easy diy college logo tray

When I was searching for accessories for my oldest’s first {furnished} apartment/dorm, I knew I wanted to get creative. The furniture wasn’t my favorite {we are so grateful, but knew we needed some accessories while also keeping it simple}, so I used a combo of various things to cover – and distract when it came to finds. {I’ll be sharing all that oh so soon, coming up!} This project is so simple, it’s almost embarrassing, but I love the simple projects, too. So, I thought I’d share an easy solution for a handmade angle with this coffee table tray! You can easily alter this one any way you like to fit your own needs. How to make an easy DIY college logo tray.

Once. upon a time, it started with this FB marketplace score. Every time I searched for large coffee table trays on the www, they ranged from 70 to 130 bucks. And none of them even looked close to what I was looking for. So when I stumbled upon this one at 19.5 inches square for a whole ten dollars, I knew it had to be mine. When it was still available per the seller, we scooped it up and I got to work. So essentially I created this look for a mere ten dollars, and all the other supplies I already had lying around the house. It pays to be a craft/paint/project hoarder. If you have a certain theme coming up that you need for a tray, I thought it might be fun to share.

I just loved the way it turned out with the simple addition and fun colors!

Of course, I styled it for this silly little shoot, but we all know the photo below is how it will actually roll.

Cleaning the tray off first with a wet paper towel, I started by stirring up a combo of blues. I had a few to score that Chattanooga Blue I knew we needed. This is just my basic acrylic paint collection, which you probably already have around your house if you’re remotely interested in crafting every now and again.

Once I was happy with that, I gave it my first coat, then a second, and I had a nice working base for my next step.

I started by printing out the “Power C” Chattanooga logo on the largest piece of paper I could possibly get. An 8 x 10 sheet of paper was all I needed to score the perfect proportion for a 19.5″ square tray. But you could always go a little larger at your local FedEx or Kinko’s, depending on what you’re painting and the proportions.

Once I knew I was happy with that size, it was time to cut it out.

I took it to my cutting mat and used an X-Acto to remove all the extra stuff. Note that I chose a version of the logo that would work well with the tray I was using so that the colors worked. It was easy to cut without overthinking. I know most logos have different versions according to the application, so it helps to pay attention to that when you’re choosing your piece.

I started by cutting out the outer layer and then the inner one. Yes, this one appealed to my graphic designer/nerd side.

And we were ready to go!

Once I was happy with the positioning {I eyeballed and double-checked it with a ruler}, I tacked it lightly with tape. BIG MISTAKE. For starters, I should have used painter’s tape. But it just meant I had more painting to do on the back end. You can see right here where the paint came up on the edges.

I traced the lines lightly with a pencil, then removed the paper logo to reveal the shape. From there, it was just the process of painting it in. No worries, because as you can see, it doesn’t have to be perfect, and you can touch it up as you go.

Once that was dry, a few days later, I came back with a simple coat of Minwax. Taking a note from my old-school furniture finishing days, I figured aging it would deepen the colors and give it a bit of a protective seal as well. It was a simple wipe-on, wipe-off process, where I added character as I went.

This included the edges and the outside, too. About a day or two later, I gave it a pass with a simple glossy spray sealant, so it might actually hold up on their coffee table this year.

While I was waiting for that to dry, I realized these boys needed coasters in their apartment. I figured they might actually use them, especially since we don’t want any damage charges upon moving out.

My office is filled with samples, and I threw it back to an even older project I took on once upon a time. These are soapstone samples from our actual kitchen via the fabulous Polycore. We have loved our island for years, and recommend it to anyone who will listen. I had an excess of samples for clients, and thought these might be a really fun use.

Soapstone is actually hydrophobic, meaning it repels water. But when I tested it with a wet glass, it behaved well. Especially for free. So I took little rubber stoppers and added them to the back for a nice backing that wouldn’t scratch their furniture. This project literally took five minutes.