Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Tea Party Tray


Did I ever tell you I may have a slight obsession with tea parties?  I mean, I really like tea parties (and brunches, too)...any excuse for one of those events and I'm on it.  Fortunately, so does Miss K, my precocious 3 year old lover of all things pink and fancy.  She's got quite the eye for a lovely table. There's just something about a tea party that marries my love of pretty tables and hospitality...(sigh)...that is, until today (cue suspenseful music).

Would you care for some tea on this lovely tray?

I shared with you in my about page that some of my creations turn out nicely and others don't and this blog is a place to share all creations.  If you were afraid I wasn't keeping it humble around here, then never fear...today I share the tale of my most humble creation of all!

Once upon a time there was a sad little Christmas tray that had seen better days.


My mom has been cleaning out and getting rid of Christmas decorations, some from many moons ago.  Before discarding this fella (and his 2 brothers; oh yes, it came in a set of 3 different sizes!), she thought I might be able to take it and give it a new life.  That's one of the things I love about my mom - she gets me and supports me in many of my varied endeavors!

The original plan was to makeover the largest tray into a tea party tray for Miss K.  My plan was to line the inside of the tray with decorative paper, spray paint the outside, and paint her name on the outer edge using a stencil.  Miss K was excited and picked out the scrapbook paper along with some flower embellishments.

What's that saying about the best laid plans?  Back to the tale...


Along came the evil spray paint who doesn't get along well with all surfaces.   Once we called it disaster on the first tray, we moved on to the medium sized tray (this seems to have a Goldilocks and the 3 bears quality to it) and tried sanding it first with sand paper in the hopes the evil spray paint would better adhere.


Alas, no luck!  Goodbye spray paint, hello pretty paper and Mod Podge!

Some of you may know of my hobby of covering thrifted items in fabric, but I bet you didn't know that I also specialize in the art of gluing paper to ugly things in a last attempt at reviving life. 


I then applied the sage wisdom of a 3 year old to add pretty flowers because fancy things are pretty and there are never too many stickers.


And so ends the tale of the tea party tray!  Not exactly according to plan, but it served its purpose in life...



To hold tea party items

and


 to make a little girl happy!

But not as happy as this guy, for this, my friends, is pure joy!


And this is pure love!

And they all lived happily ever after playing tea party and creating.

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28 comments:

  1. Your perserverance paid off and the last tray turned out marvelously! Nice save in adding the pretty paper and stickers and I just love the fun pics of your kids enjoying their treat.

    I've had more than my share of goof-ups in my creating journey. The only one I can remember at the moment (it's late) is the first wooden dresser I painted. I sanded and painted so diligently, only to have the paint peel and not adhere. I didn't know at the time that wood really needs primer or sealer first, then paint. Whoops. It had a nice crackle effect going on. Oh well! We learn best from our mistakes, I think. Here's to many happy tea parties and smiles, too!

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    1. Thanks Laurie! I've always been of a determined nature :)
      I'm impressed you have attempted furniture. I have yet to embark on that adventure as I'm pretty sure it would be showing up on here as my most humble creation ever.

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  2. I admire your determination. A good result in the end.

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    1. Thanks! It was a fun trial and error and my little K is happy!

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  3. Very cute tray! Way to go, you, for sticking with that tray until it became such a cute masterpiece! =D I love that you share ALL creations...good and not-so-good! =D

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    1. Thanks for your feedback. I figure I should keep it real with the not so good, right? And for once my obsessive nature, I mean persistence, paid off!

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  4. Love tea parties! And I think your tray turned out very well, I'm sure your girl loves it. What wonderful pictures of your children, what precious happy faces!

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    1. Thank you Lesa! You'd fit right in here with all the impromptu tea parties we have. I'm blessed to have a pretty happy crew!

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  5. Way to stay humble on this one, Jessica, and as I said on my blog, although there were a few craft fails in the process of making this tea tray, it definitely turned out a huge success. Your paper choice is perfect, and I love that you also incorporated your daughter's input into your design, too. She's got good taste - - "too many" stickers is just right in my book. The photos of your sweet kids at the end of the post takes the cake, though. T has the sweetest smile!

    My major diy fail involved our wedding invitations, so that sort of raises the stakes a bit doesn't it? When I share about our diy wedding this summer, I'm going to devote at least an entire post to telling that tragic tale, so you'll get to hear all of the gory details then. I can laugh about it now, but at the time, there were definitely a few tears shed. I guess what doesn't kill us helps us craft stronger, though, right?

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    1. Thanks Lauren for the support! I can't take credit for the paper choice...that was all Miss K. She knows what she wants. Yes that T has a sunny disposition and a big smile. I have to admit, the little rascal is quite endearing.

      I'm so impressed that you did so much of your wedding planning yourself. I'm looking forward to reading your upcoming posts, both the successes and fails. It makes me sad to know that your invitations caused you pain, but knowing how great you are, they probably weren't as bad as you think. "What doesn't kill us helps us craft stronger": I love it! Sounds like a mantra for a strange military of women wielding hot glue guns! I'm pretty sure we would both be there :)

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  6. You go girl. That tray is awesome! The number of messes I've made would probably sink a good sized boat. I have pulled out and restarted crochet projects more times than I can remember. I've ruined more t-shirts while trying to paint or put transfers on them than I can ever use as "around the house" clothes(that's what I do with those good intentions gone-awry t-shirts). I've painted on tea towels and then picked them up to move them to find that I had paint on a finger or hand and smeared a big blob on the towel. Lots of those are around the house as well. When something like that happens, it can be discouraging but, thankfully, there is something in us die-hard crafters that picks us up and puts us back on track. It is in the genes, I guess, and we just don't give up.

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  7. Well even though it was not exactly as planned it turned out super cute and is just perfect for a tea party. My daughters love tea parties too and I actually have those exact purple cups! Thanks so much for sharing on We Made That!

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    1. Tracey,
      Thanks for the fun link party. It is such a great idea to have one place to go for all projects kid related! Here's to many days of happy tea parties for our girls and us!

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  8. Hi Lynn,
    Thank you for your encouragement and for sharing your stories of crafting gone wrong. I love your honesty and that you keep on trying! Obviously it's worth it as you have made some lovely projects. One of these days I'll get around to showing my first quilt with some of its special little beginner's "quirks"!

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  9. We crafters never seem to "give up", do we?? Great solution! Your children are adorable!

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    1. I knew there was a reason God created me determined. The world just needed that tray! Thanks for stopping by and saying hello, Patti!

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  10. As long as your daughter enjoyed the end result, you can rest easy! I think it's sweet that you put that much effort into making something she would enjoy! With this post forever available online, your daughter will be able to see years from now what a good mommy she had who cared enough to keep trying to make something special for her.

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    1. Thanks Alycia! We certainly have fun creating together. I have such special memories of crafting and imaginative play from my childhood and I want the same for this crew of kids!

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  11. Hi Jessica, sounds like you were having a lot of fun and isn't that what it's all about! In my younger days when my hands were in good shape, I loved finding an old piece of furniture, stripping it down, sanding then refinishing. It wonderful a wonderful hobby.

    Do drop by and say hello.

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    1. Hi Carole,
      I'm so glad you stopped by. We did have lots of fun! I'm always impressed by people who refinish furniture. That's one craft I have not undertaken yet. I think my husband fears for the furniture and if he's going to come home to 3 little children covered in paint or stain!

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  12. What a fantastic idea! It turned out super cute inside and out :o) I'm sure it'll be enjoyed over many fun lit'l tea parties! :)

    ~Brenda @ChattingOverChocolate.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks Brenda! Yes, it is already well loved in our playroom, by the girl and the boys!

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  13. I love the way that you did the tray. I have a link party called Wednesdays Adorned From Above Blog Hop and would love to have you share this and any other posts with everyone. It runs from Tuesday night through midnight Sunday. Here is the link to the party.
    http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2013/01/wednesdays-adorned-from-above-blog-hop_22.html
    Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above

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    1. Hi Debi,
      Thank you for inviting me to participate in your link party. I'll be by to check it out!

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  14. 3rd time is the charm??!! I LOVE how the tray turned out! Perfect for a girly tea-party.

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    1. Thanks Meg! The kids are pretty happy with it too, and that's all that matters to me! Now what to do with the poor discarded trays? I'm sure I'll come up with a plan.

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  15. Hi Jessica! Nice to see you back at the Pin Me party. This is an adorable tray! Lots of fun. Your kids are just too cute!!

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Thanks for taking time to visit me today! I'd love to hear from you so I can visit you too. I do my best to reply to each comment via email or a reply in the comments if you are a no-reply commenter. Thanks and Happy Creating!

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