Tray Gal
Some gals are “shoe gals,” some gals are “purse gals,” apparently, I am a “TRAY GAL.” I didn’t know this fact about myself until I realized recently that I use the SAME tray all.the.time. It doesn’t matter what season, holiday, party, WHATEVER occasion, my trusty tray is the FIRST thing I seem to pull out to use. If you do not have a tray in your life, YOU MUST! They are little workhorses! You seriously get your money’s worth! It probably is on my list of the top 3 things to have in your decorating arsenal.
My “go-to tray,” (we’ll call her “Old Bessie”), is a tray that we put on our wedding registry almost 12 years ago. We received so many LOVELY wedding presents. But next to our flatware and dishes, our Wilton Ametale tray is one of the things I’ve used most. (This came from Hecht’s back in the day. It was frequently on sale for 50% off. I’ve seen them listed at Bed, Bath, & Beyond these days….)
I wanted to show you just SOME of the ways this tray “earns its keep” around the homestead.
Hopefully these get you inspired for all of the different ways you can use what you already have! (I love that!)
Classic Entertaining Look:
I don’t think you can get much easier than this!
Wine,
corkscrew,
wine glasses.
Perfection.
(And as an added bonus, keeping your wine selection on a tray saves your table cloth from the dreaded red wine spills.)
Organized Kitchen Helper:
I’m kind of crushing on this kitchen helper theme. I love those turquoise measuring cups, but they are always stuck in the drawer! This gets them front and center and adds more of this fun color to my kitchen. Isn’t turquoise such a HAPPY color?!
Dainty Tea Corral:
I’m planning on using this look for our annual “Mother’s Day Brunch.” I haven’t done hot tea before (this will be our 4th year of hosting brunch), but I’m thinking this might be a nice little something to have out. I rarely use those tea cups of my great grandmothers and they are just so pretty! (I love the dainty, pink dogwood blossoms. Being in Virginia, it’s kind of appropriate. It’s not only our state tree, but our state flower as well.)
Art Supply Keeper:
When we are passed the toddler stage, then I will definitely be looking to add another tray to corral my kiddos supplies. How fun is this? Gotta love when:
everything looks cute AND functional
AND is easy to clean up!
Wahoo! It’s a mama win!
(Eye-Candy) Candy Catcher:
I love that the only pops of color come from the salt water taffy. My husband recently was on a work trip and brought some of this candy home as a special treat. (He also got some pecan praline candy…it didn’t last long- it was like my hand was possessed and I could.not.stop.grabbing more! Oh my word! SOOO good!)
Which Type of Tray Can You See Yourself Using?
I seriously love the way this Wilton Armetale tray looks. It’s classic AND cute. I’m kind of a sucker for simple, monochromatic serving ware. The little border of raised dots along the edge seals the deal for me; it’s cute, but in a subtle, not too busy kind of way. You just can’t go wrong with key pieces that can go with ANYTHING!
Can I get an “AMEN”?
If you don’t have a tray, maybe you have a larger plate or a large serving platter you only use at Thanksgiving or Christmas (turkey platters stored safely away in cabinets, I’m looking at YOU!)
If you’ve been inspired and feel the need to acquire your own, I also have trays from Ikea and Goodwill, so those are some other places you could check out.
Just another reason to go bargain shopping…. You’re welcome. Ha!
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