DIY | Jeweled Cake Stand + a Giveaway
July 6, 2011It’s DIY time again! The amazing Sarah is back with another fun DIY project! We’ve made it all the more fun by adding in a GIVEAWAY so be sure to scroll to the bottom for details!
Happy summer, lovely readers! It has been a hot one down here in the South, but I’ve had lots of fun projects to keep me busy inside where there is air conditioning (and usually ice cream)! I’m pleased to share this month’s DIY, perfect for a summer wedding with a vintage twist. We were inspired by gorgeous, vintage chandeliers and the glittering rainbows of light that shimmer from glass prisms. We captured that lovely idea with faceted glass beads hanging from custom cake stands. Make one big one for your wedding cake, or make a bunch and have small cakes adorned with flowers as centerpieces. Juxtapose the delicate prisms with a bright summery color for a modern look, or go metallic for the “Wow!” factor! The yummiest treats will look even more delectable when sitting on one of these bejeweled pedestals! See below for the step by step! *Plan ahead, this is an all day project*
Materials:
- 1 wooden plate/plaque and candlestick per cake stand. The plates and plaques are available at any craft store, but I found everything I needed at a secondhand shop. Thrift stores tend to have a lot of wooden items, so if you like the thrill of the hunt, check there first. If you want to make one to hold a large cake, have some wood cut to size at a hardware store.
- Chandelier prisms/crystals or faceted glass beads. Authentic chandelier prisms can be hard to come by (and expensive!), so check your bead store for glass beads. I used 8 beads for the larger cake stand, and 4-6 for the smaller ones, but you can use as many as you like.
- Lace trim
- Flat eye pins
- Wood glue
- Super glue
- Wood primer or gesso
- Acrylic craft paint in color of your choice
- Flat craft paintbrushes
- Needle nose and round nose pliers
- Ruler and pencil
- *Optional* Protective sealant or topcoat (I used Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finish spray)
Step 1: Start by measuring the bottom of the plate to get the middle. Place the candlestick and trace around it to have a guide for when you glue it down. Apply a small amount of wood glue, press down and wipe off the excess. Place a few heavy books on top of the upside down cake stand and let it dry for about an hour before you move it.
Step 2: Apply gesso or a wood primer all over the surface of the cake stand. This will seal the wood so the paint doesn’t soak into it. It took me about 3 coats to get it fully covered, but use your best judgment. If you are using a dark paint color, you may need less. Let each coat dry thoroughly before adding the next one.
Step 3: Once the primer is dry, apply the paint. I used a metallic paint, and it took about 5 coats to get it covered, since metallic paint tends to be more translucent. Let dry in between each coat, and let dry completely after the last coat. If desired, apply an acrylic topcoat or sealant to the paint for an extra level of protection from scratches.
*Keep in mind that this and many other craft paints/sealants are not food safe. You will need to use a cardboard disk or wax paper in between the food and the cake stand. If you want to use food directly on the surface, find a food safe paint or sealant to ensure your health and safety.*
Step 4: While you wait for the cake stand to dry, start assembling the chandelier beads. Thread the bead onto the eye pin, cut the pin to size (I usually leave about 1/2 inch) and then using round nose pliers, form a small loop at the other end of the pin, leaving slightly open. Make as many beads as you want to hang from your cake stand.
Step 5: Once the stand is completely dry, take your lace trim and superglue, and begin gluing to the edge of the plate. Use a very small amount of glue, a little goes a long way, and you don’t want a messy finish. Cut the trim to overlap slightly, and glue into place.
Step 6: Take the chandelier beads and start hanging them onto open spots in the lace, using needle nose pliers to close the loops. Make sure the beads are all evenly spaced.
You now have a lovely, one of a kind cake stand! Have fun and stay crafty! Until next time, my lovelies!
Now to make it all even sweeter, Sarah has decided to giveaway this adorable peach cupcake stand! To enter, just tell me about the best cupcake you’ve ever had! Contest is open today through next Wednesday the 13th. One lucky reader will be randomly chosen and then announced on the 15th. Good luck! The green and gold stands will be available for purchase in Sarah’s Etsy shop.
Leave a Comment
40 Comments
July 6, 2011 at 8:27 am
Pretty, earth-toned colors and gems to boot! Who wouldn't love a fabulous cake stand like this :)
July 6, 2011 at 10:24 am
what an adorable cake stand!
July 6, 2011 at 10:45 am
Love it! So creative...
July 6, 2011 at 12:05 pm
This is too cute for words! I love the addition of the hanging jewels!
July 6, 2011 at 12:24 pm
Hi! The best cupcake I ever had was a NY-style black and white cookie cupcake!! The icing was the black and white cookie icing but on a cupcake (instead of a cookie)!! Delicious.
Amy Lustig
amyjlustig at gmail dot com
July 6, 2011 at 12:31 pm
I love Sprinkles coconut cupcake.
July 6, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Adorable! The best cupcake I ever had was when I was looking for a bakery to do my wedding cake. I found a place that has a super moist raspberry cupcake and it was sooooo good! I chose them to do my cake and am getting two layers int he raspberry.
July 6, 2011 at 1:32 pm
These are too cute and look so easy! I just made some chocolate chip cupcakes that were pretty tasty!
July 6, 2011 at 1:51 pm
YAYAY!! As I was reading the post, I was like, I hope she's giving away one of these stands!! My favorite cupcake of ALL TIME is red velvet with cream cheese icing. INCREDIBLE.
July 6, 2011 at 2:25 pm
I have not experienced a best cupcake recently, but the most interesting cupcake I've ever had was a tres leche cupcake with whipped cream on top! Soooo good!
July 7, 2011 at 1:38 am
The best cupcake I've ever had was a funfetti red velvet fusion cupcake. Half of the cupcake was funfetti whipped vanilla icing and the other half was red velvet with cream cheese frosting. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
July 7, 2011 at 1:19 pm
This is adorable! I read your blog every day at work :)
The best cupcake I've ever had was a carrot cake cupcake with cream cheese frosting, and a cream cheese filling. Yum!
July 7, 2011 at 10:24 pm
soooo cute!!!!
July 8, 2011 at 10:50 am
The most delicious cupcake I've ever had is a cookie dough cupcake! My favorite cupcake shop would feature them, and these little mini cupcakes would be decorated in the most delicious buttercream icing with pretty pearlized sprinkles. Though the icing was delicious, when you bit into the vanilla cupcake, you would get a taste of cookie dough too in the center - they're to-die-for!
July 9, 2011 at 12:18 pm
I love this DIY! Such a cute idea.
July 9, 2011 at 6:57 pm
The best cupcake I ever had was in a small cafe in north GA. They have their own baker who makes everything from scratch and so I tried one of her vanilla cupcakes. Oh my gosh they were the most divine moist mouth watering creations ever! I hope to go again soon!
July 9, 2011 at 8:38 pm
I love this DIY! I'm definitely going to attempt to make a cake stand like this. Thanks for sharing!
July 10, 2011 at 2:46 am
The best cupcake I ever had was actually at a cake tasting event when I was engaged. It was a lovely vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with sugar crystals. I have simple tastes :)
July 10, 2011 at 6:20 am
The best cupcake I ever had was during our clinical rotation, the students were preparing for our registry and we order $5 a piece cupcakes to spoil ourselves from a local cupcake shop! They were AMAZING!! Love this stand! Thanks for hosting the giveaway!
July 10, 2011 at 8:53 am
The best cupcake I've ever had was the Red Velvet from Stuffed Cupcakes - a giant red velvet cupcake filled with vanilla mousse and topped with cream cheese icing!
July 11, 2011 at 2:13 am
My best ever cake was one lovely sweet cake with bilberry and yoghurt!!!
Thank you for the chance!
ksyshenka(at)yahoo(dot)com
July 11, 2011 at 2:37 pm
The best cupcake I *ever* had? Too hard to pick just one! I did have a super chocolate cupcake for my sister's b-day - it had rad purple frosting!
July 11, 2011 at 3:10 pm
The best cupcake I ever had was one after a strict diet a held for a few months. It was just a plain white cupcake with white frosting and a few sprinkles but it was oh so amazingly delicious!
July 12, 2011 at 5:24 pm
the best cupcake I ever had was a pumpkin cupcake filled with spicy cream cheese. YUM
July 12, 2011 at 8:11 pm
I love this idea for creating beautiful cake stands. This is also an incredible way to create fun risers for retail displays. Thank you for sharing!
July 12, 2011 at 8:55 pm
Great tutorial! I like the detailed instructions along with the helpful hints from your experience. The best cupcake I've ever had was also a plain old vanilla cupcake with whipped creme frosting. What made it fabulous was that it was cold. It had come out of the icebox and it made the whipped creme a little denser, but it had that great whipped flavor which contrasted beautifully with the cold cake. YUM!
July 13, 2011 at 8:39 am
Thank you for this easy to follow tutorial! My favourite cupcake was actually a line of cupcakes which my sister and I iced with green buttercream and turned into a giant caterpillar cake for her 17th birthday, LOL. :)
July 13, 2011 at 12:47 pm
My fave cupcake is the classic cheesecake.
July 13, 2011 at 12:58 pm
Best cupcake I've ever had? Homemade, plain jane chocolate cupcakes that my mother fixed us when we were growing up. We'd get home from school and smell the wonderful aroma and she'd sit and chat with us while we "ruined our dinner." You don't have to spend 4 bucks on a cupcake for it to taste great! Just add a little mama love!
July 28, 2011 at 6:08 pm
It's a wonderful way to show off beautiful crystals too for beadaholics! I am going to feature it on my jewelry making blog so others can come visit. Who knows, jewelry artisans may find the tutorial useful for making jewelry displays! Pearl
October 17, 2011 at 6:36 pm
These are absolutely beautiful! I have made several using ceramic plates but am now inspired to use wood and add delicate decoration - many thanks for sharing this idea.
May 14, 2013 at 11:47 am
Chocolate cake with cream cheese Icing. MMM so good.:-)