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Boho Succulent Garden From Repurposed Tray

Published by | 748 words. · About 4 minutes to read this article. -

Thrift Store Decor Upcycle - Forged Aluminum Serving Tray Turned Boho Succulent Garden

I've got exciting news today! Big! Huge!

Starting this month, today to be exact, I am joining with an amazing group of bloggers as part of the Thrift Store Decor Team. Once a month we will each repurpose a thrift store find into something totally fantabluous for you!

Succulent garden made out of upcycled thrift store serving tray

So you get to see great thrift store hauls (yeah!!!) and also a fun way to repurpose them into something useful (double yeah!!!).


First I'll show you what I gave a makeover to and then at the bottom of the post you can check out the other stuff the girls are repurposing for you.

While at the thrift store last week I spotted this forged aluminum serving tray by Everlast.

Mid-century modern forged aluminum serving tray by Everlast

Mid-century modern. Sort of dirty looking (certainly not shiny). And not highly collectible these days.

They're normally larger pieces, so the kind of thing you don't want just hanging around the house taking up shelf space. Thus they make their way to the thrift stores quite often.

Plus they have the problem of being very easily scratched, dented or bent, so finding a pristine condition one is a rarity. And this one was NOT a rarity, by any means.

In other words, it was ripe for a makeover!

Boho Succulent Garden From Repurposed Thrift Store Tray

Learn how to make a super cute boho style succulent garden from a repurposed thrift store tray. A quick and easy upcycling idea that can use either artificial or living succulents for a bright and colorful DIY succulent garden. #diygarden #thrift #upcycling #upcycled #repurposed #junkgardening
(This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. You can read my full disclosure policy here.)

Supplies:

  • Thrift store serving piece
  • Spray paint (I used Design Master's ÜberMatte Spray in Salmon )
  • Faux moss mat
  • Faux succulents (I purchased mine at Michaels)*
  • Glue gun
  • Glue sticks
  • Sandpaper or sanding block (220 grit)
  • Scissors
  • Band-Aids (for when the glue gun gets way from you and burns your finger tips)

*This project can be made with real succulents and dirt if you wish. Although I do a lot of gardening projects in the spring and summer, I am not the best at keeping succulents alive inside my house, so I chose to use realistic looking artificial succulents in this project.

Supplies for creating an artificial succulent garden

Please disregard Vaseline and paint brush in this photo - this girl changed her mind half way through the project. 

Instructions:

Clean your serving tray, removing any price stickers and grease from the surface and then very lightly sand the tray. You are just trying to give the paint a good surface to grab on to, so just do a quick once over with the sanding paper, being very gentle.
Sanding forged aluminum sanding tray

Use spray paint to cover the surface. Obviously I didn't actually use the spray paint inside the house (cough cough), this was just for the photos.
Painting hammered aluminum tray

I used three light coats to cover the surface. At this point you could use a dark wax on it to really bring out the raised fruit, but I left mine simple and classic.
Painted mid-century modern aluminum serving tray

Cut your moss into the shape you prefer (mine was already a circle, so I left it as is) and lay the succulents onto the moss until you find an arrangement that you like.
Using artificial succulents

You may need to cut down any longer stems to get them to set correctly. Once you fine-tune your grouping, hot glue them to the moss one by one.
Making faux succulent dish

I chose to be somewhat asymmetrical in my design, because when they grow in real life, they tend to follow their own rules.
How to make artificial succulent garden

Once dried, simply lift your masterpiece onto your tray and off you go.
Upcycled thrift store tray into boho succulent garden

If you ever tire of the whole thing you can just remove the succulents and you still have a festive serving tray underneath.
Updated mid-century american metal serving tray

Of course you can't put food on the painted portion, because . . . yuck. But you can still put food in the glass.

Learn how to make a super cute boho style succulent garden from a repurposed thrift store tray. A quick and easy upcycling idea that can use either artificial or living succulents for a bright and colorful DIY succulent garden. #diygarden #thrift #upcycling #upcycled #repurposed #junkgardening

Other Thrift Store Finds That Would Be Perfect For This Kind Of Project:

  • cut glass bowls
  • silver trays and bowls
  • wicker baskets
  • soup urns

Now go on over and see what the other Thrift Store Decor Team girls did with their thrift store finds!

