Over at Craft Jr., my friend Wendy is doing a series of 12 days of Gift Crafts Kids can Make, and the project for Day 6 is fantastic! She made a faux mercury glass cake stand using dollar store supplies and one secret ingredient from the craft store. I love the concept behind her series: crafts that are easy and fun enough for kids to make but are gifts that adults would actually want to receive. [how to make a gilded cake stand]

The price of this project varies depending on the metal leaf you buy, but a package of metal leaf should make several of these stands. I found Metal Leaf Flake online at Mister Art for $5.13: Mona Lisa Metal Flakes gold. Surprisingly, the gold leaf was cheaper than the copper by a few cents, and the silver leaf was a few dollars more. You’ll also need metal leaf adhesive to stick the metal leaf on. If you don’t have the budget for metal leaf, try some metallic spray paint instead.

Project Estimate:

• Plate, $1
• Candle stick, $1
• E-6000 glue, on hand
• Flake Metal Leaf, $5.13 and up
• Metal leaf adhesive, $2.39 (also at Mister Art: metal leaf adhesive)
• Outdoor Mod Podge, on hand

Total: Less than $10 for one, price goes down significantly per piece if you make more than one

Try this technique with some of our other projects, too, like the Apothecary Jar or use this technique to make pretty silvery votive holders.