I have somehow unconsciously made it my mission to add metallic accents and mirrored finishes to every room in our house. There’s just something about the way light plays with these types of finishes that I can’t get enough of, so I’ve incorporated things like brass lamps and figurines, wall mirrors and also a mirrored tray or two – Sort of like the one below, which I found on Pinterest.

Source | The Glitter Guide

Yet where my “Pinspiration” image is a gorgeous bright yellow gold, my OWN oval mirrored tray was a tarnished disaster. Seeing as I picked it up from a thrift store way back when, I have no idea if it ever once looked like that shiny beauty above, but I knew just how to imitate it once and for all.

It was time to introduce my old mirrored tray to a can of metallic gold spray paint. Sure, I may have been able to grab some special metal cleaner to clean and buff this frame back into shape, but (1) I’m trying to use what I already have on hand to stay on a currently unemployed budget, and (2) my tray is no where near as solid and pristine as the Pinterest tray. It’s pretty cheap, and sports a slightly warped construction that didn’t really warrant any kind of special treatment. My hope was that, with a fresh coat of spray paint, I could at least attempt to mimic the look of a high-end tray.

Masking for spray paint is not an activity that I relish, but thankfully this tray didn’t require that I bother. A series of bendable tabs around the edges of the metal frame allowed me to remove the inner mirror so that I could take the empty frame outside, plop it on a piece of cardboard and go to town with my spray paint. Done and done.

But before we get to the “After” shots, I just had to share a few closeups of what it was before – Notice the tiny spots of rust. I doubt that metal cleaner would have even been able to save this piece from a spray paint job…

Ten minutes of thin and even spray painting and 24 hours of curing later, my tray was looking refreshed and renewed. The gold top coat has given this old rusty tray an entirely new lease on life, and finally looks chic enough for prime real estate on our bathroom countertop. I just wonder why it took me so long to do this project in the first place!

I know not all of you are fans of spray paint, but its powers of transformation put a BIG ol’ spring in my step. What’s your favorite go-to DIY tool?

P.S. I’m excited to announce a new collaboration with Le Papier Studio! I was recently selected as Social Media Intern for the paper design company, and couldn’t be more excited to work with Vana and the other new team members. Ever since I started this blog and began to really dive deep into the online creative world, I’ve wanted to connect, work for and grow with a good brand – I couldn’t have asked for a better one than Le Papier Studio. I truly feel like this is my chance to really shine and I can’t wait to see what the future holds! 

In addition to managing LPS’s social media, I’ll also be contributing weekly blog posts. I invite you to click over and take a look at my first one, published just this morning. Enjoy!