If you are the kind of person that loves to throw a party, then you most likely have some sort of "party box" or shelf in your closet that's devoted to party supplies. I had a party shelf, then a box, then two boxes, then more shelves, so I decided it was time to downsize a bit and keep the size a little more manageable. One thing that was taking up a lot of space was serving dishes for cakes/desserts. So I thought it would probably be a good idea to have a few temporary cake stand ideas on hand so I could still have display options for gatherings, but keep less items in my party box the rest of the year. Here's a few of my favorites:
Make a stand out of cardboard and paper: For this stand I bought two sizes of round cardboard cake boards (in the baking section of most craft stores) and used a glue gun to attach scalloped bulletin board border trim around the edges. Then, I cut 2 pieces of round foam (one shorter for the bottom and one taller for the top), covered those in the same color paper and glued them onto the cake boards to create tiers.
Use a scalloped pie or tart pan: If you love cake stands with frilly edges, try using a tart, quiche or wavy-edged pie pan as the top of your cake stand. Just pick up an inexpensive candlestick holder at your local dollar store for the base and paint it to match whatever color your pie pan is. Use some museum putty
to create a strong (but temporary) bond between the two while you use it as a cake stand. Then you can separate the items and use them for their original purpose again once the party is over.
Make a plastic cake stand: One trip to the dollar store and you can snag a plastic wine glass (or margarita glass for a larger base) and plastic plate or charger to temporarily support your cake masterpiece. Just hot glue the base of the glass to the underside of the plate, spray paint if desired, and you're ready to add your treats on top!
Use terra cotta pots: For this stand, choose a small, but tall, terra cotta pot and glue it to the underside of the saucer for a much larger pot (you can flip the saucer over or use it right side up if you want ridges on the sides of your stand). You can leave the natural finish on the terra cotta, or you can paint the pot with a white primer spray first and then paint it any color you wish.
Turn items you already have into a cake stand: Since you can use a removable adhesive like museum putty (or even sticky tack works pretty well) to temporarily join items, try using a plate that you already own (maybe with a pattern or picture) as the top of your cake stand. You can attach it to an upside down jar, cup or candlestick holder, and then return all items to their rightful place once the party is over. Nice!
Just remember, if you are serving something that's not already in a wrapper (like a cupcake), you may not want to put food directly on non-food safe surfaces. So just use wax paper or something else underneath the food when serving. And once the party is over, be sure to recycle any parts of your stands that you're not keeping.
I'm so glad that there are lots of cute options for quick and temporary cake stands. Now I can have a little more breathing room in my party supplies without having to compromise on style when the next party comes around. Have you made cake stands out of anything unusual? xo. Laura
Credits// Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess Actions.
30 Comments
Ooh! So many good ideas!
Kristi | Be Loverly
This post has made me very hungry for cake.
This just made me want alllll the cake!
Casey
http://thedistrictfox.com
This is ingenious Laura!
ROOM TOUR 2015
I bought a cheap glass 3-tiered serving platter and use it, when needed, to serve cupcakes/sweets/small treats in a cute way. But we also use it on a daily basis to hold the tones of fruit we eat each week. Technically it’s not a temporary cake stand, but takes zero space on our tiny kitchen cupboards 🙂
Very cute and easy ideas!! Love it!
Wow! Such cute ideas. I really like the cake stand where you used the pot!
I really like the gold one and the polkadot one too.
-M
http://www.violetroots.com
Great ideas! xo Anova
http://anovamelody.blogspot.com
Genius! I’m definitely going to do the dollar store cake stand at my next brunch. We have a bunch of plastic champagne coupe glasses that I think I could use.
These turned out so well! I love the variety!
I need to share this with my mother in law she always loves to throw on a good party 🙂 these are so cuteee! <3
Love these ideas http://www.hannamarielei.com
Looks so delicious!
Thanks for the inspo!
xx
ani from ani-hearts
♥
These are great – I love using upside down tea cups and other fine china pieces to add height and color. No need to wait for a special occasion to break out “the good stuff”!
Lindsay | http://www.ReadTheThread.com
These are so cute! I’m pinning this so I can reference it for the three August birthdays we have coming up in our house!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I love the one with a scalloped pie dish and a cheap candle holder as the base. Some candle holders (especially from thrift stores) have such a unique shape or color. Great creative DIYs!
Monica // Mocha and Moccasins
These are so lovely!
http://somebodyfromsomewhere.blogspot.com/
Very cute and great ideas. I have a cake stand that you can disassemble. ie the pole joining the two tiers and the handle for the top unscrew. It cant really be used in the mean time as the plates have small holes in the middle but it only take up the same room as two small plates and the bar 🙂
This is such a great post with so many cute ideas for summer parties.
http://abihanney.blogspot.co.uk
Lovely pics!
http://www.preparadaslistasya.com
I collect cake stands and use them all over the house to display things on/in rather than just for cakes. These are great ideas for presenting party foods
Great post! I’m going to share it with my husband who’s a baker.
Such fun ideas! I really want to try the cardboard/paper one! Too cute!
-Lauren
http://www.musingsofaflowerchild.com/
These are great ideas! I like to use craft paper wrapped around tomato cans as base and top it with a nice plate. I also use different heights for a nice visual effect. Can’t wait to try some of these!
Juju Sprinkles
http://www.jujusprinkles.com
Just noticed that I read this blogspot twice…. Once to look at the cakes and the second time was to actually read the post about these amazing ideas!! The cup thing with the plate is such a GREAT IDEA!!! 🙂
Dorky-and-weird.blogspot.com
Xoxo Jessy
great post !!
Jadiee’sLittleBlog
Jade
So cute!
Laura
http://laurahager.blogspot.com/
Cute ideas and very yummy looking treats! 🙂
I am a Childrens Photographer, and i stumbled across your blog when I was looking for cake stand idea for cake smashes! i love these ideas i don’t understand why i didn’t think of this – this is perfect! I have been freaking out because I couldn’t find a cake stand anywhere that would fit, but I’m about to go to the store to and buy the supplies! thank you for saving my shoot!
xx, Johanna – Fayetteville, North Carolina Photographer