Don't Pass Up That Broken Thrift Store Vase - Use It To DIY A Stunning Serving Tray

One person's trash is another person's treasure, or so the saying goes. When thrifting, that often seems to be the case. What another person donates and gets rid of can become a one-of-a-kind, sought-after find for someone else. Thrifting is a great alternative to shopping at big-box stores and chains, reducing the amount of consumption and waste while promoting an environmentally-friendly lifestyle. Items picked up at thrift shops are basically recycled, finding a new home and purpose somewhere else. The downsides of thrifting, however, are that some items might not be in the best condition, showing signs of wear and tear. On the more fragile scale, a common thrift store find like glassware, vases, and other dishware may have small chips and cracks. If you still find yourself attached to a not-so-perfect dish or vase that has a design you love, don't set it back on the shelf. Instead, take it home to DIY into a stunning and elegant serving tray.

Just a heads-up, this DIY does involve repurposing a chipped vase or dish by breaking it into smaller pieces, so don't get too attached to it in its original form. As you will be handling shards of glass, make sure you wear proper safety gear to protect yourself from getting cut or injured. Proper safety gear for handling broken glass, even if intentional, includes thick gloves, shoes, long-sleeved shirts, and long pants. It's also important to protect your eyes when breaking glass, so safety goggles are recommended. Additionally, you will need hot glue, a serving tray — like this 13-inch Wooden Tray by Make Market — and tile grout.

After finding your perfectly imperfect vase at the thrift store, put on your protective gear, place your vase in a cardboard box that will safely contain the shards, and use a hammer to shatter it into various-sized pieces. If it doesn't break into an assortment of pieces on the first swing, keep going until you have a good selection of shards to work with. Once satisfied with your variety of pieces, arrange them in a mosaic pattern on your wooden tray, making sure to cover it and show as much of the design as possible. Secure the pieces onto the tray using hot glue and allow ample time to dry. Once dried, fill in any empty cracks and spaces between the shards with tile grout to create an even surface on your serving tray. Give the grout plenty of time to dry before putting your new tray to use at your next hosted gathering.

If you want to spruce things up a little more, find multiple broken vases at the thrift store to collage a truly one-of-a-kind serving tray by using pieces from different vases or dishware. Alternatively, you can also create a mosaic and trendy round DIY serving tray by using this Round Wood Tray from Hobby Lobby instead of a rectangular one. If vases are too hard to come by for this DIY, you can also create your tray with pieces from other broken dishware or bits of glass.