I freaking love flea markets. And garage sales. Or yard sales. Or tag sales. Or whatever else you want to call them. It’s a great way to find cheap, lightly used items for my apartment. One of the things that I’ve been coveting for months is an antique type tray.
What is an antique type tray you ask? It’s a tray or drawer that was once used to store type settings for printing presses. Each drawer or tray is slightly different, with different sized compartments for different letters and symbols. You can do all kinds of awesome projects with them. Stick some legs on the bottom and glass over the top and you’ve got a coffee table and display case all in one (go Google “type tray coffee table”).
But what I really wanted one for was to hang on the wall as a display shelf for my miniature collection. You know those little ceramic miniatures that come in Red Rose tea? You can see them all over flea markets and estate sales and whatnot. I was a big collector when I was a kid, and also inherited part of my grandmother’s collection after she passed away, but I didn’t really have anywhere to put them.
Well, this summer, my dream finally came true. My mom managed to snag a beautiful, big type tray in prime condition for $20 at a flea market, and now it’s hanging on my wall. The original pull handle is still in tact, and it’s the perfect size for a wall in my entryway.
See how nicely the different sized compartments complement the different sized pieces?
It’s perfect for my collection, plus any other odds and ends Ben and I might acquire. Coins, pretty rocks, souvenirs etc can all be showcased perfectly. Best of all, I’m reusing something old and making it useful again. Yay!
