A tray that will bring y’all to tiers

I’ve got a kitchen island that screams for a great center focal point. It is wide enough and long enough that, unless we are making holiday cookies, we have plenty of work space without ever encroaching upon it’s generously proportioned middle. Numerous attempts to find the perfect accent failed miserably so the center remained naked

Until.....

Tiered trays are a super hot ”thing” and I understand why. They are decorative by themselves but they can also be functional if utilized to serve various edibles, hold cute nick nacks or keys/mail. I had been looking for one to occupy the center of my kitchen island but fell short in finding one to fit both my style and my budget. Not willing to pay upwards of $75 nor did I desire a ”farmhouse“ inspired piece, I was destitute and discouraged in my tiered tray quest

Until......

Hobby Lobby had a massive section of spring/summer clearance and I was blissfully combing every inch of every shelf in every isle. Upon reaching the sections of outdoor dishes, accents and decor, I found numerous shelves filled with various styles of trays in different sizes. Right there in the middle of my local Hobby Lobby, I had an epiphany...I would MAKE my own tiered tray!!!! This profound moment brought me to tiers (see what I did there?) and I gleefully put some wood/metal trays in my buggy. I rushed to the check out counter (ok....y’all know I had to finish scouring every inch of the clearance section first), totally ecstatic with my latest, brilliant, creative vision.

On my way back to Chez Big Daddy, I stopped by Home Depot to get a couple of 6-8” tall spindles (found in the lumber section) and internally squealed with delight at how fabulous this project was going to be. Once at home, I spray painted the spindles a flat black and when the paint was dry, I distressed the edges to add some character. I used indoor/outdoor wood glue to adhere the spindles to both of the trays, putting the smaller tray on the top. It was THAT easy! A couple of trays, a couple of spindles, some spray paint and some wood glue and I had the most amazing tray to fill the large void in the center of my island!

I did a live tutorial as I finished the tray (watch it here: https://youtu.be/52dtaB2Mfo8) and found there were many others in the same boat....ones who wanted a tiered tray but couldn’t find the right combo of price and style. Posting pictures of the finished tray along with how I styled it, sparked a revolution! To this day, I still get giddy messages with pictures, showing me another hand crafted, Tinker-belle inspired tray and these messages always bring me to tiers.