DIY Casserole Tray

April 25, 2012 By

Hi friends!  Hope everyone is having a great week!

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, I am finishing up my gifts for all the moms on my list!  I started thinking about this next project, and thought what a great gift it would make for so many moms out there!

Here is what I made…

It is a tray that carries and serves a standard 9×13″ baking dish!  Perfect for you casserole cookin’ Mamas like myself ;-) !  And the best part?? I made it for $8!

This is super easy to make!  Start with your wood.  I used 2 1×4″ furring strips from Lowe’s.  These are under $2 a piece.

Here are my cuts…

And for my bottom slats…

Build your box first…

I attached mine using Gorilla Wood Glue and finish nails.

Now add your bottom slats like this…

I gave the whole tray a coat of my very favorite…

While that was drying, I worked on my handles!  I found these great pulls at Hobby Lobby for $1.50 a pop!  You can buy them online HERE if you don’t have a Hobby Lobby close!  Woohoo! Wait for a sale though!

I gave them a coat of my other fav…

So cute! I sanded them just a bit to make them a bit more “shanty” ;-) !

My final step was attaching them!  I drilled some small holes and attached them with the screws.  I also added a few felt circles to the bottom to protect my table.

That’s it!  Pretty easy, right??  What do you think?   I love that it doubles as a carrying tray and a trivet!

And did I mention?? $8!

If I don’t decide to keep this for myself it will be going to one of my special ladies!

I would love for you to share it and Pin it below guys!! Thanks so much! Let me know if you have any questions!!

~Whitney

33 Comments Filed Under: DIY Crafts, Gifts

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  • http://homespunwithlove.blog.spot.com Kristin

    Very nice! It will come in handy for many different things!

  • http://www.uncommondesignsonline.com Bonnie and Trish @ uncommon

    What a great gift idea! This looks incredible!! ;)

  • Pam Robinson

    Absolutely freakin love this!! Gonna make a few for gifts and two for myself! I can’t wait for the day I can give you girls a hug…in person!

  • Natalie

    What an amazing idea! MUCH better than the cardboard box I usually end up using to take a hot casserole somewhere! (<—-hanging head in shame)

  • Tracy

    Love it! This will make potluck trips a lot less scary in the car!

  • Kellie

    Awesome idea! It would make a great Mother’s Day gift. Many Thanks for sharing your terrific project! :)

  • http://www.countryborn-n-bred.blogspot.com debbie

    Love it,, what a great idea.. and it could be paired with a casserole dish and some ingredients, and a reciipe to make a perfect gift.

  • melissa mathews

    Pinned! This is totally cute, I’m definitely going to be making one of these! I agree with Debbie, this would be a perfect gift paired with a few things… As maybe a house warming gift for newlyweds or something:)

    • Dianne

      I too was thinking how versatile this would be as a gift!

  • http://kamsmomusa.blogspot.com/ Carolyn

    Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! What do you buy someone that has everything, but goes to potlucks on a regular basis? THIS!!!! I’m on it!

  • http://followmefiona.blogspot.com Kristin

    OMG I Love this idea! You make the fricken cutest stuff! Pinned immediately!

  • Dianne

    I saw my life (with this project) flash before my eyes! I saw them not only on the table, but replacing my cardboard boxes I tote food in the car, but that is not all, oh, no, that is not all! I plan to upgrade my tote trays from the garage to hanging on my dining room wall! They can hold salt and pepper shakers, napkins, and various other stuff that have here-to-fore sat on my counter. And they also solve my never ending What-to-Give-Crafty-Women-in-My-Life problem for this year!

  • Lindy@ItsyBitsyPaper

    Beyond amazing! Love it. Going to share it right now on my FB Fan Page. Too great not to share.

    http://www.itsybitsypaperblog.com

  • http://www.thesassypenguin.blogspot.com Becca

    I just pinned this, it’s too great not to. I also need to make one, Stat :)

  • chris B

    I don’t even bother looking at the directions when I see you built something. I e-mail it to myself and open it to pin it. I already know it’s gonna be awesome without even looking at it! Thanks for the great ideas!

