Woman Turns Vintage Thrift Store Finds Into Unique Accent Wall: 'Such A Good Idea!'

If you love collecting trinkets, whether it's shells and rocks or little tchotchkes from the thrift store, you may be trying to think up some unique ways to put your little collections on display. The thing is, you want them to stand out, not get lost on a large shelf with other collectibles and decor. That's where this Instagram video from @my.thrifted.abode comes in handy: The user thrifted vintage printer trays and filled them with shells to DIY a trinket shelf accent wall, with one person commenting that this was "Such a good idea!" The trays themselves resemble small shelves, so when several are paired together they make an easy, budget-friendly, and unique alternative to a traditional accent wall. As seen in the original creator's post, you can often find these wooden printer trays for a relatively low price, typically under $10 each, at thrift stores and rummage sales. If you're looking for a great way to display your trinkets without cluttering your home, this is it.

These wooden trays were once used for printing newspapers, among other purposes. They help the metal typesets for the printing presses. Due to the various-sized slots, they now make excellent shelving for small collectibles. Don't stop at buying one — most trays vary in some way from one another. Some are bigger than others, some have different slots, and they may even be of a different color or type of wood. Some come with character from years of use, including ink stains.

Since these are trays and not shelving, you will want to create holes to hang them on the wall. You'll need a drill to put holes in them and nails or screws to keep them sturdy. If the tray is heavier or you plan to fill it with collectibles that will increase the weight (such as rocks), you may want to find studs in your wall for a sturdier hanging. Here are some tips for finding wall studs. We love the creative idea the @my.thrifted.abode had in combining multiple trays into a unique accent wall design. If you don't want the wood or ink stains, you can also paint your newly found trinket shelves.

Once you've hung your collection of trays, you can fill them with trinkets that add whimsy, reverie, or whatever emotion you're looking for to your walls. You can glue items into place if you're worried about them falling out of the small spaces and don't plan to change the trinkets in the future, or you can skip that step so you can rearrange your creation at your leisure. If you don't want to create a wall of trinket shelves via printer trays, but only want one tray, that's okay, too. Add a tray (or more) to your gallery wall as an excellent way to show off small works of art. In fact, this may be just what you need for your perfect gallery wall.