Steampunk Tea Tray

 I picked up this tray a long time ago at the thrift store.  This woman was dropping off a few boxes of stuff and saw me eying it and told me I could just take it.  It wasn't the cheesy stenciled leaves and apples that caught my eye.  I was interested in it because it was wooden, and had those pretty metal handles. 

I recently decided that what it needed was a good steampunk makeover.  I started by painting the bottom of it black.

 I found a Steampunk wallpaper image from a now-defunct wallpaper website.  It was just about perfect ratios to fit in the bottom of the tray.  It looks like an old piece of folded paper with some astronomy-type diagrams and sketches on it. 

I printed the image on cardstock and Mod Podged it into the bottom of the tray.

I followed the example of Sara at The Steampunk Home and concocted a story to go with my home decor. 

It seems our heroine was studying some diagrams when she heard the bell at the front door.  Looking at the clock she realized that whomever was calling on her would be right to expect an afternoon tea.  So she distractedly gathered some jars of preserves, not realizing she left her notes at the bottom of the pile.