I was shopping recently with my mom, Erika, and we ran across a beautiful red metal footed cake stand that I just loved. I prefer to buy vintage or handmade when I can, but this cake stand was new and mass produced.

So my shoulder devil started arguing with my shoulder angel, saying I should just go ahead and buy it. But then Mom’s voice cut through the clamor.

“You could make your own.”

So I gave it a try.

A Visit to the Thrift Stores

Originally, the plan was to use a metal candlestick for the base and the lid of a cookie tin for the platter. But I ran across a small metal flower pot at a thrift store. Used upside down, it would be a nice stable base for the cake stand. Price: 69 cents.

I wrote off the cookie tin lid idea after realizing that most are not big enough. So at a second thrift store, I found a round metal platter that would do nicely. Price: $2.39.

Painting the Cake Stand

I used two Rust-Oleum paints that I already had on hand.

For the base and for the top of the platter, I used Rust-Oleum Gold Rush Metallic. It has a vintage appeal and is the same spray paint that my husband, Chris, used when he spruced up the heat registers in our 1927 house.

For a little contrast, I used good old Rust-Oleum Satin Heirloom White to paint the underside of the platter. It’s same color I used to paint this hose basket for my greenhouse and this serving tray.

A little Super Glue held the two pieces together.

The Result

The cake stand looks nothing like the red one I originally fell in love with. But my Frankenstein monster cake stand is unique. And I can use it for many things: Cakes, cookies, appetizers. Elevated food stands really add a festive touch to a buffet table.

Of course I do not trust the surface to be food safe. I will use either a plate or some parchment paper with the stand.

So I’m safe from my shoulder devil – for now.

Resources:

I could spend all day looking at all the beautiful vintage and handmade cake stands on Etsy. These are especially charming.

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4 Replies to “A DIY Cake Stand for Holiday Entertaining”

Very pretty and creative. The fact that you cannot put the food directly on the paint actually gives you an excuse to experiment with different looks. You can use paper doilies, seasonal napkins (paper or cloth), tin foil, and many other items to change up the look of the plate to match the occasion. A table always looks so nice (and has more available space) when you have items at different heights.

Heidi says:

December 4, 2015 at 4:13 pm

Maura, good point – I could get a lot of different looks by changing up what I set the food on. And I was thinking of throwing some red plaid into my holiday decorating this year and wondering how to integrate the cake stand. Now I know!

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By making your own cake stand you were able to customize it to the look you wanted. I love the color and agree with Maura that having to protect the food offers up a lot of opportunities for even more customization. Thank you for sharing at Vintage Charm and hope to see you back soon! sb

Heidi says:

December 7, 2015 at 6:58 pm

Thanks, Sharon. It was fun making this cake stand, such an easy project. Seems like those are always the best kind. Thanks for hosting Vintage Charm!

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A DIY Cake Stand for Holiday Entertaining