Gentleman-ly organization

[1/7/12 Update: My boxes were featured on Graphic 45's blog!! Thank you so much, Graphic 45!]

Here is another Christmas present I made recently for one of the special guys in my life. We'll call it "gentleman-ly organization" because it's masculine and functional, versus just another cute and girly crafty project.

I picked up a set of unfinished wooden nesting trays at Walmart a while back. I always thought they'd make for a great gift idea but hadn't come across the right opportunity yet. (Click here to view the product info and measurements.) Well, once I received my Graphic 45 Proper Gentleman paper, the idea came to mind to create nifty-looking vintage trays that double as an organizing system. (Important mail, cellphone charger, keys, etc.)   

Since I wanted the trays to be as functional as possible, I kept my design as simple and as flat as possible. This is especially helpful when you stack all the trays inside one another:

Here is a view of the opposite side of the trays:

Now. In the event my gift recipient opted for FASHION over FUNCTION, I decided to dress up the inside bottom of each tray. 

In this case, he could display the trays as if they were shadowboxes:

If you look closely, you can see my shadow in the last picture. So embarrassing. Well, that's it, folks - thank you for looking and if you're at the store, don't hesitate picking up wooden crafts such as these! They are pretty cheap and you can alter the heck out of them ... if it wasn't for functioning organization trays, I would've played quite a bit more with these. This will probably be my last post for 2011 as I'll be on another mini-journey. May you all be blessed and have a safe and fun New Year's!

-Maria

Supplies:

Graphic 45 - A Proper Gentleman paper

Gathered Twig Distress Stain

Plaid Nesting Trays set

Copper and black brads