Party Time: Cake Stands & High Rise Snacking

This weekend we are having a little birthday party for Ralph's 30th, and when we started planning the food I immediately thought of these cupcake stands.  Not that we are serving thousands of cupcakes or anything, but taking food serving to the next level {pun!} is always helpful when you're running low on countertop real estate.  The bittersweet moment here, is that I already gave away about 5 of these that I had made before, but never used - so during the move I decided to ditch 'em.  And now I need them! That's always the way.  Luckily, they are so easy & affordable to make, that you could make them & gift them every single time you have a party and never really feel the effects in your wallet.  Look how simple these are, and if you're like me, you'll wonder "why didn't I think of this before?"

That's pretty much it.  Easy. The only trick is to make sure to use a strong epoxy or silicone that will bond glass to glass {I use E-6000} That's it. Really. Plus it's almost New Year's, serve up your snackers in style, right? It's so easy.
You just need to find some plates and some bases.  Bases can be candle holders, mugs, cups.. and platforms can be plates, platters, trays... these are all easy to find at the goodwill, thrift shops, or any department store clearance rack.  Let me post up the tutorials that go with each picture though, because there are a few tips & tricks you can learn from those who have already done it.  Tips about centering, painting, etc.  This one here, which is my favorite {'cause of those colors!} is actually from a matching plate & cup set from the Target clearance rack:

Jeez, where was I when these went on sale? Missed that boat... Such fun shapes and colors on that set! Here's the tutorial from Number-2 Pencil.  The next set uses vases & candle stick holders as a base.  I love those pure white milk vases, and they are usually easy to come by in any place that sells flowers. They usually come with the small arrangements. See the full tutorial on Design*Sponge.

So these are all wonderful, right? But I just remembered - one thing I did worry about when I was making them, was whether or not they would tip over.  I'm sure people would be careful, but when the drinks start flowing, or the tiers on these stands goes past 1, I don't want to worry about it & have to clean this stuff up all night.  That's what I like about this set, is that it uses a large plate as the base, which would add a lot of stability.

This is probably the one I'm going to try - wish me luck! I will be needing multiple levels, which  means I need a strong sturdy base so I don't have all our party food on the floor.  See the full tutorial on Wandering Chopsticks.  I also noticed, on that blog, that the person who made this 3-tier also made a large platter using a goblet as a vase.  Why is this so cool? Turn it over and you have a tray with a dip bowl in the center. Yes! Double duty is the best.

Oh - I DID just think of an important tip.  E-6000 and most epoxies, are great & the best choice, since they are waterproof when dry - however, they reek. So be sure to do this a few days early to give them enough time to dry completely, and to not stink up your party.  Other than that this was a simple, quick, impressive craft that would also make a great gift.  Plus if you forget it at someone's house, what did it cost you, like $3? They can have it!  I have a set of "roaming" plates that I use when we go to parties & potlucks so that I don't care if I forget them. Yes, I'm kind of crazy. 

I hope everyone had a fantastic Holiday and that you are ready for round 2:   New Years!

     -Jesse

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