License Plates

Last year when the registration on my car was up, my baby turned 7 and got new license plates.

If only that were a good thing. I hate, hate, HATE, the new Texas plates. I think it's the shade of blue used for the sky, but they annoy the crap out of me. And the mountains. Let's not forget the dang mountains.

So, clearly, I have to find a use for my old, lovely plates with the cowboy and the night sky.

And what better way to do that than a food tray that lives on my counter for everyone to see?

I found this wood plaque at Michael's and some square dowel rod type things.

Using wood glue, I attached the Ross to the plaque, creating a rim.

After letting the glue dry, I stained it with the leftover mahogany stain from the corner shelf project. That streak that didn't stain is where I had too much wood glue and it leaked out. I could sand it down and fix it, but I kind of like it. It adds some character.

Then, using a paint pen, I wrote on the wood. The license plate isn't attached yet, just there for spacing.

After the paint pen dried, I sealed everything with polyurethane.

Finally, I used small screws with a large head to attach the license plate.

Then drilled holes to create handles.

For handles, I used a red bandana, twisted and threaded through the drill holes.

Ta-Da! A great way to display my state pride.