Just like the people who sit around your table, your serveware has its own stories and will help you create new memories with your friends and loved ones. From ceramic pottery to glass vases, set your table with serving pieces that add even more personality, color and texture to your dining experience. Once I start a project I want to get it done fast. I didn’t want to wait on the paint to dry, so I used my embossing tool. If you don’t have an embossing tool, you could just use your hairdryer if you are impatient like me. I always have several cans of wood stain to choose from in my craft room stash, so I decided to use the MinWax PolyShades in Honey Satin. This is the line of stain with the Polyurethane top coat already in the stain. But first I treated the feet and the scrap board to a coat of MinWax Wood Pre-Stain Conditioner.

Whether you use it to elevate a dining table centerpiece, or as a decorative accent on a shelf, a footed wooden tray is a beautiful accessory that will instantly add visual interest to a vignette or side table. The most popular style of wooden tray, often called a riser, is the ever-popular rustic farmhouse-style tray. My first choice was to go to Home Depot and buy premade cut wood feet. They ended up being too big and chunky for the tray I wanted to create. A couple of years ago my husband and I renovated our first rental house. We gutted the tiny little kitchen during the renovations. Since the place is so small, there really wasn’t any room for a kitchen table. Instead, I designed a custom island on castors for the small kitchen that my husband built.I used the gold from this set of Anna Griffin Paints that just came in the mail. Those are sadly sold out. This chalk paint and wax looks like they would be great. Do you remember when I was wallpapering the wall in the kitchen, I said I didn’t have a wallpaper squeegee so I used a putty spatula? A trip to Lowe’s proved to have the same problem, the precut wood feet are made for larger furniture projects. There are so many great and different ways to make a DIY footed tray. Just by combining things like an old picture frame, a piece of plywood, and cabinet knobs, you can easily make a one-of-a-kind footed tray. I would also suggest finding something to use in a thrift store.

Get your hot glue gun out and start gluing your choice of embellishments onto your tray. Step Six – This brilliant idea came to me while wallpapering the under counter wall in the kitchen. I had plenty of wallpaper left over and I knew it would be perfect for this tray! Step one for making a footed tray the super easy way – Invite serveware from around the world to join your table settings. For special occasions, dress up your plates with a striking Imari charger from 19th-century Japan or incorporate Richard Ginori’s Italian porcelain plates into your dining experience. Celebrate the English ritual of afternoon tea with a Japanese tea set and an antique Victorian kettle. No matter how big or small your dining area is, there is room for the stories of many cultures and varied histories, and there are plenty of ways to add pizzazz to your meals.

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Behr Paint gave me the tray and some white paint when I attended a virtual conference this past summer. While you can easily buy a footed tray online, or at your local home store, it is so much more fun and personal to make your own.

Even if I don’t decorate my new DIY wooden footed tray for a holiday, it still looks great in the middle of the dining room table with a plant and decorative salt and pepper shakers.I gave the board and the feet two coats of stain, lighting sanding them down between the first and second coats. All I needed to do was to sand it down with an orbital sander and add some stain, and some type of foot to the bottom of the tray. Finding something to use to make the feet of the tray turned out to be a bit more challenging than I expected. I didn’t want something too large or clunky but I also didn’t want them so small, like a cabinet knob, that would just disappear underneath the board. As I was drying it, I thought “I should have put some embossing powder on this” Hahaha! Step Three – Your dining room table is a place where stories are shared and personalities shine — why not treat yourself and your guests to the finest antique and vintage glass, silver, ceramics and serveware for your meals?

To make sure the wood feet were in the same location on the bottom of the board, I measured half an inch from both edges of each corner to find the exact placement for each foot. I’m joining some friends to make and style a footed tray. You will not want to miss all of the beautiful inspiration! I borrowed my husband’s hand saw and cut the turned log into four equal sections for the feet for my footed tray. My motto is ‘Have fun with it,’” says author and celebrated hostess Stephanie Booth Shafran. “It’s yin and yang, high and low, Crate & Barrel with Christofle silver. I like to mix it up — sometimes in the dining room, sometimes on the kitchen banquette, sometimes in the loggia. It transports your guests and makes them feel more comfortable and relaxed.” As I go along you will see this was an unnecessary step. I ended up covering it with some lacy ribbon.Building your own footed wooden tray, or riser, is an easy DIY project that lets you decide exactly how the end product turns out.