Toaster Tray

Ignore the sad state of the toaster and bask in the glory of my clean counter!

Here's a couple of things you should know about me.  First, I hate clutter.  I can't stand to have things out on my counters.  Second, I have kids and, therefore, not too many "nice" things.  So, yeah, the toaster has seen better days but I refuse to waste money on a new one that will eventually, and likely quickly, meet the same fate.

Now my kids, on the other hand, seem to LOVE seeing things out on the counter.  All day, everyday throughout summer break I find my toaster out and accompanying crumbs everywhere.  I'm happy the kids are self-sufficient and feed themselves {mostly} but I realized they couldn't put the toaster away immediately because it needed to cool down.

Which brings me to the Toaster Tray.  I wanted a solution that would keep both the counter and my cupboard clean and clear of falling toast crumblets, keep little fingers from being burned, and provide cord control.

Sometimes the simplest solution is the best and this is the case here.  I LOVE Maruchan Ramen...for their boxes!  The kids eat plenty of it so I always have lots on hand and they are perfect for organizing.  For this project I  just cut the sides shorter, wrapped it in foil and that's it!  The cord fits in the box, the crumbs are contained, and the little ones grab the box instead of the hot metal sides.

Someday I will have "nice" things and when I do eventually upgrade to a new toaster I might consider making a cute wooden tray with handles but this totally does the trick for now.