christmas footed tray DIY
Projects

How to Create a Sentimental Footed Tray

Do you have sentimental items in your home? Are you addicted to footed trays like I am? Well, let’s just combine the two and you’ll understand why I have created a sentimental footed tray.

A repurposed use that made me love it.

A couple of years ago a storm blew through our property and decided to take down a few trees along the way. Sad, beyond belief. But, truly thankful that none touched our home.

The DIYer part of me decided I needed to capture those trees and repurpose them for gifts. There were a few sliced into round plate chargers that decorated my table and my mantel.

My creative husband on the other hand decided that cutting them into slabs would be a great idea for serving trays to be gifted.

We live on Walnut Street and since this tree was a walnut tree, it truly gave more meaning to these slabs. They were sanded and coated with a food safe oil and gifted at Christmas.

But, I could never bring myself to serve or decorate with ours. It just was missing something. It wasn’t the cutest of the bunch. You know. More rustic than my usual entertaining style.

And today, it dawned on me.

It needed a little extra.

You know, like feet that I found here, and handles so that it spoke footed serving tray to me. I decided those great feet were perfect for a round wood slice and have those on order for the next project!

Sounds easy. Right? Well, our sentimental piece was not that easy. There was a gouge on one side and then varying colors of sanded wood and bark on the other, making handles that looked right a bit challenging.

STEP 1- Make decisions on materials you need.

Now, this is what I found that spoke to me.

A few handles and four feet from Lowes (on clearance for $1 each! BAM!). And soooo many choices for a board in case you didn’t have a tree fall in your yard!

Warning!

Knobs and hardware are a rabbit hole that will really unleash your creativity!

STEP 2: Add your hardware.

Gather your pencil and ruler for marking and drill to make holes for your handles and feet.

It was easy to mark, drill and screw the handles through to the bottom side of the wood, choosing the right length screws provided.

But the challenge was with the cabinet knobs I chose for the feet. I didn’t want the screw to have to go through the top side with a washer like they do on a cabinet door.

TIP: Look for hanger bolts that fit your knobs that have a screw on both ends so that you screw them into the knob and then pilot drill into the wood to screw them into place. Problem solved!

STEP 3: Put that footed tray to great use!

And then it shouted loudly!

So loudly, that it has taken over decorating for the fall…

And it showed up for dinner as a charcuterie board…
… perhaps it really may be happier at Christmas!

You know what I learned along the way? That the not so cute side really was like so much in life. We aren’t perfect. We have rough edges and perhaps some unpretty parts. And that made me love it more. More meaning to this now sentimental footed tray. A tree that once lived here, as I have, continuing to have a new purpose and beauty.

So.

What sentimental piece do you have that needs to be repurposed? That will bring joy to your home and happy thoughts to you?

Or who needs a cute gift from you that is so easy to make and showcase in their home??

Tag, you’re it!

I hope you’ll join me to see what a few of my friends have created!

These great muffins for Christmas gifts!

Some Christmas gifts to make that you won’t want to miss.

Need inspiration for your Christmas tree? This one may help.

Great book ideas for decorating, inspiration and gifting here.

Wood Pedestal Tray for a Farmhouse Christmas – Chalking Up Success

How to Make Footed Tray – Cottage in the Mitten

Christmas Tray DIY – Cottage on Bunker Hill

(***For your shopping convenience, I often add links to help you shop, that as an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases.)

43 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *