Crafting with tarnished silver!

I don’t know about you, but polishing silver is WAY down on my list of things I like to do! So instead, I go thrifting and find tarnished trays that tell a story. They are dull, discolored and have definitely lost their luster. Then the fun begins! I dream up ways to bring them back to life, and then add them to my decor. Let’s explore how I give new life to these trays and other objects.

No matter the time of year, I always find time to go and explore thrift stores for tarnished silver. Above are just a few of my finds…and they ALWAYS put a smile on my face!!

The first thing that I do, is wash and dry them. Then I look at the shape of the tray and decide what I would like the end result to look like. I painted this tray with several coats of Waverly black acrylic paint, from Wal-mart. When the paint is dry, I do NOT spray the paint with a clear spray sealer, like I do with my wood projects. The spray sealer seems to leave a foggy coat on the unpainted silver. So, if you want to wash off the stencil and redo it as another project, you will probably need to touch up the paint. Most of you know that I love neutral decor. So, many of my projects end up being done in creams or black and white. The tray above, is a favorite of mine because I combined it with some of my precious stash of mother-of-pearl buttons, and then glued them in the shape of a cross. I always like to have reminders of my faith throughout my home.

Above, you can see how different the same stencil looks on different colored backgrounds! This stencil is so meaningful to me because it reminds me of the power of God. I always use Chalk Paste with my stencils on hard surfaces. Ink is for fabric and would remain sticky on the silver. You can find all of my favorite stencils here:

 https://bit.ly/3Iteju1 and look at all of the beautiful colors of Chalk Paste here:  https://bit.ly/2XstAD1

I am continually swapping out thing on my Butler’s Pantry countertop. These trays were rescused and painted a creamy color of Waverly acrylic paint. I use easels, that you can also find at thrift stores or at Hobby Lobby, to stand the trays for display. You can also see my beautiful tarnished tea set from my mother-in-law.

On the first of these two trays, I have a Magnolia rub-on transfer and on the other, a pretty floral stencil. You can find all of the amazing rub-on transfers here: https://bit.ly/3YLwEIC

For Easter, I made Ressurection Gardens using trays. I incorporated rocks, moss, twigs from the yard, and some greenery. I love to have a visual of the victory Christ had over the grave! On the tray in the background, I put a birds nest, a bird and a small greenery wreath for Spring. These were simple yet meaningful crafts to make. Wouldn’t these be great to make with your children and grandchildren? It will be a memory that will stay with them forever.

At Christmas time, I like to roll up sheet music, stencil a candle and put things on display on a gorgeous tarnished tray. I also added a couple of jars. One has a tiny silver tree in it and they other one is stenciled. I put fake styrofoam snow in the bottom of each jar. Noel means: the firstborn Son of God, the Messiah, the true King of Israel. What a great reminder to display this and remember the “true” meaning of Christmas!

This year I added the “Fall for Jesus” stencil to a tray, along with stenciled leaves, acorns, and pumpkins for my Fall decor. We should alway be filled with gratitude for the blessings God bestows on us, and the detailed Gratitude stencil is a daily reminder to be thankful. When using your tarnished silver, mix it up with several different styles and types of silver to add visual interest.

On this decorative tray, after painting it black, I glued on an assortment of metal buttons to create the shape of a Christmas tree. I hope that I have inspired you to go digging through your cupboards or basement, to find some tarnished silver to add to the crafts that you create. I have posted YouTube videos below for you to watch the process. Don’t forget to watch me 7 days a week at DIYDreaming on Facebook.

Blessings, Hiedi

Crafting with Thrift Store Tarnished Silver Platters – 

How to create some beautiful Bible verse pieces of art using thrift store tarnished silver platters – 

Fabulous Thrift Store Tarnished Silver Platter Risers – 

DIY Beachy Home Decor Makeovers – 

How to make Christmas trees on painted silver platters using vintage buttons and magnets – 

Beautiful Button Art Projects Made From Vintage Buttons, Silver Platters and Magnets – 

Two Styles of Resurrection Gardens to Celebrate the True Meaning of Easter – 

Christ & Crafting with Hiedi Scott – Romans 5:8 –