We love these woodsy stencils so we used them to make turn a cutting board into a rustic serving tray. We added twiggy handles to go with the menagerie of forest friends! It takes a little time, but you won’t believe how easy it is to stencil a tray.

Even if you’ve never stenciled before, you can do this project. In this step-by-step tutorial you’ll learn everything you need to know to get started stenciling! Here’s a video we made showing how to paint with a stencil. We hope it helps!

Disclosure: This post has some affiliate links for products we think you’ll like. Even if you don’t want to buy the items online, we think it’s helpful to see what they look like, so you can buy them at your local craft store. If you make a purchase from one of these links, we’ll make a small commission. There is no additional cost to you at all, but it helps us a little so we can pay for our web hosting and the tools and materials we use in these videos and blog posts. All opinions are our own from our own personal experience.

Also, We are Plaid Ambassadors and get all kind of wonderful paint and other craft materials from Plaid. We love their products and used their paints and stencils for this project.

How To Stencil A Tray: Woodland Critters Tray

Materials & Tools

Wooden cutting board, 15”x21”
Faux-branch drawer handles, 1 1/2”x5”, aged bronze, two (with hardware)
Plaid FolkArt Stencil Value Pack, Woodland, 12”x12”
Plaid FolkArt Painted Finishes, Barnwood Tint 5106
Plaid FolkArt Acrylic Craft Paint: Classic Green 2554, Fresh Foliage 954, Teal 2920,
Imperial Red 4669, Navy Blue 403
Plaid FolkArt Waterbased Varnish, Satin Finish 792
Masking tape
Paintbrush, stiff bristled
Foam paintbrush or sponge pouncer
Flat craft paintbrush
Ruler
Screwdriver
Drill
Pencil
Paper towels
Disposable plates

Steps

1. Start by painting the surface and the edges of the cutting board with the Barnwood Tint. To do this, shake the bottle and squeeze some tint out onto a disposable plate. Brush the tint on with long smooth strokes. Avoid letting the tint pool or puddle.

Then wipe the entire surface with a paper towel to remove any excess tint. We did two inches at a time. Let dry. Repeat to tint the reverse side of the cutting board. Let dry.

2. Tape the tree stencil in place with masking tape, leaving room on the sides for handles. Using the foam paintbrush or sponge pouncer, stencil 3 Classic Green trees by dabbing the pouncer straight up and down, holding the edge of the stencil in place with your other hand. Let dry. Shift the stencil slightly, then paint 3 Fresh Foliage trees over the previous trees using the same technique. Let dry.

3. Flip the deer stencil so the deer is facing left. Tape in place, then stencil the deer Teal. Let dry. Place the squirrel stencil so the squirrel is facing the deer. Stencil the squirrel Imperial Red. Let dry. Arrange the bird stencil so the birds are flying to the right. Stencil the birds Navy Blue. Let dry for 24 hours, then seal the cutting board with Varnish using the flat craft paintbrush. Let dry.

4. Attach the handles. To do this, measure the side of the cutting board to find the center, mark, and drill holes. Screw one handle in place. Repeat to attach a handle to the other side of the cutting board. Optional: Add rubber feet to the back of the tray.

Have you done any stenciling? Do you have any tips to share? We’d love to hear them. Leave us a comment!
Jennifer & Kitty

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