Fall has hit here in our little town. I can see the mountains from my craft room window and the trees are gorgeous!!! I love fall. Unfortunately, here in Utah it seems likes fall lasts about one week, and then the snow hits and we're freezing our patootskies off. OK, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but fall is seriously short around here. And I've got lots of spray painting to do before the snow flies.  I had a few minutes of free time today, so I decided I'd better get cranking.

While I was working, I decided to do a little tutorial for ya. I love buying cheap trays from thrift stores and dollar stores, then spray painting them and using them in my home decor. I like adding vinyl lettering to mine, but you could also glue a monogram or set of vintage keys in the middle. The possibilities are endless. Use your imagination. And if you come up with a fabulous idea, make sure you let the rest of us know about it.

Dollar Store Antique Plaque Tutorial

Start with a ceramic or metal tray. I used a metal tray from the dollar store.

Spray paint it with a few coats of antique white spray paint.

Let it dry completely, and you are ready to start antiquing.

I used craft paint that I watered down. It's cheap, and I already had it on hand. I wanted my finish rather dark, so I mixed brown and black paint together till I got the shade I wanted. It doesn't take a lot, just a few little squirts. I mixed mine in a paper cup with a popsicle stick.

Then I added water till the paint was thin, like ink. I poured some on a paper plate just so you could see how thin it is. See how it runs all over like ink? That's how you want it.

Now it's time to do some antiquing. I find that it works best to work in small sections at a time. Use your paintbrush to add some of your watered down paint to the edge of the plaque.

Immediately wipe it off with a soft rag. I used an old t-shirt that I cut up. I found that paper towels didn't work because they ripped and left pieces of fuzz everywhere. It should look something like this:

Continue adding and wiping off the paint till the whole tray is antiqued.

Now you can add some vinyl lettering, or anything else you'd like.

Hope you have fun! No one will ever guess that you started with an inexpensive metal tray from the dollar store.

Note: I sell vinyl lettering sayings in my Etsy store, that are ready to be added to your plaque. Or, if you don't see yourself making one, I also sell completed plaques.

Linking up with the following: