DIY Cake Stand Made From Thrifted Dishes. Also What?! Eco-Friendly(er) Spray Paint!

June 30th, 2013 - filed under: The Farm » Home

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I generally try to avoid Pinterest. Just as a rule.

Because it’s dangerous there! For a busy person with much too much web to surf already, Pinterest is like a no-mans-land of endless, utterly gleeful time suckage. Recipes! Decorating! CRAFT PROJECTS!

You know how it goes. It’s basically the holy grail of design porn, which is so awesome and totally dangerously addictive at the same time. And that’s why I mostly stay away.

But hey, I’m a DIY enthusiast and a secondhand shopping junkie and a sucker for a good repurposing/upcycling. And Pinterest is just chock full of those projects. Which is great! It means the rest of the world is crafting and conserving and reusing and thrifting as well. I’m all for it.


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Homemade cake stands brightened the spread at Waits’s second birthday party.


One thing I’ve noticed about so many DIY Pinterest projects, is their reliance on spray paint. Which makes sense – spray paint is cheap and quick, it’s easy to apply and it leaves an even coat with no brushstrokes. It’s ideal for DIY, but traditional spray paint is just about as toxic as you can get. Chock full of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that wreak havoc on the environment, and containing a chemical cocktail that can actually cause neurological damage, organ distress, or death . . . yeah, you could say they’re bad news.

The Good News?
So amazingly, spray paint manufacturers have begun to catch onto this whole “we actually care about the future of the planet” trend. And much to my surprise and delight, there’s now not one but TWO eco-friendly spray paints on the market. Pretty cool right?

1) The first is by Krylon – the Krylon H2O Latex Spray Paint – which is a big beautiful step in the right direction. Krylon H2O is a water-based, 100% acrylic latex formula. The VOC-emissions are reduced by 25-30%, and it eliminates 55% of the smog-causing chemical load in traditional spray paints.

Okay, so that’s an awesome improvement. Maybe it’s not perfect, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.

2) More recent on the scene is Plutonium Paint. And this? has got me really excited.

Plutonium spray paint is served up in a recyclable, tin-free steel can. It has zero – NONE – CFCs. Using Plutonium reduces the carbon footprint by 50% over traditional aerosol sprays. And to top it all off? It’s made in America!

I’m super excited about this product, and what it might mean for the future of eco-conscious crafting. You can learn more about Plutonium here.

*** just in case you were wondering, I am NOT affiliated with either of these products in any way. I just think they’re rad and I was happy to find them, so I’m sharing the love ***


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So this project – using thrifted, dirt cheap ugly old dishes and turning them into adorable, funky kitschy cake stands – is ridiculously easy. Like, literally 1-2-3 easy.

1. Procure dishes. Clean them.


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2. Glue the plates to the cups. I used Gorilla Glue, which is vegan, but many glues are NOT vegan – just something to be aware of as a conscientious crafter!

Anyway, use books or something else that’s heavy to keep the dishes good and stuck while the glue dries completely.


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3. Spray paint! (note – I left the tops unpainted on some of these, because I didn’t like the idea of the food touching the paint. On others, I painted the tops and then used some pretty doilies – also thrifted!)


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And that’s that. Happy eco-conscious crafting!

  • andrea

    Love your DIY posts :)))

  • http://coconutandberries.com/ coconutandberries

    This is fabulous! How awesome to find eco-friendly spray paints.
    And gosh I can relate on the pinterest front- it’s ridiculously addictive :S

  • http://www.sweetandsavoring.com/ Christy Milford

    Fantastic! So clever and so easy. I’m super excited about the spray paint, since I’ve been wanting my husband to use something more health & eco friendly with his art. Here it is! Thanks so much :)

  • Karen Myers

    Ha! I pinned this idea last year. I should make a couple for Rowan’s first birthday!

  • Karen Myers

    Pinning is a great way to market your blog though. You can pin photos of your recipes, all of your loyal followers will repin them, then they will get shared and clicked through to your site…all for free. (unless you count the time it takes to pin them)

  • http://www.thevegancookiefairy.com/ The Vegan Cookie Fairy

    ADORBS. Seriously. And thank you for reminding me that non-vegan ingredients sneak their way into the unlikeliest of products, as I tend to forget! I’ll keep that in mind next time I tackle a DIY project. (BTW, what’s your opinion on wool? I like knitting. A lot. And I don’t want to stop.)

    Yep, Pinning is addictive. But I don’t find it as addictive as Tumblr!

  • http://helloveggy.wordpress.com/ Suzanne

    Cute! I love DIYs; I recently posted one for a cutlery case on my blog :) Check it out!! http://helloveggy.com/2013/06/26/easy-no-sew-diy-eco-friendly-cutlery-case/

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Thanks! I should do more of them! =D

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Soooo addictive. Dangerous! But also fantastic, haha.

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Yay! I know a lot of artists who rely on spray paint (there’s really nothing comparable) so I was SO happy to discover these. I’m glad to pass along the info!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Oh I agree, I do use Pinterest and try to pin my “pinnable” posts. But I think I don’t “get” Pinterest all the way. Like, the community/networking aspect of it. Oh, so much social media, so little time. =D

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Yes! Non-vegan ingredients show up in all the sneakiest places. Sometimes I forget too. As for wool, I don’t/won’t use it. I’m just not comfortable with any sort of system that makes animals a commodity, because in my experience once money/value is involved, there’s no way to do it without in some way sacrificing the interests of the animals. Just my opinion. I know Kittee is huge into knitting and super friendly, you may want to hit her up for vegan knitting/textiles advice. =)

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Thanks!

  • Annie

    You can get cotton yarn in most places (actually, a lot of the ‘wool’ is cotton, or synthetic). I prefer cotton, it doesn’t cause any skin issues, it’s easier to wash and doesn’t warp, and it doesn’t smell funny when it gets caught in the rain.

  • andrea

    definitely :)))

  • Karen Myers

    There is too much of it! I usually feel on top of it, but then things get crazy and I miss a post (like this reply) for 6 days. I use so much social media in my work as a freelance marketer that I run out of steam to do it for myself. I keep itching to resurrect and reinvent my blog, but then the thought of maintaining it makes me itch in a different way! LOL!

  • sweetteapartysupplies.com.au

    Great ideas…..I am really impressed. I would definitely try it out. It seems easy and creative too. Love it.

  • Laurie Stephens

    I have a small furniture paint shop called the Redposie and believe me I was so happy to come across Plutonium spray paint.. I love our earth and try do all I can to use safe products like Plutonium Spray Paint

  • Christina Barile

    OMG cute! And finally a use for my “501 Spanish Verbs” book.

  • Alisha Paz

    Hi I have a wedding reception coming up soon and I purchased a beautiful cake topper but it needs a coat of silver or chrome to match the cake. Any recommendations on spray pain or paints in general that would be safe to color this cake topper with but not hazardous to place in the cake??

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    I don’t know about spray paints but I know they make food-safe paints. I’m not familiar with the particulars though. Sorry!