Tag Archives: dollar store craft ideas

DIY Dollar Store Cupcake Stand

Hello. My name is Noelle. I am a Pinterest Addict.

::Hiiiiii Noellllllllle::

Its true. And if you know what Pinterest is… you are an addict too. Now is the time for honesty. We’re all friends here.

Well I found this idea for a dollar store cake stand on Pinterest and I just HAD to make it. It was pinned from a blog called Destination:Unknown.

Since we’re being honest- the truth is I HATE dollar stores. They’re just so… (how do I put this lightly?) DISGUSTING! Most of them are just really gross, dirty, and full of really lame stuff that I wouldn’t even pay a dollar for.

But, thanks to Siri, I have found the Dollar Store Mecca.

Not 3 miles from my house, Siri led me to the most glorious dollar store I have ever seen. It was big and clean, with rows and rows of amazingly useful items. My mind was on crafty overload with all the things I could do with such a selection of wares. I spent an entire $25 and came home with all sorts of goodies.

I found some really good faux lemons which are usually uncharacteristically expensive, but indeed I got them for- you guessed it… ONE DOLLAR! I got a cute battery operated paper lantern, which has found a dandy little home swinging above my stove. I found 2 little salt and pepper shakers which I plan to label “Flour” and “Powdered Sugar” and use for dusting my cake and fondant surfaces. I got a set of 3 bumpits which I had been boycotting, but at the price of just one hundred cents I couldn’t resist and my hair has been excellently poufed ever since.

Among other things I found 3 glass plates and three glass candle sticks. These are going to be the base for the adorable cupcake stand I am about to show you. I stopped by Lowe’s (which is dangerously close to where I live and along with Michael’s and Target, is slowly stealing all my money.) I picked up a can of spray on primer, Valspar Gloss Spray Paint in “Exotic Sea,” and a can of Clear Gloss Sealer/Top Coat.

I started by peeling off the stickers and scrubbing each piece very well, and making sure everything was very dry. If you ever have trouble getting stickers off, I use this amazing product that has pretty much saved my life (and by my life, I mean my frustration when I’m trying to deal with a sticky mess when I’d rather be painting already!) Its called Un-Du and its currently only available online. It REALLY works and it is alcohol based so when it dries your sticker is sticky again and you can reuse it. I’ve actually used it on stamps, and scrapbooking stickers and it didn’t damage them at all. Get it, you’ll love it!

I started by priming everything. Then I let it dry for about an hour. If you’re wondering, it was during this time that I practiced making the perfect pouf with my bumpit.

(Nevermind the shadows in this picture, I was under the shade of some rather large oaks overlooking my porch, and it was lovely, so hush.)

After everything was dry to the touch I added my color. I like Valspar brand because the colors are very true to the cap and Lowe’s carries a nice selection of colors. This Exotic Sea color is a nice turquoise, which was exactly what I wanted. They also sell this color in regular latex, but for glass I wanted an oil based spray paint.

I let the color coat dry for about 30 minutes, then I applied a second coat which I let dry for another half hour.

Time for a lunch break! I sauteed some Zucchini, Yellow Squash, and Mushrooms, with garlic, salt and pepper, and a touch of hot chili oil. I served it with a quick toast topped with butter, garlic powder and parmesan cheese and popped in the toaster oven until crisp. And of course coffee with whipped cream. Mmmm! Now back to work!

After lunch, I applied 2 coats of clear gloss sealer and let it dry over night. I propped the plates up on the lids of the spray cans so they didn’t stick to the plastic on which they were drying. By the next morning they were ready to go.

The last step was assembly. I happen to have this awesome UV glass glue on hand that I use for wine bottle projects I’ve done in the past. It comes in a little bottle with a nail polish like applicator. Just brush on a small amount and stick the candle sticks to the plates. (Make sure they are centered!) It is amazingly strong and will completely seal glass together.

I have a UV lamp that will speed up drying time but if you don’t have one, you can set your project out in direct sunlight and it will dry in less than an hour. You can buy this glue, and a nifty wine bottle cutter from GreenPowerScience. They have some cool videos on how to cut glass.

And here is the final product…

You can stack all three up for an adorable cupcake stand, or use them individually for different sized cakes. I like the top one for a single cupcake. They would also be really cute with hors d’oeuvres. You could set bowls on top and fill with candy. The possibilities are endless!