The Magic of Trays and Books.

Hello There! I hope you’re having a good morning!! Today I’m talking to you about the magic of using trays and books to contain your decor. With trays and books you can corral things that might normally be seen as little bits of clutter, and instead of seeing many small items you see one decorative item. So much more pleasing to the eye!

There are a few places in the house where trays and books work really well. First up, is your coffee table.

You can see that I’ve got a large rattan tray on the coffee table. This spot is great for holding remotes and small electronics, like controllers and iPads. I’ve learned that if these things don’t have a spot to live then they WILL get lost! Plus they just look better contained in a tray.

The next spot where a tray is great is in the bathroom. You can see I use a white tray to hold a candle and clock; behind it is a silk plant.

I have a small basket of washcloths on the other side of the counter, great for drying your hands.

Trays are also an awesome way to hold makeup and hair accessories and lotions that you have on a vanity or dressing table. I used a mirror that was originally meant as a place setting. I got several and use them all over the house. I also love to use little pottery bowls my Grandma Bee made, along with jelly jars to hold hair elastics and bobby-pins, and other small items.

I thought I’d show you the dressing table with the tray on top. (I got the desk at Goodwill and had it painted white. The chair I got from a friend for $10– it was old and falling apart but my friend said she wanted to sell it to me because she knew I’d do something ‘cool’ with it. Isn’t that sweet? I then reupholstered and painted it.)

Here I’ve got a tray in the coffee and tea area of the kitchen. It’s a great spot to contain smaller items like creamer and sugar and stir sticks that can look cluttered when not pulled together on a tray. The sugar packets, stir sticks, and straws get their own container too. This way it looks decorative and tidy— an easy solution!

This spot behind the sofa holds a tray filled with mugs of pens, a candy holder filled with buttermints, a pad of paper, and a box of tissues. I’ve had this tray in this spot since the days of our home phone— it’s phone central, only we don’t have the home phone anymore thanks to cell phones! And the tissues come in handy when I watch those dramas on tv— I love a good cry!!

Here’s a little bowl that holds remotes in a guest room. Now we rarely lose remotes because they have a home in this cute bowl.

This tray holds some favorite books and a silk flower vase to make visitors feel at home. Doesn’t it look inviting?

Books are a wonderful way to create height and dimension to a space, and they also add a splash of color. This little paper weight that I got as a gift looks cute on some small blue and turquoise books. (Love me some turquoise!)

Here’s another display of books with a photo perched on top. The books give the photo a special prominence it wouldn’t normally get if it were simply placed on the cabinet.

Well I hope this post inspires you to pull out some trays and/or baskets and make your own ‘centers’. And have fun stacking some books to act as pedestals for photos or other cute items!!

Next week I won’t be posting to this blog because I’m visiting my sister in Northern California. So I’ll see you in two weeks!!

Xoxo

Cheri