From Discarded Tray to Doll Display

This old wooden tray was given to me by a friend. It has clearly had quite the life. But that life isn't over yet. So... I got to thinking. What about making it a shelf that will hang and be used as a display that I might even be able to use as a doll backdrop?? My Froggy Stuff creates these small displays quite often. Mostly from foam board. And they are so cute! This one is of equal size, but already built! So win-win for me. It will also be one less thing to end up in a landfill. 

First things first

I had to get it cleaned up and re-glue one of the notched corners. This old tray has been through a lot.

It measures about 10 1/4" wide and about 15" long. After the glue dried, I painted on a base coat so that I can paint it when I design the 'room' look later.

I had tried to make orange paint for a shadow box that I was putting together for my dad. But no matter how I tried, the paint color wouldn't come out right. I ended up with this taupe-like color. Farthest thing from orange! My husband said I defied logic with that one. I decided to make this the coat for the building front I planned to make in this display. But after painting, I had a sudden idea. Instead of making an apartment building front, I wanted to make a closet wall scene. My husband recently bought me these Mini Brands Fashion packs from Ross. And I realized that I need a closet! To show them off. It would make an elegant back drop too. Later, I even want my husband to hang it on the wall for me. 

So, that is when I switched to gluing in some card stock pages to look like a fancy maroon wallpaper. I used a white marble printed page to make the floor look better. Still thinking about my ceiling options. But I'm liking where this is going. 

Or at least I was...

Then disaster struck. I attempted to use doll packaging to make shelves. You know how Rainbow High dolls come with each accessory in those built-in boxes? I thought I could use that to hold the purses at the top of this display. But it was too warped and the purses kept falling out. So... I ripped it out. Which ripped out the paper it was glued to. I decided to give this closet a two-toned wall look instead. I glued in a white card stock, painted cut craft sticks and glued them in to give a border, and now we have a more refined look! 

The clothing rod is made from bits of wood that came in a craft kit my kids didn't want from Home Depot. I just gave them a dark wood paint job and glued them in. I was pretty impressed with how they came out. 

Next, we need shelving. After all, I have purses and hats to show off. I used balsa wood from kits. I 3D printed the cube shelf. I think it works well for shoes.

The silver rack was one from a Dollar Tree set I picked up. I just gave it a paint job. It holds the many necklaces I have right now.

I'm pretty happy with the effect! I think it came out great for a spur-of-the-moment build. What do you think? What would you have done differently? Leave me a comment below and let me know!