Teapot Dessert Stand

Last year, I fell in love with a lamp that was available at Anthropologie.  I didn’t need a lamp, though, so I started thinking of ways to recreate the look in a form that was more useful.  I came up with a fun bird bath, instead.  One reader suggested that I adapt the idea to make a cake stand, and I thought that was a perfect idea!  Here’s how I made my teapot cake stand, which would be a really fun centerpiece for a tea or party.  Everyone will ask where you got it, and you can say, “I made it myself!”

I found all my items at the thrift store, but you could also find almost everything at the dollar store, too.  You probably even have some of these pieces sitting around your house!
stacked dish cake stand
Project estimate:
  • Bowl. on hand or $1 and up
  • Tea pot, on hand or $1 and up
  • Various cups, containers, and saucers, on hand or $1 and up
  • Large plate, on hand or $1 and up
  • E-6000 glue, on hand
  • Primer or adhesion promoter, on hand
  • Spray paint, on hand
Total:  Free and up
 
Begin by collecting the items you need.  I recommend using a wide bowl for the bottom.  I usually start with more saucers and tea cups than I need, so I have options to choose from.
Begin stacking the items until you find a set that is visually appealing to you.  The most important thing is to have a wide, sturdy base, so the entire thing does not topple over.
assemble
Use E-6000 to glue the pieces together.  Start from the base, and glue the bottom two pieces together. Let it set for a few minutes, then proceed to the next piece.  You may want to use a level to make sure that your tower doesn’t start to lean.  You don’t want the top plate to be crooked…then your cake might slide off!
Once the cake stand has been assembled, it’s time to paint!  I took a short cut and used spray paint.  You could also use multi-surface paints or glass paint to achieve a different finish.
Food will be on the top plate, so you want to keep that food safe and spray paint free.  I turn my projects upside down on a box so I can spray paint everything but the top of the top plate.   (You may have noticed that the photo below is a different project…that one is much too tall for a cake stand!  Adjust the number of  items you use to make your stand an appropriate size.)
spray paint
Since my ceramic surfaces were slick, I used a spray on adhesion promoter (like primer).  After that had dried, I then spray painted the cake stand.  If you wanted to take it up a notch, you could use stencils to add pretty designs to the piece.
Teapot cake stand
Isn’t this a fun way to turn unused pieces into something that will be useful and loved?  My cake stand gets LOTS of attention, and it’s just such a fun piece to have at a get together.  Have fun crafting and creating!