Creative upcycling ideas for thrift store decor #thrift #upcycling #upcycled #repurposed

Desk Lamp Makeover - Domestically Speaking
Luggage Rack Side Table - My Repurposed Life
Antique Key Fridge Magnets - Petticoat Junktion
Message Board - Refresh Restyle
Peony And Grapevine Wreath - Our Southern Home
World Map Makeover - My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia
Key Hook Cabinet Makeover - Sadie Seasongoods
Repurposed Thrift Store Tray - House of Hawthornes (that's me)

Other posts you may enjoy:

How To Clean & Restore Thrift Store Finds
Top 10 Thrift Store Shopping Tips
DIY Industrial Pipe Shelves

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Maria

    I love succulent projects and this is super pretty! The Colors are great together!

  2. JaneEllen

    Great color and redo of a midcentury hammered aluminum piece. Looks really pretty with color and your faux succulents.
    Succulents need to be kept in dry climate, too many of us want to water them too much so the roots die. Also if your house is more humid they don't like that. That's why for real succulents it says to use cactus soil and be very sparing with watering. I have several pieces I started collecting when we lived in KY, there are some very handsome pieces which look nice put together in one spot attractively arranged.
    Hammered aluminum isn't supposed to be shiny shiny.

  3. Kathy A

    I love how the salmon goes so well with the colors in your tablecloth, too! And it goes well with the reddish edges some succulents have. As I love verdigried copper finish, I think I'd go for that finish. Also, it would be great for a small fairy garden!

  4. Christy @ Our Southern Home

    I love that color!!!! This would be a perfect project for the screened porch. Faux Succulents look so real these days!

  5. Karen

    I love this centerpiece. The succulents look so real and the Salmon color is perfect. It makes the plants really stand out. I may be making a trip to Michael's soon. Thanks for sharing.

  6. Susan

    Wow! At first glance I thought these succulents were real! What a nice job arranging them. I may try this. I could fool my kitties and they couldn't chew and dig them up like they have done to some of my other houseplants!

    • Pam

      They really are real looking even up close. And they feel sort of squishy like real succulents 🙂

  7. Amy

    Great color. It's really got me thinking SPRING!!

    • Pam

      Now if only the weather would look like spring we'd be all set!

  8. Maryann

    LOVE succulents they pair so gorgeously with that beautiful paint color on the tray!

    • Pam

      I normally do real ones in the summer planters outside, but I just can't, for the life of me, keep them alive for long inside. Problem solved!

  9. Kathy

    Gosh Pam, That is so darling! I have a few faux succulents but need to buy a few more. I love this idea. On the hunt for a container.

    • Pam

      Thank you Kathy! And thank you for inviting me to the Thrift Store Decor Team!

  10. Kristin

    You would never know this is the same item, So very pretty and I love that color

    • Pam

      Thank you! I wanted something bright and springy to make up for the yucky weather we're still having here in Ohio.

  11. Diane

    Happy Valentine's Day! I was going to ask you how you keep your succulents alive and well! Yours look 'alive and well', truly, so Wow! Beautiful new centerpiece, Miss Pam! Inspired once again!

    • Pam

      Oh, my real ones that I had in my outside planters haven't done too well since I brought them inside. I'm going to fill in the bare spots with some of the artificial succulents! Much easier to care for.

  12. gail

    welcome to the team Pam! I'm so happy to have you join us!

    Wow! I love this project, everything about it. But those faux succulents? I must have those! I don't have a Michael's near me. I'll have to check out hob lob.

    Great tips!
    gail

    • Pam

      I'm so excited you all invited me! The artificial succulents are so real this year. They even squish a little when you touch them 🙂

  13. Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces

    Now that is a fun thrift store makeover! I love it...pinning, of course!
    I just had a cactus die...and I popped it out of the planter and stuck in faux succulents.
    Much better! Happy Valentine's Day!

    • Pam

      They are much easier to care for 🙂

  14. Shelley

    love the whole new look...and the succulents at Michaels are so real looking....I've purchased several also...

    • Pam

      They do, don't they! I brought one of my planters in from outside in the fall and the real live succulents are slowly dying off. I think I'll beef the planter back up with some of the artificial ones!

  15. girlfromwva

    really like this, especially the color!♥️

    • Pam

      Thank you! I thought it looked springy and fresh!

  16. Kari

    I love that salmon spray paint. It almost looks like terra cotta.

    • Pam

      It does, doesn't it. I may sort of be in love with a paint color now!