While sitting down to write this blog post, all about this stunning hand-crafted wooden serving tray, I was hit with a strange sense of déjà vu...
I looked back at the blog post that I wrote about a similar tray that I painted earlier this year, featuring a gorgeous succulent and olive leaf wreath. Then it hits me: It seems that my tray-painting-days are cursed!
Okay, okay, so this is only the second tray like this that I've painted, but it does seem like there is a sinister pattern emerging:
Both times, I was really pressed for time. Last time, because I wanted to finish the tray in time to send it to my client with a lift opportunity, thereby saving her the shipping costs (I'm nice like that). This time, because the tray was a special 60th birthday gift for a very dear friend of ours (I'm nice like that). What ensued (both times!) was days of mad, compulsive painting-crying-tea-drinking...
But wait - the plot thickens:
With the previous tray, I had to come up with a clever solution to keep painting, even though dear Eskom left us in the dark. Since I had a deadline, I had to push through, even during multiple power-outages in the evenings. This time around, after ages without issue, tragedy suddenly struck just as I was starting my new tray project: Load shedding was back in earnest! Again, I had to figure out ways of finishing in time, in the dark... It's as if Eskom was just waiting for me to start another wooden tea tray!
Sinister, right?
I can hear you scoffing. Stop that! Let me have my little temper tantrum...
Dramatics aside -- this hand-made serving tray was made by my awesome carpenter hubby, Alex, from The Modest Toolbox. In keeping with both our business' eco-friendly values, he used recycled wood - pallet wood with oak corner inserts, and then stained the tray with a special home-made brew to give it an antique look. I used acrylic paint to add the aloe and sunbird.
Funny story (well, not exactly funny ha-ha.. More like interesting.. or something..): I used a reference photo of a White-bellied Sunbird, taken by my friend Carien Viljoen, because the little bird's posture is just so perfect. But, I decided on the colouring of a Southern Double-collared Sunbird, as the new owner of this wooden serving tray lives in the Cape and the white-bellied doesn't occur here.
And on that very not-so-funny-or-interesting story, I'll leave you to enjoy a bit of the behind-the-scenes pics. You might notice that the lighting changes quite dramatically from one to the next. I had to move around our cottage, chasing light sources. Lamps, then windows, then head lamps in the dark... Sinister.
See time lapse video of this piece on my YouTube channel!
Custom-made, hand-painted gifts for special occasions
A one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted tray or custom wedding name board like this one, can only be ordered by contacting me directly. Get in touch via Whatsapp (there's a button in the lower right-hand-side of your screen!), or find my details by clicking below:
