Decorative, Useful Tray

I love practicality.  I love beauty.  And I especially love it when something includes both!

One of my best friends gave me a beautiful serving tray as a thank-you gift for being her daughter's volleyball coach.  

It is a wonderful tray, and I wondered where I could keep it.  We don't have much extra counter space in the kitchen, but I wanted a way to display it and use it regularly (you know, so our family can bring each other breakfast in bed sometimes :)).  I wondered if I could hang it up on a wall, but putting a picture hanger or hook on the back would mean it wouldn't rest flat on a surface when I took it down to use it.  

Then it came to me.  3M makes affordable, removable, nearly flat strips to attach things to the wall.  It's kind of like Velcro, but stronger as both sides that stick together are made of plastic loops that fit into one another.  They're also easy to remove if you ever want to redecorate or find a new home for something, without damaging the paint.  So I got a pack at a local store for around 3 bucks, attached the strips to the back of the tray and the wall, and voila, a new, useful place for my tray.  (And it does get used for those breakfasts in bed! :))

How about you?  I'd love to hear about your useful decorating ideas!


Here are some more beautiful trays that would work well for this project: