Vintage Nautical Reclaimed Wood Tray with Rope Handles

This project begins with -- so, I found this old wooden crate....some things you just have to buy even though you have no idea what you will do with it (my husband does not understand this concept!). But I've been playing around with chalk painting and thought this might be a good 'project.'

 

I sanded the heck out of the thing then mixed up a batch of chalk paint in this really great denim blue color and painted it.

 

I then sanded the heck out of it again to give it that distressed look, had my wonderful assistant drill some holes in each side for handles, applied a couple coats of wax and buffed it out.

 I then created the rope handles out of some dock line and here's the finished product!