I love to entertain, so I can never have enough serving pieces! In my home we always say that what you serve is only half of the battle… the other half is all about the presentation! But here’s the problem…. As I have preached many times before…. if you are like me, and have an affinity for a darker aesthetic, then the options for buying entertaining pieces can be very limited. OK, yes, in a month or so when Halloween rolls into stores, you may get lucky with a few cool treasures, but c’mon… who wants to wait around all year just to buy things for their home. Of course, you all know I like to take matters into my own hands, so this week I transform a mystery find into a DIY Gothic Bird Skull Serving Tray….
I have no idea what this is?? Let me stop you right there… it’s not a huge paper towel holder. Everyone I ask says the same thing… but the finial at the top is too wide to fit a paper towel roll, and no, it doesn’t screw off. I found this piece at a thrift store, and it’s mysterious function really didn’t matter. I always look beyond a piece’s actual use when I am shopping. There was something about it that looked cool to me, and appeared to have potential for a makeover so I adopted it. If you happen to actually know what this is, please drop a comment below… I’d certainly be interested to learn!!
Now, even though I have no idea what this is, and obviously no way to tell you how to acquire one… I don’t want you to think this project is not for you. After going through the trials and tribulations of upcycling this found item, I have some great ideas for how you can take this tutorial and apply it to other objects in order to achieve a similar final outcome. First, let me walk you through my process for transforming this piece, and then we’ll get to other applications.
After some initial post-purchase brainstorming, I decided I wanted to create some sort of serving mechanism. This particular object was made up of three pieces… a decorative tray wall, a tray base, and a handle. The handle was screwed into the base, and the base was screwed into the walls. Luckily, the three pieces came apart. The original metal base had raised indentions, but I wanted my piece to have a flat surface, so I wouldn’t be limited to what I could place on the tray.
I tossed the base aside and bought and cut a piece of wood to fit into the bottom. Using the original metal base as a guide, I marked the center of the wood, and drilled a small hole in order to screw the handle in. Then I screwed the wood into the tray wall from underneath. Using a wood base gave me the flat surface I was looking for.
This next step may seem crazy…. I basically assembled the piece just to disassemble it again. The reason I screwed everything into place using the wood board is to ensure it would all work, and that it would be sturdy. The design element to these projects can often be tedious, and time consuming and before I embarked on that portion of the project, I wanted to confirm that the tray itself had integrity. Once I was happy with it, I pulled the 3 pieces apart, and started on the fun stuff.
While I certainly liked the ornate details of the tray walls… you know that’s just too easy to paint & move on! I, of course, wanted to do more! I felt like I’ve been using my human skull molds a lot lately, and wanted something different. I actually even attempted a different human skull mold, but still felt it lacked some freshness. I hit pause to take a step back and reevaluate. Sometimes you just need a little space from a project for a new idea to hit you. In the meantime, I worked on last week’s The Raven Mirror Wall Art. I also received a package in the mail…. a print I had ordered of the Black Plague Doctor… an image of a doctor wearing a bird like beak… I’m fascinated by that imagery! And then it hit me… my subconscious was really into bird art lately! Why not continue the trend by donning my tray with a Raven Skull!
Here are the supplies I used and the steps to refinish the tray:
- Raven Skull Mold
- Corn Starch
- Small Paint Brush
- Paper Clay
- Set of Painting Knives
- Aleene’s Tacky Glue
- Gold Paint
- Black Gesso
- Paint Brush
- Soft cloth or rag (even an old t-shirt will work)
- Spar Urethene
My first step was to apply the bird skulls. I created them out out paper clay. Here’s how to do it:
First brush a bit of cornstarch into the mold cavity.
Firmly press paper clay into the mold and use the painting knifes to level the clay and clean up any clay that may be protruding out of the mold.
Remove the clay from the mold, by bending the mold all around to break the seal around the edge, and slowly roll the mold away from the clay until the clay is free.
Add tacky glue to the back side of the clay casting and gently press to secure it onto the frame wall
For more detailed photos on using paper clay and silicone molds, check out these Skull Candle Sconces or this Baroque Vase. Both tutorials will walk you through every step of the process.
Gravity and paper clay are not great friends, so I had to work on one side at a time. I allow the clay to dry completely, face up, before moving onto the next side. I typically give it 12 hours. You can use a heat tool if you need to speed this process up.
In the meantime…. I prepped the base of the tray. I painted both sides of the tray base black, and allowed to dry.
Once the paint was completely dry, I brushed the top side with a coat of Spar Urethane.
A quick note about my decision to use this product….. I make a lot of serving pieces, and am always concerned about food safety on a painted finish. Have I run the risk, and placed food items on a painted surface? Yes. No one died. But it doesn’t mean I’m not looking for improvement. I met a woman who sold hand crafted cutting boards, and I inquired about her finish. She explained that Spar Urethane was the finish used on boat decks, and was completely safe. After further inquiry I found plenty of other research to back up her claim. However, the finish is not considered food safe until it has completely cured. A general rule of thumb for full curing is about 30 days at room temperature. I cannot make claims about it’s 100% safety, so please feel free to do your own research and finish your tray accordingly.
There is a chance that the urethane will remove a bit of the paint when you brush it on. If this happens, add another coat of paint in between coats of the urethane. Finish the top with at least two coats of urethane.
Now… back to the tray wall….. Once all four bird skulls were dried and hardened to the frame…. I painted the outside frame of the tray as well as the handle gold. I absolutely love this paint… it has such great coverage and provides a rich gold finish both of which can be difficult to find with a spray paint. Many metallic paints can be a bit cheap or fake looking, so if you choose to go with another brand or type of paint, choose wisely.
Once the gold was dry, I carefully painted the inside of the tray walls black. It’s ok if a bit of black comes through onto the gold side but use as much caution as you can.
This was Gold Foil paint, so it will be VERY gold. Once the inside is dry, it was time to take that gold down a few notches. I used a paintbrush to apply Black Gesso, and while still wet, used the cloth to wipe some of the black away, exposing the gold. I like to work in small sections at a time because the gesso can dry pretty quickly. This not only adds black into the crevices, but also dulls the gold a bit giving an antique like finish.
I opted not to touch the bird skulls with the gesso. I liked the idea of them standing out a bit, so I left them pure gold.
I let the gesso dry completely, and attached the base to the frame, and the handle to the base.
I love the richness of the gold, but the age that the black gesso creates. The bird skulls offered just enough macabre to be haunting but not too cheesy. I feel like this piece ended up having a dark elegance suitable for a Vampire…
Now, it’s time to entertain!
OK…. so if you are not lucky enough to have a mysterious piece like the one I started with, you still have options. Many flat napkin holders and serving trays have a similar walled structure. Here are a few that you can order online at Amazon….
If the holder or tray you find is not as ornate, as you’d like it to be…. just add more paper clay castings. There are so many ornate molds out there too choose from. The Aged Stone Mirror I made is a great example of taking something very flat and plain looking, and using clay to baroque it up!
Adding the single post handle is also quite easy. Just pick up an inexpensive paper towel holder (I see these ALL of the time in thrift stores)… and unscrew the handle. Drill a small hole into the center of piece you have chosen to work with, and attach the handle. Then simply follow the directions for adding the bird skull and the painting techniques.
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I’m Obsessed with your thrift store make overs! I’m doing a Vampire tea this Halloween for friends and your site is the perfect fit between classy and dark! I want to say thanks for the influence you’ve had on my project! Keep it spooky!
Thank you so much Lynn! What an amazing compliment!! You’ve made my day! A Vampire Tea?!?! Now that is my kind of party!! I may just have to steal that idea one of these days!! 🙂