make your own thrift store cake stand

It amazes me what the rich will discard as junk … especially at the Salvation Army in Chicago’s tony Lincoln Park neighborhood.


I’m slowly replacing my dinnerware set with some mix-and-match Crate & Barrel, Home Goods, and Ikea cast-offs.  I scavenged some bowls during my last visit along with a few pieces for my latest project.  See that green-rimmed plate and little striped vase …





I’m going to put them together and create a cake stand to display the decadent chocolate-chip-pumpkin-pie cheesecake I’m making for Thanksgiving.  All for the low, low price of $3.05.

Those two pottery pieces caught my attention right away. I almost felt a bit of a rush when I nabbed the vase.  It wasn’t until I turned it over at home that I realized why …



That’s right.  Jonathan Adler.  Circa 2003.  I couldn’t find a single one like it on the internet.  And then I turned over the plate …



… A. Mallory AmericaWare.  After a little research, I discovered that Ann Mallory is a renowned ceramic artist.  This plate design was issued in 1995.  At the time they retailed at $57 for a 4-piece setting.  AmericaWare closed its doors in 2004. 

For a moment … just a moment … I felt a bit guilty that I planned to join them together for eternity – or, well, at least for as long as the glue would hold them together.

And then I got over it and grabbed the Gorilla Glue (hey, it worked wonders on the front porch facelift.  The end caps are still solidly attached and have withstood more than their share of rain) …



I first identified the center point on the back of the plate and marked with a Sharpie:



Then I turned the vase upside down and traced around its opening on a piece of paper.  I cut out the circle a bit smaller than the top of the vase …



… and then used it to make some guidelines on the plate with the Sharpie, like so …



Gorilla Glue was applied to both the top of the base and the bottom of the plate …



And they were joined together (I did a quick measure around to make sure the vase was close to centered …



I let dry for 24-hours and then turned it over …



I couldn’t resist picking up some Dunkin Donuts for the final reveal.



I was a bit messy with glue, but that’s okay.  Only the toddlers will call me out on that …



I wonder if my new cake plate is doubly valuable since it joins together the artistic creativity of two famous potters?



Not too bad for three dollars.



Oh, the kids are so going to love me when they get home from school …



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