Today I am so exited to share with you the simple steps to create your own leather trays. I can’t help but think of how beautiful these would be as jewelry trays, a basket for keys, or even a larger size to store letters on your desk. And what beautiful, handmade gifts they would be for the Christmas season.
To create your own leather trays you will need:
Leather – 8.5 by 11 inches for the larger tray {your craft store may carry a small selection}
Leather Hardware – I went with these spikes.
Needle Nose Pliers
The first step is to mark where the holes will go. For the 8.5 by 11 piece of leather mark a spot that is 1.5 inches in from the corner and 1 inch down. This is where the center of the spike will be.
Set the spike down, centering it over the spot. Mark two small spots just inside of the prongs to show where to punch the holes. Repeat this step for all of the corners.
Now that we have marked where all of the holes should go it is time to punch the holes in the leather. Fold the leather at the corner, matching the edges as shown in the picture.
Punch the two holes with the leather puncher on the smallest setting, using your pen marks as a guide. There will still be a small black dot from your first centering mark, between the two holes. This won’t be visible because the spike will cover it up. Repeat for all 4 corners.
After punching the holes you can insert the spikes. Fold at the corners like you did when punching the leather and push the spike through the holes of the leather. Use a pair of needle nose pliers to bend down the prongs. Squeeze the spike with the pliers to make sure it is as tight as possible. Repeat with all of the corners.
Notes:
You can choose to use rivets, as opposed to the leather hardware. You will only put one hole in each corner if using the screw.
It will also be helpful to use thick leather. A softer and thinner leather will have side that bend or flop. You can crease your leather by ironing on the lowest setting, putting a cotton pillowcase between the leather and iron for protection. The crease will help the sides stand up .
So what are your thoughts on the leather trays? I can’t help but think of how fun these would be to create for friends and family and give as gifts for Christmas or other occasions. A dark brown or black leather makes a masculine looking tray, and is great place for a man to keep his watches and keys.
What would you store in your leather tray? And just as important, what color leather would you use?
Happy Creating friends,
creativejewishmom/sara says
love these and so simple! thanks for sharing on craft schooling Sunday!
Ginger Wroot says
Oh my, what a wonderful idea for homemade Christmas or birthday gifts! I’ve never worked with leather before, but I might just have to give this a try! Thanks for a great post!
–G
gingerwroot.com
Clearissa says
What a great gift idea. And I love the different colors of leather. I found you on the Home Matters Linky Party and I have pinned. Great post.
FrugalHausfrau says
How simple and fun, and they look so high-end and elegant! Thanks from all of us at Throwback Thursday for linking up to us this week! We can’t wait to see what you’ll bring next week. 🙂
Mollie
Debra C. says
What a beautiful holder for trinkets or jewelry – thanks for sharing with us at #FoodieFriDIY – hope to see you again this week!
Jennifer Dawn says
I love these! Such a unique idea! They are being featured at this week’s link party. http://www.thelifeofjenniferdawn.com/2016/02/five-cute-crafts-to-try-today-and.html