Shim Tray Makeover

Two days in a row, what?? 

I know, nearly unheard of around here lately :) 

But I wanted to share my little shim summer tray with you before all traces of summer officially left. 

I redid a plain wooden tray from Hobby Lobby a few years ago and like a lot of things in my home, it was time for a new facelift. I love little easy fixes that can completely change the look of something. For someone that loves changing things up around my house, it's small things like this that keep me happy :) 

First things first, I painted the tray a glossy yellow and then distressed it a bit. 

The fun part was fitting the shims into the bottom of the tray. 

I'm not going to lie, it's not the easiest thing in the world, but it can be done :) 

I used emergency shear scissors to cut through the thin parts of the shims to have them fit into the tray. 

I'm sure I could have whipped out the jigsaw to cut them but a) I was being lazy and b) they're super thin and I didn't know if they'd split like crazy or not. 

I laid them in the tray in a staggered design, making the thicker ends meet up with the thinner ends. 

I loved the texture it gave :) 

After cutting the shims to fit the area, I stained them all in my favorite stain- dark walnut and let them dry. 

And then just hotglued them into place once they were dry. 

As easy as that!
I wanted them to be somewhat easy to remove if I ever decided to makeover the tray again. 

You just never know :) 

I love the dark stain against the bright yellow.

So fun & summery. 

But easily adapted to fit the other seasons too!

I can't wait to throw some pumpkins on it :) 

It's amazing what a pack of $2 shims can do, huh? 

I've made sure to keep them in my stash lately because you never know when they'll come in handy. 

I think it'd be amazing in other colors too... try painting the shims in a gorgeous deep turquoise or a glossy black. I'm thinking a fun pattern on the shims would be fun too! 

And my cute little accessories are mostly thrifted treasures except the birdie which was a Micheal's find. 

I love my glass blue candlesticks. 

Have you made anything fun with shims?

If you're looking for another fun shim project, check out my adorable summer shim wreath from last year! 

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Linking to:
Inspire Me Please @ Liz Marie. Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge. Tickled Pink @ 504 Main. Shine on Friday @ Young and Crafty. Catch as Catch Can @ My Repurposed Life. Friday Link Party @ Craftionary. Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims. Inspiration Exchange Linky Party @ Yellow Bliss Road. Wednesday Whatsits @ White Lights on Wednesday. Link Party Palooza @ Tatertots and Jello