Trays Chic

If you have ever been to my house you will see trays of all types wherever you look. I hate to admit it, but I even have trays holding trays.  I am not sure what started my infatuation with trays, but I can think of worse things to collect.

When I came across this DIY tutorial on Project Nursery's IG, I knew I had to give it a shot.  I fell in love with the simplicity of the tray, mixing modern hardware with a rustic wood slice. I decided to approach this DIY in two ways, which also meant that I was making two trays to add to my collection.  

Tray 1: Follow the tutorial
Tray 2: Give it my own twist

See the link here to get detailed directions on how to assemble the handles.
http://projectnursery.com/2015/04/diy-wood-slice-serving-tray/

My inspiration from Project Nursery

Modern Barn Tray
I wanted to let the beauty of the natural wood stand out, so I opted not to use chalkboard paint that was shown.  I followed the step-by-step instructions in the tutorial, and overall it was fairly simple.  The one item I will need to add are circular coasters underneath the wood as the bottom of the screws scrape the surface its resting on.  I decided to put this tray on my bedside table to house all of my lotions.  What's not pictured is the baby monitor which temporarily got the boot. I am now considering moving the baby monitor to daddy's side for a change so I can admire the beauty of my new tray.

Estimated cost: $22
1Tray (Michael's $12)
2 Martha Stewart Handles (Home Depot $10)

Making sure I have all of the materials I need

Mark the holes with painters tape, then drill

All done!

A close up of the tray

New tray put to use in my bedroom

Rustic Tray
For the second tray, I purchased rubbed bronze handles to bring out the rustic feel a bit more.  I followed the same steps from the first tray to secure the handles.  I wanted to add my own twist so I gathered floral embellishments and a Love sign to make the piece more feminine.  I then added gold-wrapped twine around the border to complete the look.  I wanted the final piece to be able to stand on its own even if it had just a lone candle on it.  The only other item needed aside from the embellishments was a hot glue gun.

Estimated cost: $22
1 Tray (Michael $8)
2 Handles (Home Depot $6)
Embellishments (Michael's $8)

The floral embellishments make it super feminine

The perfect tray for tealight candles

Both trays took about 45min from beginning to end. Hope you liked my take on the modern tray! Try this yourself at home and comment with pictures of your design!