DIY Cake Stand

I love cake stands. I want to have a collection of them one day. Currently, I only have two stands and one plateau. Not much of a collection.

But thanks to Pinterest, there are plenty of tutorials on how to make your own cake stand. There's a good one that uses candle sticks and microwave plates, but I didn't like how plain the plates were, and I couldn't find any single-candle candlesticks at my local Goodwill. Just like the other tutorial, though, I don't like using regular plates because most of them have a curve, or a huge lip, and if you turn them over, the bottom isn't flat either.

Then I found two things that were perfect for each other: a plastic serving dish and a plastic cup.

They match up pretty darn well, so I grabbed them. Did I mention that it was 50% off day when I got them? Originally $1.68 together, I got both pieces for $0.84. The plate has some nice scallops on the edge, so when turned over it will actually look like a cake stand. The bottom of the plate also has some (OK, a lot) of grooves, but I figure that any cake drum will just slide over them, so they're not a big deal.

You'll also need some super-strong glue. I used some that my husband had on hand. It's definitely super strong, it's water proof, and doesn't have any cancer-causing agents like E6000. You'll need some gloves along with any glue you use, though. You don't want this stuff on your skin, and you definitely don't want to rub your eyes or face while working with this stuff. I just used regular latex gloves.

Make sure your pieces are wiped clean of any dirt, glue from stickers, or food particles. Being plastic, the plate and the cup have a nifty little nub directly in the center of each, so I could test fit them together before actually gluing. The plate is nice and smooth on the side where the cup is going to go. I plan on turning the cup upside-down for stability, but it has a bit of a ridge. For cleanliness, I just applied a thin line of glue on the ridge, and a dot on the nub.

Sorry it's blurry, but you can kind of see the line of glue on the outer edge of the cup, and the dot in the middle.

Now just flip the plate over and line up the nubs, and carefully set the plate down on the cup. The glue that I'm using requires it to set for 30 minutes, so I set a big can on yams on top and left it alone while I watched Mythbusters.

Mmmm, yams.

Now, the other tutorial had you spray paint the entire thing, but I kind of like the clear look. It's a bit dingy since the plastic is old, but it'll do.

Wait 24 hours before setting something on top of it. Since this is plastic, I probably won't put anything bigger than a two-tier cake on it. I'll keep looking for neat plates and things to make different stands. I'll probably also try to paint the next one, especially if it's glass, wood, or metal. I can't wait to make another!