Quite a few people have been visiting our shop in Galena, IL looking for vintage dresser trays. The ones that are made with a mirror base and gold lace trim. We’ve had a few but they sell fast.
That brings me to the Vintage snack trays. I have a couple of sets in the shop complete in their original box. Tea parties still exist and people use them for bridal/baby showers for the desserts. Last week a lady brought one tray to the counter asking how much it was. I told her that it goes with a set. She explained that she only wanted one to use as a dresser tray.
What happened next is like one of those Pinterest moments when you say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” We both chuckled. She gave me permission to share the idea on the blog. She never asked me if I would break up the set and in the back of my mind I didn’t want to (at least not at that very moment).
Two days later the wheels in my head were spinning and I pulled the set off the shelf and took it home. Actually a little guilt set in because of that customer leaving without one. She’ll be back. And I’ll give her one.
Here’s what you need:
I picked up two of the trays pictured on the left at a local thrift store for .75 cents each. I have four with the circle pattern. Which I will be keeping one of those for myself cause I’ve never come across that design before.
See the area I doodled with yellow? I did that to highlight the area of the tray that is raised. It’s for placement of the cup. I put my rings there so that it keeps them separate from the rest of the jewelry. Feel free to use a cup for your rings or whatever else. Actually wouldn’t it look adorable with a teacup that didn’t match the design? Switch it up a bit and get creative. Think outside the box. The ring on the right is from an Etsy artist I connected with awhile back. It’s rare that I wear rings at all, but I love this one. Check out her shop.
Here’s my tray full of jewelry. I love bracelets and rarely wear a necklace. Anyway, what a cool way to recycle the snack tray into another useful piece. “Thank You” to the lady that stopped into the shop and shared her inspiration with me.
My muse is screaming at me now.
Here’s some additional ideas for the tray:
~House warming gift. Add some cookies or bread along with a note on this idea.
~Bridal/Baby shower. Use it for mints/peanuts. Give it away as one of the prizes.
~Candy dish! It’ll hold a lot of M&M’s.
~Organize your bathroom gadgets. Toothbrush(s), paste, floss, makeup brushes, etc.
~Serving appetizers. Place a shot glass full of toothpicks in the cup section. That way they’re handy when grabbing a food item.
~Place the tray in the center of the table. Napkins in the large portion. If the tray has two sections cornered off (like the one in the photo above) use one for the salt and the other for the pepper. If there’s only one section skip the salt (it’s bad for you anyway) and use only pepper.
Inexpensive and elegant all in one.
Until the next word…
~Jennifer
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