Upcycled Shopping Bag Serving Tray

I love using unexpected objects in everyday decor. Using a reusable shopping bag, wood tray and some washi tape, Laura from Finding Home created a stunning piece to corral small decorative objects for a coffee table, or to use as a serving tray with drinks, straws and sugar.

Hello Infarrantly Creative Readers! Laura of Finding Home here once again to share a project. This month, I was feeling a little “crafty” because I was determined to use this absolutely adorable shopping bag I found while out shopping.

I am a sucker for these bags when standing in line. One, they are almost always cute. Two, they are usually only .99 cents. Three, they save using a plastic bag. When I get it home, I realize I have a stack of them and I am always trying to come up with some way to repurpose them. And, I finally came up with the answer – an upcycled tray – perfect for outdoors or in. Mine will end up being used to bring beverages and such out to our porch this summer.

And the best part, it was super easy.

1. A vinyl-type shopping bag. 2. A boring tray 3. Washi tape – any type will work, but the thicker width (2”) worked out really well. 4. Mod Podge matte finish 5. Scissors – and of course, if they are cute, even better. 6. A crafting knife

1. Cut a panel from your bag and lay it on the inside of your tray. Use a pencil to mark the edges of the bottom and cut it to size. Put that piece to the side.

2. If your tray has handle slots, start there. Just do your best, it doesn’t have to be perfect. The tape is more forgiving that I expected. The polka dot pattern seems to blend easily in multiple directions.

3. Cover the inside edges first getting tight to the bottom of your tray. Then cover the outside with a finishing edge along the top. Cut out where the handle slot is and smooth it all down.

4. Spread a medium coat of Mod Podge on the bottom of your tray and all over the taped areas to seal it. Lay in your cut piece from the shopping bag and smooth it all out removing all air bubbles. As you can see, I missed one in the bottom right corner – so do as I say, not as I do on this one! If you want, you can add a second and third coat to seal the taped areas further if you are planning on using it for beverages or outdoors. Just wait for it to dry and you are done!

If you liked this project and are interested is seeing more, you can subscribe here to receive my latest posts through email. You can also subscribe for my monthly newsletter with lots of extras. And since I am lover of all things Mod Podge, you can visit my Painted Canvas made with Mod Podge Photo Transfer.