A while back I posted, Dune Buggy Memories from Silver Lake Sand Dunes, about a childhood vacation where I took my first (and only) dune buggy ride. In that post I vowed to come with some kind of souvenir memento creation for the vintage photos from that trip. In attempt to obtain a slightly vintage looking 1970’s serving tray with a flare of off-roading appeal, I endured a lot of cutting, trimming, gluing and Mod Podging all finally topped off with a pour-on, high gloss finished called Envirotex Lite
. Getting a vintage 1970’s look without going overboard was a challenge. I wanted it to blend with current times, yet suggest the past, and I found that to be harder than I thought; nevertheless, I’m quite pleased with how it turned out and will be thrilled when I can display it in my remodeled basement (future project.)
Supplies Used:
Tin serving tray
Craft paint
Puffy paint
Mod Podge
White glue
Inkjet copies photos
Hairspray (to coat and protect photos from Mod Podge)
Burlap
Craft paper
Scrapbook paper
Ink stamps
Small metal split lock washers
Prime and Paint Tray
I primed the tray then painted it light blue, and then painted the rim of the tray orange
Make Photo Copies
I scanned and copied my original photos on an inkjet printer, and then sprayed the photos with hairspray to protect them from all of the coats of Mod Podge I would soon be putting over them.
Create Background
I created a dune buggy background motif with craft paper, scrapbook paper, ink and stamps and I also cut pieces of burlap to frame the photos.
Make it Rusty
I soaked the metal washers in salt and vinegar. I was trying to get them to rust, but wasn’t having much luck, they did eventually rust up a bit, however, they did darken enough to look aged, and it wasn’t until days later that I discovered How to Make Metal Rust with Potatoes.
Glue, Coat, Seal
I created my layout, one layer at a time gluing everything down and then eventually coating everything with 2 coats of Mod Podge.
Pour Envirotex Lite
Last step, once everything was sealed down to my satisfaction; I mixed and poured the Envirotex following the instructions form Professional Results with Envirotex Lite, click here to watch the video.
The whole project itself was fairly easy to do; it was the contemplation of using the Envirotex that slowed me down. I kept reading the directions, Envirotex Professional Tips and watching the YouTube Video to make sure I wasn’t missing any steps. THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT is to make sure everything is sealed down very well so that the Envirotex varnish does not penetrate any of the papers or photos and you don’t allow air bubbles to get trapped, but if you do that you pour will go just fine. Also, the directions suggest exhaling on the air bubbles and that worked perfectly!
I’m sure this tray will age some more and maybe even look like it came out of the 70’s, but I love it just the same!
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