Make a Beading Tray

Turn a compartment food tray into a beading board!

I found these compartment food trays inside a picnic basket purchased at a thrift store.  When I’m working on bead projects, I may have several going on at the same time. Turning these trays into bead trays help keep the projects organized. (I’ve seen these hard plastic compartment trays available different sizes.) What I like about them is that they are sturdier than the traditional light weight plastic grey flocked bead boards you find at craft stores. So I can carry it around and hold it in my lap where ever I’m sitting.

Using felt or some type of textured fabric on the tray helps hold beads when you are working with them. Cut your felt (or fabric) and keep positioning and trimming until it fits. Don’t worry how it will fit around curves – it will stretch a little to fit.

I use 3M Super 77 Multipurpose Adhesive. (Visit their website for tips and projects 3Msuper77.com )

Here is how I spray: I save scrap paper and lay it in a trash can. I place my felt upside down on the paper and spray. When I have to spray another piece, I lay a new piece of scrap paper on top of the sticky one. That way each new item to be sprayed will not get sticky from the piece before. (I use this technique for small spray paint projects also.)

Then gently pick up your felt and carefully place it in your compartment. Next I recycled a promotional magnet I didn’t want. I glued it upside down in one of the compartments to hold beading needles secure when not in use. You can also use those adhesive magnets. The kind where one side has paper to peel off and you adhere your business card.

If you like, you can use a marker and mark off 1″ increments on one edge of your tray for help in measuring lengths of bead projects.

Happy Beading!

Jules

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