DIY Rustic Farmhouse Two-Tiered Tray

If you’ve been anywhere near a home decor store this year, you’ve likely seen a variety of two-tiered trays. They’re definitely a must-have decor item this year, especially if you love a little farmhouse chic. I wouldn’t be surprised to find one of these at the Magnolia Market, would you? I think Joanna Gaines would approve.

If you’d like to buy one you can find a few of them at Amazon.com, but if you’d like to make yourself one, it’s really not that hard. If you have wooden candlesticks and some glue at home, then you’re already halfway to making your own!

Because there are a lot of steps, this project might look intimidating, but really it’s not. It just takes some time–some real enjoyable time to put it together. PLUS you don’t have to use power tools. I cut the candle holder in half with a hand saw, but everything else was easy peasy!

Supplies I Used:

• Two wooden circular pieces of wood, one larger than the other
  Tip: You could also make this out of old cake pans. Click here to see one on Amazon
• Two wooden candlesticks
• A small knob to top your project with. You can get creative with this. I just went for a wooden nob, but wish I could have found something cuter.
• Wood glue (I like Elmer’s)
• About 100 wooden beads (1/2 inch each)
• Wood stain in a medium honey color
• White Chalk paint
• A paint brush
• Sandpaper

Instructions:

1. I started off by sanding my wood.
2. My candleholders were on the larger side so I decided to cut one down to use as a base. (see picture above) If I didn’t, I would have used some wooden beads for feet.
3. I stained my circular pieces. My candle holders were already just the way I wanted them so I left them alone.
4. Once the stain was dry (about two hours), I dry brushed the wood with chalk paint. I did this by removing most of the paint from my brush before using it on the wood. Because I was going for a rustic farmhouse look, I wanted a worn off kind of scratchy appearance. It was really simple to do! You can see the finished board better in step 10.

5. Ignore the toothpick in the middle. I put that in for extra strength, but the glue was plenty strong enough.
6. I wanted to use the largest piece of candlestick for the middle, a short one at the bottom and a medium one at the top. Before gluing them in place, I measured, traced them with a pencil, and then measured again.

7. Once all of the pieces are glued together, I set them to dry overnight. I levelled the bottom piece with a small box on each side to ensure it didn’t tilt as it was drying.
8. Now for the fun part. The beads were my favorite! I didn’t have a lip on the edges of my wood and so I wanted something to keep my items from sliding off. The beads were so cheap and easy to use, I’m glad I went with them. I strung them in sets of 15 so they would be easier to work with.

9. At first I wondered how I was going to paint all of those beads. I tried dipping a string of them into a can of paint, but that was a bad idea as the paint was too thick. As I painted them with a brush, I found that a bit of a stabbing motion worked best to get the paint between them. They were actually quick and easy to paint. I didn’t want the paint to be too perfect because I wanted it to match the rustic theme.

10. The larger piece of wood had a nice groove that I was able to glue the beads onto, but for the smaller board, I glued them all along the top edge. As you can see in the photo it looks good either way! See how I left the string in the beads? I waited a few minutes before cutting an end and pulling it out, because I wanted the beads to start adhering to the surface before they were separated. The glue dries quickly, and within minutes it’s already sticky enough to move beads slightly and adjust them. As they were drying, I was constantly firming them up with my hands and making sure they were in place. It was fun!

Once all of the beads are in place and everything is glued together, I added an extra bit of glue around the beads.

Finally, I filled it with small pretty items I had around the house. I found some fun items in my old potpourri containers like flowers and twig like balls that made great filler–that surprised me! Some other ideas might be napkins, small cups, little flower pots, faux fruit, a mini clock, a small picture frame, a pretty perfume bottle, a mini rolling pin, etc.

About the Author:

Darlene Schacht and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada where the summers are beautiful and the winters are cold. Together they’ve raised four children and have welcomed two grand children into their family.

She began her publishing journey about fourteen years ago when she pioneered one of the first online magazines for Christian women, known at the time as “Christian Women Online Magazine.” After three years, Darlene left CWO to blog as a solo author at Time-Warp Wife Ministries.

Being the youngest of six girls in a house without boys gave Darlene the opportunity to watch, to listen, and to learn what it takes to manage an organized house.

My P31 Home is a warm blend of Darlene’s writing and love for a comfy, pretty, and organized home. It’s a small corner of the world where faith, family, and home come together in one beautiful place.

Find Darlene on the Web at:

Time-Warp Wife Ministries
Facebook: @timewarpwife
Pinterest: @timewarpwife
Twitter: @timewarpwife
Instagram: @timewarpwife