Is it ever too early to start planning your next birthday party? I certainly don’t think so, which is why I’ve been mentally gathering ideas for my dream cat-themed May birthday for weeks now. I found a few plastic lion, cheetah, and leopard toys last month that I snatched up with the intention of making a party DIY, but I wasn’t able to think of a good use for them for a couple of weeks. Finally, it hit me-cake stands!
Supplies: Plastic animal toys (the really hard plastic ones), wooden dowel rod (at least 1/2″ thick), wooden plate, smaller wooden circle (I used a 4″ trophy mount), drill, hand saw, gold spray paint, white spray paint, wood glue, quick dry cement.
1. Drill a hole the size of your dowel rod into the top of your plastic animal (my dowl rod was 5/8″ thick, but not all drills can take a drill bit that big, try 1/2″ if yours can’t or check out spade bits). I found it a lot easier to start with a smaller bit first and then drill bigger and bigger holes until you get to your desired size. 2. Drill a hole the size of your dowel rod into the middle of your smaller circle. Stick your dowel rod down into the back of your animal and make a mark where want your cake stand top to sit. Use the hand saw to cut your dowel rod to that height. 3. Put some wood glue in the hole of your smaller wooden circle and stick the dowel rod into the hole. Then glue this new piece onto the middle bottom of your wooden plate. Allow the glue to fully dry. 4. Use your spray paint to spray your animal and your wooden topper (I painted the top of the plate white, but you do whatever you like!). 5. Follow your quick dry cement instructions and fill your animal almost to the top. I found a cement crack filler that was already mixed in a bottle at Home Depot, so I would recommend something like that if you can find it. 6. Stick the wooden top into the hole and allow the cement to dry (make sure the top is centered and straight before you let it dry).
Note: Since the surface on the top of the plate isn’t food safe, don’t put food directly on the stand. However, cupcakes with liners are fine, or just put some parchment paper under any other food you choose to display. Plucked from the wild, these fierce felines are now ready to carry as much sugar as their four paws can carry. I can’t wait to use these guys at my party, but I have a feeling they may make an appearance sooner, since I just can’t wait another 4 months. Wouldn’t these be so cute with lots of other animals too? xo. Laura
Credits // Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman
These are too cute!
I have only come across animals that are solid plastic. Did you find that the concrete filling was necessary for stability, or would drilling into the plastic and securing the dowel with glue be sufficient?
I have been looking everywhere for animals/dinosaurs like that (hard plastic and hollow) for various projects that I have in mind. Where did you find yours?
I am obsessed with these!
Fantastic!
Made one of these today.
Looks amazing in my dining room
Thanks for the inspiration
Fabulous idea! Very original, in love with the gold.
http://lifeandcity.tumblr.com
I am dreaming of doing this with ELEPHANTS!
Genius! So darn cute! Kudos to you for coming up with such a creative idea!
Wow! My seven year old is a mega animal fan ( last Christmas, Father Christmas adopted a snow leopard for her via WWF) think I may make these for her next birthday. Thank you
My birthday is May 11th which is also Mother’s Day, this sounds like a great idea !
This is SO cool. I want to make one with an elephant! Hello Thailand Theme Bday Bash!…or upscale Babar?
For everybody talking about doing this with dinosaurs:
http://www.threelittlemonkeysstudio.com/diy-dinosaur-serving-dish/
So cute! I’d love to use these for a bridal shower! Where did you purchase these animals? I can only find small ones
What a super cute idea! This would also be fun with dinosaurs for a little boys birthday! 🙂
I LOVE this! How do you guys keep coming up with awesome things like this?! I have to find some plastic animal toys…
LOVE this idea! It’s so glamorous…
I love these so much! (Of course, anything with gold is a winner.)
This is great! I can imagine all the possibilities of cute displays.
Where did you find the wooden plate?
This is absolutely brilliant! I would’ve never thought that those plastic animal toys for children could be used other than for playing.
This is something I’d recommend mainly for a wild-animal themed birthday parties for younger women. It’s fashionable, it looks kind of expensive and pretty.
Increible, chulisimo, me encanta
Confeti en los bolsillos