Two Trays, Two Ways (Thrift Shop Shakedown #7)

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Today, it’s two trays, two ways, and a brand-new Thrift Shop Shakedown thrifting video!!

Hello sweet friends!

I’ve got a special project for you all today!! I know you are going to love it! Well, the projects are fun, but I know you are going to love this post. lol It’s been a long time coming, or a long time coming back, I should say.

Christy and I finally got together and did a video for you! Woohoo!! We have gotten together for lunch, but have not done a video since before the world shutdown. Not since 2020, or most likely 2019, what?? Gosh, time has absolutely flown since then, hasn’t it?? Or is it just me??

If you are new around here, Christy is my blogging bestie who blogs over at Confessions of a Serial DIYer. We met in 2014 through our blogging groups and realized we lived close by. We have worked on many collaborations over the years, and I think we started doing the thrifting videos together around 2015. And well, the rest is history, as they say!

Here’s Christy and me when we met for lunch one day! Goofing around and trying to get a good selfie. One out of multiple tries. haha

Two women smile for a selfie outside on a cloudy day, standing near a thrift shop with glass windows. One has wavy blonde hair and earrings; the other, in black, has straight blonde hair. Trees and parked cars are in the background.

It’s been 6 years since we did a video, and I’m so excited to share this with you today!

Two Trays, Two Ways – Thrift Shop Shakedown #7

Here’s what I found on our thrifting trip to make over today:

A wooden tray from a thrift shop, featuring a vintage New York postcard design and a framed “Lobster Shack Open all Season” sign with red lobsters, rests by a white wall. The word BEFORE appears in the bottom right corner.

I actually found a cool table too. I don’t have a photo of it, but you’ll see it in the video. I’ll be making that one over soon, too.

Be sure to scroll all the way down to the bottom to click over to see what she did for today’s makeover, too.

But first, come shopping with us below! Then see what I did with those two trays. They are completely different!

If you have trouble viewing the video, you can watch it on YouTube here.

I cleaned them up and lightly sanded this one.

A hand with light-colored nail polish holds a piece of sandpaper, carefully sanding the edge of a wooden tray with a stamped or printed design—perhaps a unique find from a Thrift Shop.

It had a sort of “fake” wood finish that was a bit slick. After cleaning the dust off, I sprayed both with white primer.
I figured out pretty quickly what I wanted to do with that one above. But the “lobster” one, well, I was undecided.

This is what I was thinking. Fabric…or shells.

A blue and white patterned fabric or notebook from a thrift shop rests on a wooden surface next to two glass jars filled with seashells and small shells. The lower right corner features a white circular watermark.

Isn’t that fabric so pretty? It’s what I have leftover from these curtains I made years ago. <— click that link to pop back over to that old post just for fun, lol, 2013!

The plan was to lay fabric on the bottom and pour clear resin over the top. Which led me to another idea. Those shells.
I thought, how cool would that be?? Lay the crushed pieces (and lots of whole but tiny pieces) and pour resin over them to create the base.

Well, shells won. 

Surprised, huh?? Not, lol.

MATERIALS SOURCE LIST

I poured them out and moved them around until I liked how they were “arranged”.

A white rectangular thrift shop tray filled with assorted seashells and shell fragments, displayed on a light-colored marble surface.

RESIN

I mixed up some resin I had and got to it.

Two bottles labeled “Clear Cast Epoxy” sit on a marble countertop beside a thrift shop find—a seashell-covered tray. The bottles, marked Side A and Side B, rest near an epoxy box partially visible in the background.

A gloved hand stirs clear epoxy resin in a paper cup with a wooden stick on a marble surface next to thrift shop trays filled with assorted seashells.

Then I poured it over the top. I ended up taking it to the garage because it smelled a bit. I ended up not taking any photos of that because my gloves got all sticky, and so that’s how it goes sometimes! ha! But, super simple, just POUR, and it kind of levels out on its own.

I ended up using the entire kit, and it wasn’t quite enough, so I let that cure overnight.  Then I ran to Michael’s the next day, bought a larger kit, and poured another layer over the top. Probably the best way to do a deeper pour, actually, is in layers. The first layer was nice and dry. And now the second layer will dry fairly quickly over top of that. Unfortunately, that “next” day was today. haha!! So I wasn’t able to stage it as I’d like because it was still a little tacky, even after waiting a few hours to take photos.

A white rectangular tray from a Thrift Shop, filled with small seashells and pebbles set in clear resin, rests on a light surface with green leaves visible in the background.

But it’s so cool, y’all! Resin is fun.

A white rectangular tray, perfect for trays lovers, filled with small, assorted seashells and pebbles embedded in clear resin, displayed on a light wood surface.

Oh, I also painted this in Victorian Lace over the primer. (The other tray is painted in this as well.)

