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DIY Thrift Store Cake Stands and Cake Tower

This post was sponsored by Plutonium Paint through Crafty Hangouts, but all opinions in here are mine. Just a spoiler–I think Plutonium Paint is pretty awesome, and should definitely be in your craft box!

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In the five years I’ve been styling parties, I can say that hands down my two biggest tools I use to bring parties together are spray paint and thrift store treasures. It’s prohibitively expensive to buy a set of new matching cake stands or a cake tower every single time you have an event (and a pain to store all those dishes), so being able to put together a quick serving piece for only a few dollars is a real bonus! I’m happy to share with you how I make DIY thrift store cake stands using found pieces and Plutonium Paint spray paint in this video tutorial.

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Materials to make a thrift store cake tower:

  • Base for cake tower
  • Candlestick for 2nd tier height
  • 1 large plate or platter
  • 1 small plate or platter
  • Plutonium Paint
  • Epoxy or hot glue
  • Acrylic food-safe sealer (optional)

Now, you can be as wildly creative as you want, choosing colors that match your larger project, or just whatever happens to please you most. Paint on stencils, create an ombre effect, or use a different color for every piece of the cake stand–lots of possibilities! Here are a few spray painted pieces from my party past to inspire you:

There are plenty more if you take a look around my party portfolio.

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Not all spray paints are created equal.

I never use or endorse products here on Frog Prince Paperie that I don’t absolutely love or believe in–so I can in all honesty tell you I really wish I had known about Plutonium Paint before doing all those other projects.

Why? First, it would have been a huge time saver. The paint dries in about five minutes. You have to be sure spray paint is totally cured on serving pieces before handling them else they are gummy and the paint slides around on whatever you are painting. Not so with Plutonium!

The pigment load in Plutonium Paint is also a lot greater than in the hardware store paint cans…which means you can get away with one coat. Which means you don’t have to spend all that extra time putting extra coats on. And if you’re painting a hutch or a dresser–that could add up to hours of work!

To say the least, I am in love with Plutonium Paint , and plan to toss all the cans in my garage and replace them with these lovelies. Certainly worth giving a great new product a shot if you haven’t already.

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Show me the crafty!

If you take the challenge and make a thrift store cake stand of your own, send a pic and I’d love to show them off!

Paula Biggs

Owner at Frog Prince Paperie
Paula Biggs is a party planner, DIY crafter, and owner of Frog Prince Paperie, where you can find hundreds of party, craft and lifestyle ideas.

Why Plutonium Paint? | Plutonium Paint

Wednesday 5th of August 2020

[…] Here’s her DIY thrift store cake stand spray paint tutorial: […]

Cake Stands: DIY Tutorials - Frog Prince Paperie

Thursday 27th of September 2018

[…] collection is beginning to rival my shoe collection, but I still find the need to make a temporary cake tower on occasion for the right height and diameter. I use my regular dinner plates, saucers, etc. and […]

Gilly @ Colour Saturated Life

Monday 16th of February 2015

This looks just amazing! I am beyond impressed! Pinning!

Brandi Clevinger

Monday 16th of February 2015

These are so amazing! My friend has a baking company and she made some homemade cake and dessert tiered trays, too. It takes some creative and patience to make these. I have neither. haha

Thanks for sharing at Inspire Me Mondays!

Rose @ Walnut Acre

Sunday 15th of February 2015

The cake stand is beautiful. And Plutonium paint sounds like something I definitely need to check out.

Paula

Sunday 15th of February 2015

Thanks, Rose! Plutonium is definitely my new favorite!