Aqua and White Striped Tray {Ralph Lauren Summer Soiree Style Series}

Once again it's time for another Summer Style Soiree project (click that link to learn about this fun series)! This time, it's style inspired by Ralph Lauren. When I think of Ralph, I think of classic, timeless, all-American design. And what fits that bill more than stripes? Ralph Lauren's collections usually involve stripes in some form or fashion, so that's where I decided to go with this project.

I've been hanging onto this old tray of my mom's for months now, knowing I'd love to make it over somehow, but didn't know what direction to go with it - paint? fabric? burlap? It was cute in its original bright blue and paisley pattern, but it had a large crack down one edge, so I needed to figure out a way to disguise that after Gorilla gluing it back together. It's a big ole tray (probably about 12"x24"?) and was the perfect size for our ginormous coffee table.

Inspired by Ralph Lauren-esque stripes, I decided paint was the answer. Now the question was, since the tray was made of plastic, how was I going to get paint to stick to it? I have heard good things about Krylon's spray paint for plastic, but I already have so much paint hanging around, I wanted to use what I had. So I gambled a bit - man, don't I live life on the edge? - and went some white Behr Premium Plus paint and primer in one leftover from another project, hoping it would stick. To give it the best chance of adhering to the plastic, I hand-sanded the plastic with some 60 grit sandpaper to rough it up, and painted two thin coats on the tray. I then crossed my fingers, hoping it would work :).

Here it is after one coat of paint:

You can most certainly still see the original blue, but the coverage was really good on the second coat. It completely covered up any traces of blue or the paisley pattern. Yay! And it didn't seem to flake off or do anything weird when it dried - phew!

Then it was time for stripes. I have a bunch of acrylic craft paints in my collection, so I grabbed one in aqua along with a small craft paint brush and painted some stripes of various thickness long-ways down the tray. I watered down my paint a bit so it would go on more like a watercolor paint - a bit irregular and translucent. I kind of wanted it to look like your favorite old striped linen dish towel (do you know what I mean?). For those reasons, I didn't use any painter's tape. No crisp or perfectly straight lines needed here (unlike my strategy with my coral and gray dipped side table). My eyeballs and a semi-steady hand worked just fine.

I really love the way it turned out:

Our massive coffee table desperately needed a tray like this, so I was so pleased that it turned out well! See how sad and big and dark it looks by itself?

P.S. Jackson was so cute sleeping there on the couch that I couldn't bear to move him. He makes a nice prop, huh? Oh, and you can catch a glimpse of the dog bed I made for him - he loves that thing.

Once I added the tray, I knew it was the perfect thing to lighten up that dark surface.

I added a few of my favorite coffee table-style design books, some succulents, my desk calendar (not available for sale right now - sorry! it'll be back for 2014), and a little silver pedestal bowl to make
a pretty little vignette!

I like how the stripes on the tray were more subtle once I put some "stuff" on it, but if you look at it from above, they stand out - it's like a nice little surprise :).

The tray is in the direct line of sight when you walk through the door, which I love. It's such a happy little thing to come home to every day. Let's hope I can keep the coffee table clean so this little thing can shine! :)

I'm joining the Ralph Lauren Style Soiree party over here with these lovely ladies. If you love Ralph Lauren, you should swing by and see the other projects!

Jenna - Rain on a Tin Roof

Sheaffer - Pinterest Told Me To

Carmel - Our Fifth House

Camila - Effortless Style

Heather - Southern State of Mind

Pssst! If you missed my first two projects for this series, you can check out my Kate Spade-inspired one here, and my Lilly Pulitzer-inspired one here (this one has a free printable!)

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linking up to: DIY Showoff, Rain on a Tin Roof, Pinterest Told Me To, Our Fifth House, Effortless Style, Southern State of Mind, Home Stories A to Z, Uncommon Designs, If It's Not Baroque, Liz Marie Blog, House of Hepworths, Blissfully Ever After, Design, Dining and Diapers, Crafty Scrappy Happy, Craftberry Bush, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Tatertots and Jello, Serenity Now, It’s Overflowing, House of Rose, Love of Family and Home, Dear Creatives, Madigan Made, First Home...Love Life, Simply Dream and Create, Whipperberry

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