BushcraftZ: Upcycle an office paper tray with recycled old botanical book pages

BushcraftZ 2014

This morning I had no satisfactory idea for this week’s blog. Time was limited and the current project I am working on will not be ready for a few weeks. Frustrated I started the day tidying up and found an old paper tray sitting in a corner, totally uninspiring...??? My magazines were also lying all over the living room, although I store them in my craft room it is nice to have some close by when there is time to relax for a few minutes. I was then inspired and decided that the paper tray could be given a new life to store the magazines with botanical prints I saved from an old book. Using basic decoupage techniques the plastic tray was transformed to something that can sit on a side table in the living room keeping my current magazines under control.

Materials:

Plastic office paper tray
White multipurpose undercoat paint
Modge podge
Antique Crackle base coat and top coat (I used Heritage brand but any brand will work)
Antiquing medium or rub
Varnish recommended by the Antique Crackle manufacturer to seal the project.
Paint or sponge brushes

Method:

1. Clean the plastic tray with soap and water and dry.

BuscraftZ 2014

2. Paint the tray with white multipurpose undercoat. A few coats may be required.

3. Select appropriate book pages and tear the prints from the pages to create soft edges.

4. Decoupage the tray on all sides with the with the book pages. Allow to dry.

TIP: Old book pages can be very absorbent and can buckle when applying them to an object with modge podge. To control this I use the following method. First paint the tray with modge podge and also the back of the book paper. Place the paper on the tray and then cover the front of the paper with modge podge. The paper may buckle as it absorbs the modge podge. Take your time and gently work out the kinks with a brush or finger before adding the next piece of paper.

5. Cover the tray with a second layer of modge podge and allow to dry.

6. Optional: To create the antique crackle effect follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully to obtain best results. Highlight the crackles with antiquing medium or rub.