This personalized serving tray made with a Cricut is a beautiful home accent and a thoughtful custom gift.
Personalized home decor is one of my favorite ways to add character to a space. I love adding last names and monograms to everyday items, and a serving tray sealed with epoxy makes a durable, attractive piece. This project uses a Cricut to cut a vinyl decal, then seals it under a clear epoxy finish so the design lasts through use.
When to give this as a gift
This tray suits many occasions. A few ideas:
- Housewarming
- Wedding or bridal shower
- Birthday
- Teacher appreciation
- Christmas — I made a dozen of these last year as holiday gifts and they were a hit
Supplies needed
- Serving tray — choose a wooden tray; I found mine at Walmart
- Vinyl cutout — design and cut a personalized decal with your Cricut
- Transfer tape — to move the vinyl decal onto the tray
- Epoxy — a clear casting or coating epoxy of your choice
- Disposable gloves — always wear gloves when mixing and pouring resin
- Heat gun or torch — to remove bubbles from the epoxy
- Mixing supplies — measuring cups, mixing cup and stirring sticks
- A sheet of cardboard or poster board to cover the tray while the epoxy cures
Making the personalized serving tray with Cricut
Begin with your weeded vinyl decal. For this project I combined two fonts — a simple sans for the ampersand and a script for the family name — and sized the cut to fit the tray. Weed the excess vinyl and prepare a sheet of transfer tape slightly larger than the design.
Apply the transfer tape over the vinyl and press down firmly with your fingers or a flat tool to adhere the tape to the vinyl. Set the prepared vinyl sheet aside.
Flip the tray over and inspect the back for any gaps or holes where epoxy could leak through. Seal gaps with wood glue and allow it to dry before continuing.
Position the vinyl and transfer tape over the tray where you want the design. Use a flat edge like a credit card or popsicle stick to firmly burnish the vinyl to the wood surface, working out bubbles as you go.
Slowly peel the transfer tape away, keeping the tape low and flat as you pull to avoid lifting or tearing the vinyl. If pieces resist, press them back down and continue pulling slowly. If the vinyl won’t fully adhere, gently warming it with a hair dryer can help it stick better to the wood.
Once the vinyl is applied, run your flat tool over the design again to smooth any remaining bubbles and ensure good contact between vinyl and wood. A hair dryer on low can be used while rubbing to improve adhesion.
Epoxy time
Put on disposable gloves before handling epoxy. Check the manufacturer’s mixing ratio (many are 1:1). I measured 4 ounces of part A and 4 ounces of part B to make 8 ounces total. Pour each part into separate cups and stir each for about one minute.
Combine the two parts in a clean mixing cup and stir gently for about three minutes, scraping the sides and bottom to ensure thorough mixing. Stir slowly rather than whipping to minimize bubbles.
Pour the mixed epoxy into the center of the tray. Let it self-level briefly, then gently tilt the tray to help the resin flow toward the edges and cover the entire surface evenly.
Use a heat gun or torch to briefly pass over the surface and remove bubbles. Keep the heat source moving and hold it at a safe distance to avoid overheating the wood. You can revisit and briefly heat the surface again after 20–30 minutes to clear remaining bubbles.
Cover the tray with cardboard or poster board while it cures to protect it from dust and debris. The epoxy will begin to firm up in a few hours, but I recommend leaving it overnight for a full cure.
Once cured, the epoxy forms a durable, glossy finish that protects the vinyl and makes the tray easy to clean. These trays make memorable, long-lasting gifts.
Tips and tricks
- Check the back of the tray for any open areas and seal with wood glue to prevent epoxy leakage.
- Peel transfer tape slowly; vinyl can be less eager to bond to wood than to other surfaces.
- If vinyl won’t stick, use a hair dryer to warm it briefly and press it down again.
- Avoid vigorous stirring when mixing epoxy to reduce bubbles; mix slowly and thoroughly.
- Pour in the middle and tilt the tray to distribute epoxy evenly.
- Use a heat gun or torch to remove bubbles, keeping the heat source moving to prevent damage.
- Cover the tray while it cures to keep dust and debris out of the finish.
More Cricut projects
Cricut Etched Wine Decanter
Cricut Personalized Slate Coasters
Cricut DIY Doormat
Cricut Etched Cutting Board
Check other Cricut-related posts for more project ideas and inspiration.