Cake Stand Beauties Made Easy!

Lush Foil Bunny Centerpiece

"Sweet and Simple Bunny Vignette" Click on the image for the tutorial.

"Nest in a Candle Jar Cloche" Click on the image for the tutorial.

"Little Peeps Vignette" Click on the image for the tutorial.

Each of the above spring fever vignettes began with a cake stand.  Cake stands seem to be trending now, and are available at many home decor sites.  They can be used to elevate and call importance to a display. Place a favorite figurine with a few accessories on a plate stand, and in a few minutes you have a sweet arrangement.  Stacks of books can be used in the same way.  I wanted to have multiple cake stands without the multiple price.  I was inspired by a Pinterest post to make my own cake stands.  It really was very easy and quite satisfying.
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Materials Needed:

• glass candlesticks:  I purchased mine for $1.00/apiece at Goodwill.
• saucers for mini cake stands:  These could also be purchased at a thrift store or flea market.  I found mine in my own cupboard.
• large plate for the taller glass candlestick
• Gorilla Glue or glue of your choice suitable for the materials you are gluing.
• Rust-oleum  Painter's Touch Ultra Cover Flat White Primer Spray Paint*
• Rust-oleum Universal Advanced Formula Metallic Paint and Primer in One: Pearl Mist*

Thrift store candlesticks purchased for $1.00 each.

I actually considered a variety of "plates" for my cake stands:  saucers, orphaned plant saucers, and regular terra cotta plant saucers.  I had seen a post that used the plant saucers.  They used a textured stone-look spray paint.  It was an interesting look and one that I was considering.  Check out Our Home Away From Home blog to see what I mean.

I gave it some further thought, and asked the opinion of my husband, and together, we decided the regular saucers and plates went best with the candlesticks.  These candlesticks, although inexpensive, had an elegant look to them.  But,  I'm still thinking about that stone textured spray paint.  I just might give it a try with the right candlestick.

After gathering and choosing your materials, you will want to thoroughly wash them with soap and water.  In addition, you can wipe down the glass and plates with rubbing alcohol.  The idea is to create a very clean surface for the glue to bond and the paint to adhere.

Use a strong glue, especially made for glass.  I chose Gorilla Glue.  There appears to be many choices, but the Gorilla Glue seemed easy and straightforward to use.  Follow the directions on the packaging of the glue of your choice.  The Gorilla Glue recommended that one surface be slightly moistened and the glue be put on the other surface.  The directions said the glue bonded best with moisture and pressure.  It also cautioned that a little glue went a long way.  

We chose to wet the bottom of the plates and turn them with face down on newspaper.

Then a small amount of glue was put on the top rim of the candlesticks.  We carefully added books to create the pressure for bonding.  Follow the directions on the glue for bonding time.

The cake stands are glued, dried, and ready for spray painting.

I have had very good experiences with the Rust-oleum line of spray paint.  I have used it on numerous projects from furniture, lamp bases, mason jars, pots for plants, wastebaskets, tissue holders, and so much more.  I am particularly drawn to some of the special finishes in this line and the paint and primer all-in-one.  They have a line of hammered metal finishes that are really fun.  For this project, I came upon the metallic pearl mist finish*.  I thought I would try it.

The can does read "Paint and Primer in One".  I found that if you don't use a white primer with the pearl mist, the glass will be translucent and have a beautiful pearl sheen, but the candlestick glass base and white saucer will not be all the same finish.  I wanted a consistent white, pearl mist finish for the entire cake stand.  I ended up priming the stands in white after my first attempt with the pearl mist.  Then I applied the pearl mist and got the beautiful finish.

My recommendations:
A.  When using the pearl mist spray paint*, spray your piece with a white primer paint first.  Finish with the pearl mist for a lovely sheen.
B.  If you want a white glossy finish, you may be able to use one of the regular Rust-oleum Primer and Paint All in One products.

Follow the manufacturer's directions for spray painting, number of coats, and drying times.  I like to do my spray painting in the backyard.  I use two sawhorses and a board for my staging area.  I have a set of toy blocks that I used to elevate the candlesticks and help them from sticking to the board below.    I also, spray painted each piece right-side up; let it dry; turned it over and spray painted the bottom of the plate and any parts that needed coverage.  This insured an even coverage of the entire piece.  I repeated this process twice: once for priming, and once for spraying the pearl mist.

One caveat:  I made these cake stands for display purposes.  I will not place food directly on the plates.  If I want to use them for muffins, or cupcakes, or cookies, I will place a piece of parchment, doily, or other paper material on the plate before placing food on them.  

I think these turned out very well and I can see myself reusing these little beauties in many different ways.  How would you use them?  Please share your ideas with me.

​Have fun creating!