DIY Homemade Pallet Wood Tray

Vintage Wood Tray

keep track of all your remotes, magazines and whatnots...

Do you have one of those coffee tables that seems to accumulate "stuff" no matter how hard you try (beg, plead, nag...complain) to get everyone to STOP putting everything that touches their hands on top of it?  Do you ever wonder what to do with all the stuff that seems to gravitate to your coffee table?  The magazines, the remotes, the drink coasters, kleenex boxes, toys, books....This has been a battle in my household, well, since I got married to be honest.  Then it got worse once I had kids.  I mean seriously guys, how hard is it to put the TV remote into the drawer NEXT to the couch?  I mean you just have to lean to the right instead of to the front.  Its not THAT big of a stretch.  You might get a little oblique action going on.  I'm just sayin'.  My guys, they just don't get it.  Everything must go forward.  Reading a book...leave it on the coffee table.  Playing with your Ipod Touch...leave it on the coffee table...blowing your nose, throw the dirty kleenex on the coffee table.  UGH!  (I'm so not kidding about the dirty kleenex either).  YUCK!  I still love them though...and I'd blame it on their mom, but thats ME!  Oh where did I go wrong?  It's not MY fault...they belong to their dad.  It's his gene pool that they get it from.

I made the decision to STOP the madness.  As in end it completely...cease it's existence.  I removed the coffee table!  Problem solved!  Ok, I didn't really get THAT dramatic, but I wanted too :)  Then my husband stomped his feet and said (in his demanding voice, snicker snicker, snort) that he would not stand for that!  Yea, whatever!  But I did have his attention so he was willing gritting his teeth to help solve the problem.

In came the idea...I saw a tray in a magazine that I thought was really cool but they wanted something like $75 bucks for it!  GASP!  For a tray...that is made of wood?  I'm sorry folks, that is RI.DIC.U.LOUS!

We can make it for FREE!  Oh yea bay-BEE!  That's what I am talking about!  F to the R to the E.E!  All yo need is some leftover pieces of wood...or an old pallet.  But just cuz it was free, don't go thinking it was all easy or nuthin like that.  Mr. AKM did have to pull apart some pallets to make this happen.  And from what I hear (due to his grumbling) that THAT is no easy task.  OH WELL!  Nobody said FREE came easy.  In the end, this is what we have...

The PERFECT place for everything...except dirty, snotty tissues! 

Don't you just love the variation of color?  And the rope handles?  Be still my heart.  I'm in deep...deep LOVE with this! 

You could even add a cool stencil and then sand it a bit to jazz up the top or use some decorative pulls for handles, or paint the tray a fun color and add some pretty pulls for a little girls room!  The options are endless!

What do ya think? Could you find a way to use this simple pallet tray for a space in your home!?  I'd love to see/hear your ideas!

Tomorrow I will be posting the tutorial on how to make these if your interested in the how to's of it all.

Update:  Find Pallet Wood Tray Tutorial here.

Linking up to the following parties...go check them out

The Girl Creative

Skip to My Lou

Craft O Maniac

Lisa's Craft Blog

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Savvy Southern Style

Blue Cricket Design

Michele Raven Designs

Finding Fabulous

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

Fingerprints on the Fridge

Shabby Nest

Whipperberry