How to Decorate a Lap Tray

Whether you need a wood serving tray to enjoy breakfast in bed, adorn a coffee table or as a creative housewarming gift, alter a plain tray with craft supplies and memorabilia to personalize the project. Press decorative paper, photos, ephemera and additional embellishments beneath glass to design a simple yet elegant lap tray. The eye-catching and functional craft can hold everything from a vase of flowers and a plate of finger sandwiches to a favorite book and piping hot cup of tea.

Instructions

1

Measure the length and width of the surface of a wood lap tray with a tape measure. Use a paper trimmer to cut a piece of cardstock or patterned paper to those dimensions and affix it to the tray with double-sided tape.

2

Arrange photographs and memorabilia such as love notes, ticket stubs, postcards and snippets cut from travel brochures, greeting cards and wrapping paper to create a decorative display. Allow the edges of the items to overlap slightly, but ensure that you can easily see each piece.

3

Affix the items to the cardstock or decorative paper with double-sided tape once you're happy with the arrangement.

4

Embellish with accents such as stickers, paper flowers and die cuts that coordinate with the patterned paper, photos or theme of the memorabilia. If you're designing a decorative serving tray featuring Hawaiian vacation photos and ephemera, for example, add embellishments like die-cut tiki torches, pineapple stickers or paper flowers affixed around the border of the tray to resemble a lei.

5

Get a piece of glass or a Plexiglas sheet cut to the dimensions of the tray's surface at a home improvement warehouse store. Place the glass or Plexiglas over the photos and accents to protect the memorabilia and create a surface that will be easy for you to clean. Tack the glass or Plexiglas sheet down with adhesive dots under the corners if you're concerned about the glass lifting or sliding off the tray.