How to Make a Homemade 3-Tiered Cupcake Stand

Remember back when I made the 2-tiered cupcake stand for cousin A's bridal shower, I said that cousin D perked up at the mention of cake stands too?

Gosh, before I knew it, nearly a year has flown by and it was time to make another set of cake and cupcake stands for yet another cousin's bridal shower. This time, because I've had several homemade cake and cupcake stands under my belt, I've gotten kinda good at this. That and the longer lead time gave me plenty of chances for more trips to the thrift store, and plates and candlesticks to stockpile.

Do you know how hard it is to find a salad dish-sized glass plate at the thrift store?

Virtually impossible for some reason.

So this is the first time I've been able to make a 3-tiered cupcake stand. And I have to say, this may be my best one yet.


Just look how pretty it looks on the side even.


How to Make a Homemade 3-Tiered Cupcake Stand
Adapted from my "How to Make a Homemade Cake Stand."

You'll need:
Candlesticks and/or heavy glasses or goblets
Plates
Epoxy, industrial-strength adhesive
Books, cans, or anything heavy to weigh the plates down
Ruler or measuring tape

Epoxy is an industrial-strength adhesive that can be found at most hardware or craft stores. I bought mine at Jo-Ann for about $4. Make sure it's the invisible, transparent kind.

A measuring tape will help you make sure the plate is centered on the stand.

And you'll need heavy stuff to weigh it down.

Figure out which combo of plates and candlesticks you think go well together.


Apply the adhesive to the bottom of the candlestick and put it on the plate. The glue won't stick right away, so you have time to measure the distance between the candlestick and the plate to make sure it's centered. Epoxy can be toxic, so make sure you're in a well-ventilated area and that you're not gluing a surface that will touch food.

Then add Epoxy to the top of the candlestick.


Then carefully add the top plate over the candlestick. Look on top and make sure it's directly centered. Wipe off any extraneous Epoxy with a toothpick.


It's OK if the Epoxy doesn't look so great since the next candlestick and plate will be hiding this anyway.


Again, add Epoxy to the bottom of the candlestick and measure to make sure it's centered.


Then add another layer of Epoxy to the top of the candlestick and put on the last plate. I initially had a pretty petal-edged plate for the top. But the center was clear and I felt like the swirls in this top plate better-concealed the Epoxy.


I only placed a couple of books for weight. Too much weight and the whole thing will topple or tilt. Trust me. Don't overcompensate. Leaving the Epoxy to dry overnight will be plenty good enough to keep it glued together.


The next morning, you get this.

Oooh. Aaah. Yes?


The center plate was quite scratched in the middle, but I think the imperfections were nicely concealed between the top and bottom plates.


I really liked how the different sizes of the plates went so well together.


And of course, it helped to have the same candlesticks to give uniformity to the tiers.


I also made several regular cake stands for my cousin as well. I ended up using a nice goblet for the base of this one as the plate was quite heavy. Flip it over and you have a chips and dip plate. :P


Her wedding colors are gold and pink and I just luckily managed to find a gold-rimmed plate and a pink and gold candlestick. I loved the candlestick and really wanted to keep it for myself, but it was just too perfect for my cousin.


The cake stand in use at cousin D's bridal shower.


The 3-tiered cupcake stand in front, the gold cake stand in the back to the left.


More pictures of her bridal shower in a separate post. But didn't the 3-tiered cupcake stand come out so nice? And all three were made for about $10.

While the Epoxy will hold the cake stands together pretty well, it's best to handwash them.

Pretty much the same thing, but if you want to look at more pictures:
How to Make a Homemade Cake Stand
How to Make a Homemade Tiered Cupcake Stand

If you'd like to purchase these handcrafted tiered cupcake stands, check out my Wandering Chopsticks Etsy Shop.

*****
1 year ago today,
2 years ago today, Dragon Fruit Bud.
3 years ago today, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens (Chinese Garden) (Spring) - San Marino.
4 years ago today, Korean fried chicken at Kyochon Chicken - Los Angeles (Koreatown).