DIY 3 Tier Serving Tray

A lot of folks will be having parties tomorrow. If you're looking for a cheap, simple way to dress up your table, try this! Make your own fancy, 3-tier serving tray from unwanted glassware.

I was helping with a baby shower and I wanted the food to look really up-scale. But buying serving trays was cost prohibitive. So I went over to the local rummage shop and picked up plates, candlestick holders, and wine glasses to make my own.

First, choose your glassware. I must have looked pretty odd stacking all this up in the aisleway of the store, but I wanted to see how it would all look together. Don't fret if things aren't the same color -- spray paint covers a multitude of sins, even these horribly ugly red plates! Once you've chosen your pieces, bring them home and glue them together. I used E6000 all purpose glue. This takes 24 hours to cure, so set everything to dry over night or longer. I tried using my standard favorite superglue and it just wasn't a strong enough hold, so go with the good stuff.

Now that you have everything glued together, spray paint any pieces that need it. I left the clear glass items unpainted because I liked them just fine as they were. The larger ones I decided to paint white, because it would be a nice neutral color. (I originally planned to paint them a dusky blue, but I wanted the desserts on them to be the focus, not the trays themselves.)

Remember that if you're using a paint that isn't food safe, you'll need to use a liner or some kind of barrier to keep your food from direct contact with the paint, or else apply a finish coat that is food safe. I decided not to worry over that and just used small cupcake liners to keep the food from touching the paint.

Now that everything is glued together and painted, apply your desserts and enjoy the admiration of your guests! It cost me roughly $26 in materials to make these trays. After the party I sold them on the local listing page for $35 because I didn't want to store them. This was so easy, if I ever need them again I can just make more.