DIY Painted Serving Bowls is the fourth of five projects featured in the Seattle Goodwill SPEED.I.Y ad campaign. I had 5 minutes to run through the store and find as many items as possible to repurpose into fun DIY summer projects for summer parties and picnics. See the main post here with more info and check out the Seattle Goodwill DIY page for lots of projects and resources!
Seattle Goodwill SPEED.I.Y: Summer Parties!
Materials
- Wood bowls or trays from Seattle Goodwill
- Acrylic paint, several colors; try FolkArt or Martha Stewart
- Foam brushes or paintbrushes
- Sandpaper
- Food-safe varnish (found at your local hardware store; I found mine here)
- Painter’s tape (optional–I love Frog Tape)
Basic Idea
Find your wood bowls! This wood section of Goodwill is ALWAYS full of bowl and serving tray goodness, and possibly an area that gets looked over regularly, because, hey, wooden stuff is kind of 1980s and not super hip. But we’re going to change that, my friend. Look for a set of soup bowls or a larger salad bowl. I found a leaf, a pineapple (major find!), and the cutest little berry.
Tip: the wood section is usually full of serving trays in the shape of fruits, veggies, and leaves, which are really fun to paint! Some bowls have a single section and others have 2-5 small sections, perfect for nuts, candy, different dips, chips, etc. These types are perfect for parties!
Clean with warm soapy water and let dry. Lightly sand the bottoms and sides to remove any old varnish. Wipe down with a clean cloth.
Apply painter’s tape around the inside to create a clean edge if you choose not to paint the interior. Paint the bowls with 2-3 coats of acrylic paint (the number of coats will depend on the color of paint).
I painted the outside and bottom of the bowls only for a modern edge. Let dry. Spray 1-2 coats of food safe varnish on the bowls.
I had initially wanted to paint each one a bright solid color like the turquoise leaf, but I changed my mind and decided the berry and pineapple needed more realistic colors. But I’m still thinking about a bright fuchsia pineapple…
Check out the other projects I created with Goodwill finds: painted mason jar herb garden, marbled gold foil pots, and gold foil glasses and tray.
Did you make a project with items you found at Goodwill? Tag @SeattleGoodwill (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) and use #GoodwillDIY for your DIY projects! We’d love to see them! xo
