Sneak Peak Into My Studio: Trays

I use a lot of trays. Some of them even get friendly labels :) I love my label gun thing too.

I use so many different types of trays. Mainly for organizational purposes, but also because I like to work in my lap, so trays make it easy to have a good work surface and carry things from room to room.

The following are some pictures of trays that I use... the first is an awesome set, mostly just because it is orange.... and it is 3-in-1 which is just great. I keep my O-rings and S-hooks in these (handmade O-Rings, to see how I make them click HERE)

This next tray is a favorite of mine, found it at Ikea, its sorta small, but great for assembling the parts needed for a project.

Oh these bamboo trays are fantastic. A friend of mine found them at the Dollar-Store and now I have a dozen of them, which really, quantity alone makes them very useful in my studio. They have a slotted bottom which is sorta a PITA (little things fall thru), but like I said, I have a dozen of them stacked up in my closet, and this just comes in handy.

The next trays I found at the craft store, actually there were 3 in this embedded-wooden-tray-set... the third tray has gone m.i.a. You can see in the next picture that the bottom tray magically fits my labeled packages for mini mobiles. The top tray fits the stuff that I need to prep the packages...

see... the clear plastic bags with labels stuck to them and fishing line already inserted inside (I always include a little fishing line in the package to help hang the mobile) are all snug and happily waiting in the bottom tray

This next tray is one of those drawer-inserts that can be found at Ikea... I use them to organize bits for mini mobiles...

The next tray is just a simply cheapo found at the local store in the Rubbermaid section... very useful, I have a handful of them. This one had prisms in it at the moment...

these are also a Rubbermaid find... I like em'. I think they are supposed to be used as inserts in drawers to organize stuff. My mother always used these in our kitchen drawers to hold things and keep it all looking good and pretty.

The last two trays are from Ikea. They have a whole section of trays that I am always getting lost in. Why are trays sold to hold cocktails? I mean, that is a good use for them, but so single-minded. The crafty-person like myself uses these trays for much more than just a drink. For realz

I have a couple of nice wooden trays, this one has a handle, which I thought would be great, but its pretty big, so once I have it loaded down with glass pieces its quite heavy. I have another wooden Ikea number that is sort of boat shaped... its beautiful but sort of useless... everything rolls to the center.

Alright, that is my ode to trays.

I do love trays.
I always keep my eye out for them.
If I see a tray in the store and its cheap, I tend to take it home with me.