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How to Nest for Less™

Vintage Nursery Rhyme Tray

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I will show you how to make this adorable vintage nursery rhyme tray!

A vintage looking tray with a nursery rhyme on it.

One of my favorite books that belongs to my daughter is a gift from her great-grandmother, a nursery rhyme hardcover illustrated by Maud Humphrey. As soon as we opened the special pages, I knew I would have to purchase another copy and use the illustrations for a project.

Mother Goose story book.If I ever have another baby, I might actually design the entire nursery around these drawings. But for now, a simple accessory will have to do!

I found this little tray on clearance at JoAnn Fabrics & Crafts for $5 and I thought I could put it to good use.

Wooden tray on the table.I gave it a coat of some Old White Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and distressed the edges.

A can of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on the table beside the tray.

Using a sponge to paint the tray white.Next I cut out the nursery rhyme I wanted to feature. I chose Hush a Bye Baby. The colors were nice, warm and earthy, plus it was one of my favorite songs to get my little angel to sleep. Actually, that’s a lie… She used to cry when I sang to her. I swear I don’t have a bad voice, it’s just that she hated my singing for some reason! So I guess this nursery rhyme has a little hidden meaning for me 🙂

OK, I decided to tear the edges of the paper to keep with the vintage look and feel.

Taking a page from the nursery rhyme book.I used Mod Podge to secure down the illustration and gave it a couple of top coats to seal it in.

A bottle of mod podge and a brush beside it.Voila! Isn’t she beautiful? I love the subtle colors and light distressing.

The nursery rhyme in the tray on the table.

A small star on the wooden tray.

The tray leaning against the wall.After finishing this project I think I’ve confirmed that I really do love this look and could design an entire nursery with this tray as inspiration!

Vintage nursery rhyme tray graphic.

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Comments

  1. Inspire Me Heather says

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    Oh, that is just darling – what a lovely tray.
    Oh and following back – your blog is so nice here!

  2. Kara says

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    So sweet. I love some of those old vintage books. What a great way to use the pretty pictures.

  3. Debbie~refreshrestyle says

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    This is so cute! Love it!
    Debbie

  4. Jenn @ Social Salutations says

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    I LOVE everything about this – it is so gorgeous!!! I featured you today in my Friday I’m In Love Favorites.

    http://socialsalutations.blogspot.com/2011/09/friday-im-in-love-week-15.html

    – Jenn @ Social Salutations

  5. Christy says

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    I LOVE it. It would be a great piece of inspiration for an entire nursery!! Love the distressed look you gave it! Do you have any big plans for it now:)?

    • howtonestforless says

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      Haha! Not yet… but I’ll keep everyone updated 🙂

  6. Renee says

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    LOVE!! this project! It would be a perfect project to link to my Shabby Shares link party at http://rustic-crafts.com. I would love it if you would come and link up 🙂
    Renee @ Rustic Crafts

  7. Meagan says

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    Hey Erin! I am a recent follower to your blog and I adore your crafts. This is one of my favorites, such a cute idea! 🙂

  8. Tammy says

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    That is so cute!

  9. Poppy says

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    You did an amazing job on the tray! Loved how you distressed it and the image is so perfect for a nursery. Thanks for the inspiration! Found you over at Debbie’s Newbie party. Have a wonderful week!~Poppy

    http://withadashofcolor.blogspot.com/

  10. Lynn at Cottage and Creek says

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    I love your sweet tray. And I agree that the illustrations could be a wonderful jumping off point for decorating a nursery. Super cute. I love Annie Sloan Chalk Paint too! I recently won a giveaway and am now a dedicated fan and customer. Nice job!
    ~Lynn

  11. Linda Browne says

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    I love this! I love vintage pictures of babies and children. I am waiting to recieve my first ASCP tomorrow…can’t wait to paint for the first time with it…so exciting. Thanks for the ideas. Beautiful..thks, Linda

  12. Kristin says

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    This is so lovely! Love the sentiment and the softness about it. Great job! Stopping by from {someday crafts}

  13. Angie says

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    This really is beautiful. I love the idea of using a favorite book as a nursery theme 🙂

  14. Deborah says

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    That is just adorable! Doesn’t it make you want to have another baby just so you can decorate the nursery? 🙂

  15. Lowri McNabb says

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    This is fabulous and a great tutorial. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
    Lowri
    http://papervinenz.blogspot.com/

  16. Jenn Erickson/Rook No. 17 says

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    I can see why you’re so smitten with that book. What gorgeous vintage images! I love how you transformed your tray — positively lovely! So glad I saw your link-up on the Inspiration Board at Homework!

    Jenn/Rook No. 17

  17. cassie says

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    that turned out sooo cute! i have some pages like that i need to try this with.

  18. Lavender Dreams says

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    This is really beautiful and now you’ve made it into something you can use and enjoy! ♥

  19. Mimi says

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    What a beautifull tray! I love it and think it would be wonderful to decorate a nursery using this!

  20. kim@todayismysome-day says

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    I love this! I have several trays begging for a make-over. This is one of the best ideas I’ve seen. Saw you at A Little Knick Knack.

  21. Dream Mom says

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    Just beautiful! I haven’t seen anything like this and I love how you tore the paper and the distressed tray. It couldn’t have turned out better. My favorite project of the week!

  22. mum of all trades says

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    I love this! Such a great idea. I’d love if you’d share it at my blog hop this weekend.Hope you can join in!

  23. Vanessa says

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    That is just absolutely darling and beautiful! You did such a great job on that and I could totally see an entire nursery built around that. Thank you so much for sharing your talent and creativity with us this week at Inspiration Friday!
    Vanessa

  24. Lisa @ Allergy Free Vintage Cookery says

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    Gorgeous! I love the look of the old illustrations… makes me want to hang a few up anyway, even though my babies are 7, 10 and 13 now 🙂

  25. Judy says

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    I really love this tray. Adorable. I will be featuring it tonight at my Sizzle into Summer party that opens at 8pm EST. Please stop by and pick up an I’ve Been Featured button. Thanks.

    • howtonestforless says

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      WOW! Thanks so much Judy! I’ll be stopping by later this evening to party 🙂

  26. Pam Erwin says

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    I love the tray you made with the Mother Goose book from Maud Humphrey. I tried to find the book but they are $375’s. Do you know if there are reproductions cheaper? The tray you made is amazing!

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