Use this little tray for serving drinks that won’t slide around, or keep the tray on a coffee table for decoration with a little vase and flower when you’re not hosting.

Difficulty level: Beginner
Time required: 30 minutes active time, plus additional time for paint to dry
Age range: 12 and up

Things you’ll need:
Wood tray
Foam brush
Lavender Apple Barrel acrylic paint
Round cork pads
Regency Blue Apple Barrel acrylic paint
Scissors
Pencil

Things to do:
1. Paint the tray with two coats of lavender acrylic paint using a foam brush. Allow the tray to dry between coats.

2. While you wait for the tray to dry, paint the cork pads with two thick coats of regency blue acrylic paint. Allow the cork pads to dry.

3. Using scissors, cut cork pads in half. You can cut them directly on the backing paper, but if the pads start to slide around you can remove them from the backing paper and cut them in half one at a time.

4. If the cork pad has excess paint on the sides, use your fingers to scrape it away before you stick it to the tray.

5. Begin placing cork pads on the tray, starting along the bottom edge and placing the flat edge of the pads along the edge of the tray.

6. Continue across until the entire edge is covered.

7. Begin placing the cork pads along the top edge, placing the flat edge of the pads along the edge of the tray.

8. Continue across until the entire edge is covered.

9. Place one of your cork pad backing pieces flush against the edge of the tray, just beside the opening of the tray handle. Use a pencil to trace a straight line across the middle of the tray.

10. Move the backing piece to the other side of the tray handle opening, then trace a second line across the center.

11. Place cork pads one at a time against the first pencil line, making sure the scallops face the same direction as the scallops on the closest edge.

12. Continue across until you have covered the entire pencil line.

13. Place cork pads one at a time against the second pencil line, again making sure the scallops face the same direction as the scallops on the closest edge.

14. Continue across until you have covered the entire pencil line.