A hand holds a jar of Fusion Mineral Paint in Victorian Lace, perfect for upcycling thrifted trays or adding charm to your home decor. The label reads "paint it beautiful," 500 mL (16.9 fl oz), against a white background with a logo in the bottom right corner.

Trying to get an angle to show you the shine…and the depth. Ugh, not happening.

A white rectangular tray from a thrift shop, filled with assorted pebbles and shells set in clear resin, sits on a light wooden surface next to a small potted plant and a round mirror.

A rectangular white tray with handles sits on a light wooden surface. The tray’s base is filled with small seashells and pebbles set in resin. Nearby, two trays from a thrift shop display more seashells, starfish, and a potted green plant.

Still nautical in style, but so much better than the lobstahs!

A close-up of a shallow tray filled with small, broken seashells and pieces of coral submerged in clear water. The image is softly focused and has a light, neutral background, evoking the curated detail of a Thrift Shop find.

Gosh, it’s hard to show the depth and shine in these photos.

A decorative tray with seashells, found at a thrift shop, sits on a light wood dresser beside a small plant and starfish, in front of a large ornate mirror reflecting a blue and white living room with wall art.

Oh well, hopefully you can see it a bit.

The second tray.

As I mentioned, I painted this one with Victorian Lace.

A paintbrush with white paint rests on an open paint jar, next to a freshly painted white surface on a marble countertop—perhaps supplies found at a Thrift Shop. A white lid and a piece of paper towel are also visible.

A hand holding a paintbrush applies white paint to the surface of a rectangular thrift shop tray on a light-colored countertop; an open paint jar sits nearby.

Then I pulled out this transfer I had in my stash. I used part of it on this project: French Country Style Table Makeover

A close-up of a decorative Kacha transfer sheet with floral and French text designs, featuring elegant roses and gold accents. In the background, a white thrift shop tray displays matching floral and gold lettering.

I had this part leftover.

To mark it to fit, I simply ran a pair of scissors along the edge to show where to cut.

Close-up of a person applying gold vinyl lettering with a scraper tool onto thrift shop trays, featuring floral and ornate decorative designs.

Rub to transfer the design onto the tray.

A hand uses a tool to apply a floral decal with pink flowers and green leaves onto a white tray from a thrift shop, accented by gold French text.

New to transfers?? I have a post for you! See it here: How To Use Rub On Decor Transfers

These ends needed to be cut off to fit inside the tray.

A hand peels clear transfer paper from a decorative decal with gold script and floral design on a white surface. Pink flowers and ornate patterns, reminiscent of a stylish thrift shop find, are visible in the background.

Waste not, want not! I used them here.

And… of course, my phone focused on the painted paper towel below instead. Ooops!

A close-up of a white wooden surface with a rectangular cut-out handle, partially covered by a clear plastic sheet with gold decorative designs from Two Trays, and a monogram visible on the plastic—perfect for a thrift shop find.

But you get the idea.

See?

A decorative thrift shop tray with French script and floral design leans against a wooden sunburst mirror on a table, reflecting part of a window and room in the background.

To protect the transfer, I applied one coat of Topcoat sealer.

Such a pretty tray now!

A white decorative tray with French script and floral design, found at a thrift shop, holds a small potted plant with green leaves and a white, hexagonal marble coaster, resting on a brown surface.

I love how perfectly this transfer fits and goes with this tray.

A white tray with floral designs and French text sits on a brown surface, as if found at a charming thrift shop. A small white hexagonal box and a green potted plant rest atop the tray, which features elegant gold script and pink flowers.

A decorative tray with floral designs and French text, found at a local thrift shop, rests on a light wooden dresser beside a small potted plant. A round mirror with a gold frame hangs above, reflecting a couch in the background.

A white rectangular tray with side handles, decorated with pink flowers and gold French text in elegant script and print, sits on a light wooden surface. The lower right corner features a circular acy logo—perfect for chic trays from your favorite thrift shop.

I think both are much better now. Ready to be reloved, right?

PIN it to save it!

Collage showing a wooden tray thrift shop shakedown before and after two different makeovers: one with seashells and resin in a white frame, and another with white paint and decorative French transfer. Text reads 2 Trays 2 Ways.

Now, go check out Christy’s two finds at the link below the photo!

A vintage lamp without a shade and a wooden sign that says “You are my SUNSHINE” sit side by side on thrift shop concrete floors. The word Before is written above them in large text.

See her makeovers –> right here.

Want to see some of our other Thrift Shop Shakedown videos??

Have a great week, friends!

xoxo

The word Nancy is written in elegant, flowing black script, reminiscent of Chalk Style Paint For Furniture, with a heart shape used to form the dot above the letter i. The background is plain white.

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