Galaxy Trays

These trays were made the same way I did this jewelry tray last year. Instead of using them for jewelry though, I have been using them to hold my colored pencils and pens when I am using them. I have found this useful for when I am working a project, but don’t finish that day. Instead of keeping them around my desk or putting them away, I can just put the pencils/pens I am using in the trays for safe keeping. Then I know exactly the ones I have used and they don’t get mixed up with all the others. It also helps so they don’t roll around or off my desk while I am working. In the smelter tray, I like to keep my basics thatI am using, including drawing pencils, erasers, and black outlining pens. These trays have really helped with keeping organized and tidy when working and make cleaning up at the end much faster.

The difference in these trays verses the jewelry trays was the process I used to paint them. I wanted to make a “galaxy” looking pattern, so I began by paining the trays completely in black acrylic paint. The wood dries very quickly, which helps the process go faster. After the black, I used a foam brush to pat on a purple paint over the entire tray. After it dried, I added some more, to the point where the black was just peaking through a bit in parts. After the purple dried, I then lightly patted on metallic gold paint using the foam brush. This is when it really started to look nice. To finish up the galaxy look, I took a regular paint brush and dipped it into the black paint. Very carefully, I pulled the bristles of the brush back so the paint sprayed the wood. This created a splatter effect, which I think really tied together the “galaxy” look. Once all finished, I cut a piece of sprkly black felt and glued it to the bottom inside of the tray.

Here are some photos of the final product: