Adorable Cake Plates (if I do say so myself)

I love to bake, so it will come as no surprise that I also love anything having to do with baked good presentation. Little boxes, tiny doilies, baker's twine, ribbon, labels, serving platters, fancy toothpicks; I love them all. So when a friend threw a baby shower for Max's mommy and had dozens of cupcakes displayed on brightly colored, many-tiered dessert stands, I had to ask her where she got them. And the shocking answer was that she made them with stuff she bought at the D.I. (For anyone not in the know, the D.I. is just like the Goodwill.) Plates and candlesticks that didn't even match or look cute to begin with were magically transformed into the most adorable cake plates with a little glue and some spray paint. Of course I had to make some too, but I couldn't limit myself, oh no, so I made 6. And I only spent $39 total, including 4 different colors of spray-paint! Here's how you can make some adorable cake plates too:

• Go to any second-hand store and look for plates. They don't have to be very cute, but if they have a nice, raised design or a scalloped edges or something interesting going on along the edge, it'll turn out really cute. Also look for candlesticks. Make sure they have a nice, fat bottom and a flat top. I didn't pay attention to the tops when I bought mine, and one of my trays is wonky because the top of the candlestick wasn't flat to begin with. None of your pieces have to match at all!

• If you don't already have spray paint, go buy some in the color of your choosing. I bought a bunch of Krylon for $3.27 a can at Walmart.

• Remove the price tags and all of that nasty adhesive with Goo Gone, then wash all of your plates and candlesticks in hot, soapy water. Let them dry.

• I skipped this step, but it probably would have been helpful, which is why I'm including it: using a measuring tape or ruler, find the center of the bottom of your plate and mark it. I'm a notorious eyeballer. I never measure anything if I don't have to. And pinning when I sew? Let's just say I've had to pick out many a crooked seam. Ahem.
• Get some really tough glue. I LOVE E6000. Seriously, I use it all the time. Crafts, home repairs, you name it. Anyway, carefully squeeze a thin line of glue all the way around the top of your candlestick. With your plate face-down, place your candlestick (glue-side-down) on the plate. Let it all sit, untouched, for the amount of time prescribed by the glue bottle. If you want to make a tiered cake plate, make several individual cake plates and glue them together after the initial application is dry.
  

• Take your cake plate into the backyard, put it on something like an old cardboard box that you don't mind covering with paint, and spray away. Continue adding coats of paint until you like how your cake plate looks. Let the paint dry completely before touching.

• If you want to put food directly onto your plate, you need to seal it with something, but I didn't have any luck with that, so I can't help you there! The clear acrylic I put on my lovely turquoise stand made the paint blister. My plan is to use my stands for things like cupcakes where the food doesn't directly touch the cake plate, or to put a cardboard cake circle or a doily or something between the cake stand and the food.

Thanks for Stopping By!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by on Giveaway Day. So much fun! I know we look forward to it every time!

Max became a big brother on Giveaway Day. Welcome baby Owen! In his honor, we decided to give away an extra prize. Our winners are dearmrsreese and Genevieve P! You'll be hearing from us soon!

PS--You really do need to include an email!! We had to throw out a few winners because we had no way of contacting them!

May 2010 Giveaway Day!

Ok! Now the comments are closed! Thanks for visiting.

It is here again: Sew, Mama, Sew's May Giveaway Day! If you're coming over from their blog, you have many more places to visit before the day is over, so we'll keep this post short and sweet. Max and Ellie is giving away any item valued at $10 or less from our shop. We have Itty Bitty Boo-Boo Kits, Fabric-Covered Button Bobbies, and Cute as a Button Earrings (get them before we list them in the shop!!), all for under $10*. To enter, simply visit our shop, then come back to this post and leave a comment telling us what items you love! Be sure to include your email address too. We'll close the comments and randomly choose a winner on Thursday, May 20th at around 9:00 AM Pacific Time. This contest will only be open to US residents. Best of Luck!!

*We have lots of items that aren't listed in the shop yet that you can choose from if you win. We'll just send you pictures of everything and you can choose the item you want!

I'm Not Ignoring You, I Promise

So, it isn't that I haven't been busy Max and Ellie-ing. Quite the opposite, actually. I've been working my little tail off (although, not literally; that would be too wonderful, wouldn't it!) getting things ready for a craft boutique. Last Holiday season, a few friends and I threw together a little craft boutique. Much to our surprise and delight, it was pretty well-attended, so much so, that we decided to make it a biannual event. Our first ever spring boutique is coming up next Friday, and I've been cutting and sewing and gluing like a mad woman making this's and that's. To date, I have made:

6 Little Artist Crayon Kits


12 Little Chef Aprons


5 Infant Carseat Covers
(with more to come because Max's mommy is overdue with baby #2 and I told her to just send me her fabric)


20-something Itty Bitty Boo-Boo Kits


18 pairs of adorable earrings and 2 lovely necklaces (with hopefully 5 more to follow)


6 Little Baby Blankies


plus business cards, displays, stickers, etc.

If you're in the Eugene area next Friday, I'd love to see you! Click HERE for the details. And check back next Monday for a fun give-away as part of Sew, Mama, Sew's May Giveaway Day!