m going to show you how I whipped up this cute reclaimed wood one.

Hands down, this is an adorable and personalized gift idea that anyone can make with a little scrap wood. Or even new, style depending. 

Here’s how…

Reclaimed wood hot cocoa tray with a cool lettering trick
What you’ll need:

Note: this post contains some affiliate links.

5-6 planks of wood
2 door pulls (I like these black ones!)
screws
cordless drill, drill bit, screw driver bit
spray sealer or furniture wax
palm sander
stencil
stencil brush
masking tape
paint

How to make a reclaimed wood tray

Make sure you prep your reclaimed wood (HERE) beforehand.

1. Lay out some long planks to determine the desired size of your tray.

Above shown are 4 planks for the base, and two for the supports on each side.

This is a good time to lay down a stencil or image for fit, if using one.

assembling a reclaimed wood tray with a makita cordless drill / funkyjunkinteriors.net
2. Using a miter saw, cut your boards to size.

3. Using a cordless drill, predrill holes, then attach with screws.

My first and last love is the Makita HERE you see above. Hands down.

installing door pulls on a reclaimed wood tray / funkyjunkinteriors.net
4. Attach two junky handles (if both different from each other, even better I say!) to each support side.

And your tray is complete!

p.s. Reclaimed wood used for food should be protected with a spray sealer or furniture wax.

Christmas Blend Hot Cocoa - Funky Junk's Old Sign Stencils
How to stencil an image on your tray

5. Place stencil in the centre of your surface. 

If using more than one colour, tape off areas to protect them in close proximity of where you plan to paint the first colour.

Stencil source / Christmas Blend Hot Cocoa mixed and matched with Homestead Blend Coffee.

How to stencil - Funky Junk's Old Sign Stencils
6. Using paint of choice, load very little on your brush, remove most, then tap or swirl the paint on the tray.

Paint source / Chocolate in Fusion Mineral Paint / Green – acrylic craft paint leftovers

You can find my Fusion Mineral Paint review HERE.

How to stencil - Funky Junk's Old Sign Stencils
COOL TIP: Want your lettering to have a two toned effect? It’s really easy!

a) Lay your first colour down first.

b) Then near the bottom of each word, add black, slowly fading up towards the lighter tone.

Christmas Blend Hot Cocoa Served Here / Old Sign Stencils
The two toned tip really offers a cool effect!

Christmas Blend Hot Cocoa Served Here on a white reclaimed wood tray with antler decor / Funky Junk's Old Sign Stencils
And that lettering looks delicious enough to drink!

So there’s only one thing left to do…

Christmas Blend Hot Cocoa Served Here on a white reclaimed wood tray with antler decor / Funky Junk's Old Sign Stencils
Time to try that tray out and down that cup!

And just for fun, I made a ‘short movie’ of the stencils. 🙂

(You can follow me on YouTube HERE)

Guess we’d better get out some popcorn too…

Christmas Blend Hot Cocoa : Funky Junk's Old Sign Stencils
Find the stencil HERE.

Visit more Old Sign Stencil projects HERE

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Categories: All Cool Projects, Christmas, DIY, Junk Drawer, Old Sign Stencils, Reclaimed wood projects, Seasonal, Signs, Winter
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15 thoughts on “Reclaimed wood hot cocoa tray with a cool lettering trick and video

  1. What a great idea! A hot cocoa tray – who doesn’t like hot cocoa? I noticed your old lantern in the pic. I picked one up like it at an estate sale and I wanted to electrify it. I wonder how hard it would be to add a lighting kit – maybe a small one to handle a night light size bulb….

  2. I am in love with all of your trays.. YAHOO.. I am going to make some of these for Christmas gifts.. I would love to use your stencils but they wont get here in time. I will have to buy them for next year. These have really got me going.. Your the best. I have a few gifts for you too, where can I send them. Nothing huge, something I made.

    • Hi Gail! The stencils are going out pretty fast! You should get them on your doorstep within 2 weeks upon order. Some are arriving sooner than that, depending what’s ordered and where one lives.

      I’ll email you about the other inquiry! 🙂

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