By Jessica Wilson
When I used to live in a tiny home, I wanted a cake stand permanently camped out on the counter to display sweet treats and other bites of goodness. But counter space was sparse, so I simply sighed a lot as I put my baked goods into boring square glass containers with lids. Once, I happened upon a smaller cake stand, perfect for showcasing a single cupcake, and danced it home, where I discovered that even that little stand had no place to settle. I thought, if only I could find an even smaller cake stand, perhaps I could find a spot for it and its sweet (if not temporary) tenant. I never did find a smaller stand, but instead, I dreamed up this nifty project using vintage wooden spools of thread and round wooden drink coasters. I think these sweet stands are quite perfect for a mad tea party that features a variety of itty-bitty scrumptious treats. If you cannot find any suitable coasters, you can hit up your local craft store for a pack of wooden discs at least 1 1/2″ across.
For a PDF of this tutorial, visit the build page on Make: Projects.
Materials
Blank coasters or wooden discs, at least 1 1/2″ across
Acrylic paint, optional
Rickrack, lace, and/or ribbon
Scissors
Tacky glue
Empty wood thread spools
Buttons
Strong glue such as E-6000
Sweet treats and baked goods
Directions
Step 1: Set out your supplies and play around with your ribbons, lace, and buttons until you have a happy combo. You can paint your discs with acrylic paint if you wish. Set aside to dry before moving on to Step 2.
Step 2: Wrap a length of ribbon or lace around the edge of your coaster or disc until the edge is fully covered. Use your scissors to trim. I found my coasters at a local estate sale, while the wooden discs came from my local craft store. Dab a bit of tacky glue around the perimeter of the disc or coaster and spread with a finger. Gently guide your lace or ribbon around the edge. Too much glue will make your ribbon or lace slip – use less than you think you need and allow the glue to set for a second or two before wrapping. Set the wrapped disc atop a spool to dry.
Step 3: Working in small batches, use your tacky glue to affix your buttons around the perimeter of your disc or coaster. This takes longer than attaching the ribbon or trim, but has such a nifty effect; I recommend it. Use two spools to “bookend” your upright disc or coaster – this will allow the glue to dry without your buttons sliding off.
Step 4: Select a wooden spool and add a small blob of your strong glue to the top, allowing it to tack up a second or two before adding your bedazzled coaster or disc. If you have enough spools, glue two or more atop each other to create stands of different heights. I threw in some vintage spools with thread still wrapped around them. The color adds a unique touch. If you do not wish to use up your vintage spools, you can find smaller wooden spool “blanks” at your local craft store in the same section as the discs. Play around with what you have before adding any glue. I found that one of my discs looked extra spiffy with the lace trim pointing up instead of down. While your happy treat stands are curing, preheat your oven and bake a round of mini cupcakes. I like this pink lemonade cake recipe.
Step 5: Arrange your sweet treat stands and throw a party. Add an assortment of happy, tiny treats such as mini donuts, truffles, tiny cupcakes, scrumptious squares of fudge, or paper cups of malt balls. Enjoy!
About the Author
Jessica Wilson is most happily known as “jek in the box” and spends most of her time crafting it up and taking pictures. She can often be found standing on benches over on Flickr and creating all sorts of kiddie crafts on her blog scrumdilly-do! She lives a life of scrumdillydilly and loves to share.
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