  • Rhonda Tomlinson

    Love it, I will be making for myself lol. These handles are my favorite, I’ve used them on an old dresser w/shelves that was my boys, I got it when the oldest was 2; he is now 23. The handles at HL are ALWAYS 50% off, btw!!

  • http://chocolatechocolatemorechocolate.blogspot.com/ Joan Hayes@chocolate and more

    Love, Love, LOVE this! Guess what I’m going to have my son make me for Mother’s day! So glad I found you at Serenity Now.

  • http://whimsicallyhomemade.blogspot.com Megan and Emily@Whimsically Homemade

    Hey there! Just wanted to let you know we featured you in our Favorite Find Fridays post over at Whimsically Homemade. We used one of your pictures. If that’s a problem let us know and we’ll remove it immediately. Thanks for your great inspiration!

  • http://www.mywonderfullymade.blogspot.com Laurenl

    This is just beautiful! I love that it’s something we all NEED from time to time but it doesn’t look like “your mother’s casserole carrier”!

  • Shawn

    Just a quick question – did you use 1 x 4 furring strips or 1 x 3 furring strips? Neither my Lowes or my other big box hardware store carry 1 x 4′s only 1 x 3′s…. My lowes carries 10 ft. top grade appearance 1×4′s for 99c. But I’m wanting to make sure that I’m buying the correct thing! Thanks!

    • Shanty2Chic

      Mine are 1×4′s… Hope this helps!

  • Rachel

    I love this carrier, much more stable than the cloth carriers. I was thinking of using a thin sheet of plywood as a cover to help insulate it a little more (with a knob or hole cut out for lifting). Any ideas to make that work? Thanks for sharing your great design!

    • Kathryn Fertick

      Could you possibly add hinges to one side? Then add a knob on top on the side it opens from? You might have to measure and play around a bit, but in theory it sounds like it could work…

  • http://kamsmomusa.blogspot.com/ Carolyn

    I LOVED this idea for my mother who goes to a LOT of pot lucks. I made this last week, but didn’t follow your tutorial, which I totally should have. Yours is MUCH nicer than mine, but I think my mom will still love it. I painted mine white and it’s so plain looking I’m heading to the craft store today to get some sort of stencil to embellish it a little.

  • Pingback: DIY Tray or Casserole Carrier Made from Wood Pallet Using Drawer Pulls | AristoCraft Girls

  • Yazmin

    So useful, beautiful and also that pasta looks even more delicious in this tray ;) !

  • http://www.facebook.com/becca.goodpaster Becca Goodpaster

    I just constructed this and followed the measurements to a T, and it didn’t fit any of my Pyrex 9×13 dishes. I had no gaps between the bottom slats, and I notice your picture does. Next time I make this I think I’ll use 11″ or 11.5″ pieces rather than 10.5″. Thanks for the great project. I love my tray, just wish it fit my Pyrex dishes!

    • http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/ Shanty2Chic

      Sorry Becca! Mine fit great? You may try measuring yours and modifying it a bit… If you want to make another one ;-) I apologize!

    • http://www.facebook.com/mandasarge Amanda Lynn Sargent

      I wonder…did you by any chance put it together backwards? That is to say, did you put the long boards inside the short ones instead of the other way around? Because that would make a big difference!

      • http://www.facebook.com/becca.goodpaster Becca Goodpaster

        Nope, it’s put together correctly, my dishes almost fit. it’s really only off by about 1/4 inch. Oh well, I still love it. I mainly use it in the center of my table to hold art supplies…that way the kids can tote their supplies around the house.

  • http://www.facebook.com/tonya.smith.7370 Tonya Smith

    I am definitely going to have to make a few of these for myself, mom, and sister-in-laws. These are awesome!!!!

  • Casey

    I completely adore this and would like to make some as Christmas gifts this year – could you give me a teeny bit more info on exactly how you put things toghether? Did you just use a hammar and a nail? Wood glue? Both?
    Thank you!!

  • Lauren

    I LOVE LOVE LOVE this! I’m making it for my mom and sister for Christmas! And myself of course!