Serving up style: How to make your own fruit flower trays

27 Mar 2025

Brighten up your serving game with these fun and fruity DIY trays! Inspired by the vibrant hues of fresh kiwifruit and blooming flowers, this simple project lets you create stylish, hand-painted trays that are as practical as they are eye-catching. Whether you’re serving up summer snacks or adding a splash of colour to your décor, these playful designs are sure to impress.

You will need:

• 12mm thick plywood

• Pencil

• Jigsaw

• Sandpaper

• Resene Quick Dry

• Paintbrush

• Resene Aquaclear satin

• Electric drill

• Handles

• Resene testpots in your favourite colours. Fleur used Resene Bilbao, Resene Atlantis, Resene Black, Resene Jambalaya, Resene Glamour Puss, Resene Irresistible, Resene Geronimo, Resene Pirate Gold and Resene Rusty Nail

Step 1:  Draw two big circles on to the plywood. Cut these out using a jigsaw. For the flower tray, use the jigsaw to cut out the shapes of the petals. Sand rough edges smooth. Prime the circle cut-outs with a coat of Resene Quick Dry. Choose your colours for your trays. Fleur used two coats of Resene Bilbao for the kiwifruit tray and two coats of Resene Glamour Puss for the flower tray.

Step 2:  Add more detailing to your designs with more of your chosen colours. Fleur painted a circle and some radiating spikes in the middle of the kiwifruit tray with Resene Atlantis and added shading for the petals on the flower tray with Resene Irresistible.

Step 3:  Continue painting on detailing as you wish. Fleur painted black seeds on the kiwifruit tray using Resene Black and small yellow circles in the middle of the flower tray with Resene Pirate Gold.

Step 4: Finish the painting by painting a thin line of your chosen shade around the outside edge of the kiwifruit tray and another shade in the centre of the flower tray. Fleur used Resene Jambalaya and Resene Rusty Nail.

Table painted in Resene Blue Bayoux, Resene Parchment, Resene Cumin and Resene Woodsman Penetrating Oil Stain in the colour Equilibrium.

Step 5: Apply two coats of Resene Aquaclear in a satin finish over both trays to create a hardwearing protective layer. Drill the holes for the handles. Countersink the holes on the underside of the trays so that the screws sit flush and don’t cause the trays to wobble. Attach the handles and serve up something yummy or refreshing! 

Top tips:    

• These trays also make great gifts for Mother’s Day, birthdays and Christmas.

• For a higher sheen finish, use Resene Aquaclear semi-gloss or gloss in place of the satin.  The higher the sheen the brighter the colours will look and the easier the tray will be to wipe clean. 

project and images Fleur Thorpe

Published: 27 Mar 2025