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.

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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.

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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.)

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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.

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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.

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