I promised I’d show you how to make a beautiful and FREE tray using items you most likely already have in your home. Let’s get to gettin’!
I wish I could take credit for thinking up this easy and economical project, but The Queen of All Things Crafty – THE Martha Stewart, had this tray tutorial online.
I love the colors her staff chose – so bright and spring-y!
(And the coffee table is an old army cot. Brilliant!)
Anyway, here is my attempt…using only things I had in my home:
Supplies:
-
a cookie sheet
-
fabric
-
scissors
-
spray adhesive or glue
-
felt
I used an old cookie sheet that the kidlets
once used for play dough.
My fabric of choice was a shirt in my donate pile. (You may recognize the shirt from my “About Me” photo.) It’s now too big for me, but I’ve always loved the print and soft, satin feel.
(Originally a Target shirt,
I got it at Goodwill for like $1…new.)
I cut the sleeves and slit the side seams. Because it only took the front of the shirt to cover the cookie sheet, there is plenty of fabric left for another project.
First, make sure your fabric fits across the front,
or top, of the cookie sheet.
(the part the cookies go on) 
You’ll want a few extra inches to wrap around the sides.
Working in small sections, I sprayed the adhesive to the pan and laid the fabric carefully across (remembering to let a few inches hang over the sides). An old gift card helps smooth bubbles out of the fabric. You may have to lift and reposition the fabric
to get things the way you like it.
The corners were folded over and glued like wrapping a gift.
Four small felt squares were adhered to the bottom of the tray
to keep the slipping to a minimum.
The finished tray
What I love about this tray is that it is so versatile. You can use it in any room – and on any flat surface - in your house: coffee table, sofa table, end table, entry way for mail and keys, bathroom counter, night stand, top of a dresser, top of a desk, the shelf in your laundry room….
Mix that with the crazy cool amounts of fabric options from your cast-off pile, combined with the size of tray you rediscover under your sink or in the cabinet, and seriously – the possibilities are endless.
Y’all already know, but I’ve decided to use my tray
to hold books on my new sofa table.
If you’d like a little more instruction, check out Ms. Martha’s video tutorial here.
Thanks for stopping by!
I love this…what a great idea…guess I need to go thru my Goodwill bag one more time..
I love it! I think I start every comment like that. That's the coolest thing. It makes me want to look through all my fabric or even have an excuse to go to to use the the fabric store. And what a great idea for your old-crannot-use-this-very-gross cookie sheet. I have one that I wanted to throw out!
I love your ideas…practical and simple. Thanks for sharing!
This is a great idea. I think I will try it with a small cookie sheet and put it on my dresser.
So CUTE! I missed this post the other day, I love it!
What a cool idea! And I even have a cookie sheet I was planning to get rid of! I may have to find some cool fabric and try this!
Love it! We want to feature your blog on ours later today…itstoilegood.blogspot.com (Hope R is a mutual friend of ours! So glad she showed me your site!)
the fabric tray came at just the right time. I have two cookie pans I need to retired and clothes with cute patterns that I was just about to donate