Upcycled Japanese Resin Trays

 Although I enjoy Taylor Swift's music, I am not a Swifty.  I like to think of myself as a 'Thrifty'.  I enjoy looking at what others might throw away and think of how I can upcycle the items.  While in Japan, we often ate food from convenience stores and supermarkets. The Japanese food there is clean, attractive, tasty and inexpensive.  I noticed that the food often came in very pretty trays which looked too good to throw away so I saved some....LOL!  The 'Thrifty' in me just had to bring some of them home...much to the irritation of my husband.

Here is the first tray I made.  It looks like it has pressed flowers on it but the flowers are really stickers I purchased in Japan.  HM Ben Franklin Crafts has a gigantic assortment of stickers so check them out.  The raised portion that says, 'Laugh Today' is a sticker too. A layer of UV resin (from HM BFC) was applied first and then cured with the UV mini light.  I like the UV resin better than the two part mix type because it only takes one minute to set.  After there was a thick layer of resin on the tray, I applied the stickers and then more layers of resin.  The thick layer of resin makes the tray sturdy and heavy like ceramic or glass.  This particular tray had a back that looked too much like a food tray so I glued on some dark green felt. I don't know if the resin surface is food safe so the felt backing will make it obvious that it is not for edibles.  This tray would make a pretty soap or trinket tray.

Here is another plastic food tray that I just couldn't resist bringing home.  I decided that this one just needed a few Hanafuda card stickers.  I think they provide just the right touch of color and Asian design.

The black color of the tray shows through the stickers a little but I still like the overall look.  I am proud that I was able to turn trash into treasures.  I hope you will think creatively before disposing of something which has potential for being something useful and beautiful. Become a 'Thrifty'!