Grain Sack Tray with Freezer Paper Image Transfer Technique

I have been going through total furniture painting withdrawal.  The warm weather cannot come soon enough.  I need to get back in the garage and breathe new life into some worn and weathered pieces that have been waiting for me since last fall.

Since reliable outdoor painting weather in Chicago is still pretty far away, however, I have to settle for smaller projects that can be accomplished indoors.  Case in point, a plain wooden tray that I painted with a grain sack motif – a motif I’ve envisioned using on a coffee table that’s waiting for me in the garage.  I needed a place to corral remote controls and coasters in the living room and I figured this tray would do the trick.

This was the perfect chance to test out painting grain sack stripes and to attempt a freezer paper image transfer technique, which is something I’ve wanted to try for awhile now.  It turned out better than I expected, so naturally I love it.  (Clearly my son loves it too.  Or maybe he just loves stealing the tea light out of the bird candle holder I’ve placed in the tray.)

Freezer Paper Image Transfer Supplies

• Unfinished Wood Tray 
• Sandpaper (220 grit will work well)
• Acrylic paint in colors of your choice
• Paint Brush
• Painters tape
• Sealer 
• Spray adhesive (for image transfer)
• Freezer paper (for image transfer)
• Inkjet printer (for image transfer)

How to Paint a Grain Sack Stripe Tray

First, I lightly sanded the plain tray.

 

Next, I painted the tray all over in a creamy white.

 

 

Once the paint dried, I taped out my grain sack design on the inside of the tray and along the top of the handles.  I made sure to press down along the edges of the tape so that the paint wouldn’t bleed through.

 

I then painted two coats of green paint in the appropriate areas.  Once the paint was almost dry (not totally dry), I removed the tape.  

 

I then taped along the outside and continued the process of painting the stripes on the exterior handles.  Once that paint was almost dry, I also removed that tape.

 

Next, I lightly sanded over the entire tray (interior and exterior), to remove some of the color and to give the tray a slightly worn look.  It really softened the color in a way that I like.

 

The fun part started here . . . the image transfer process!  I downloaded a free image from The Graphics Fairy (the most AMAZING resource for crafters and DIY’ers), and studied this fantastic tutorial from Kammy’s Korner on how to do an image transfer to wood with freezer paper.  

 

Because I was basically holding my breath the entire time, I could not take any pictures of how I did this, but if you’re curious on how to do your own image transfer, check out Kammy’s blog.  Anyway, mine isn’t perfect by any stretch, but it looks good enough to me for a first time, so I’ll take it!  (PS I tried image transfer again with my Rolling Firewood Caddy project, and it looked great!)

 

 

Finally, I sprayed the entire tray with two coats of sealer.  I decided not to brush it on because I wasn’t sure if that would smudge the image in any way.  I think the spray sealer was the safest bet.

 

I think this grain sack tray is adorable!  (And I loved it so much, I replicated the technique on this Painted Grain Sack Bench!)  It’s always fun to try something new, and freezer paper image transfer was no exception. I hope you love it, too!