Rainbow Dessert Stand

At my Rainbow Birthday Party for my 5 year old twins, we served a variety of desserts on a cute rainbow colored tiered stand.  I thought I'd show you a quick before and after.

These elements started out as tired, dated Goodwill finds that I usually wouldn't have given a second glance.  With a few light coats of primer and then spray paint, new life was breathed into them!

I let the plates, glassware, and wooden candlesticks cure for a few days after the paint was dry.  Then, I used E3000 glue to stick the pieces together.  I glued each candlestick to a plate and let that dry overnight and then glued it all together and let it dry overnight a second time.

Let me be perfectly clear, I completely understand that spray paint is NOT food safe.  I used paper doilies as liners on the two smaller plate tiers.  The bottom tier is an oval shape and I just couldn't get it to look quite right, so I just encouraged certain family members to eat those cookies.  Just kidding.  I just decided it wasn't that big of a deal to me and I went for it.  You can decide what you're comfortable with.  If I did it again, I would choose a round platter instead of an oval.

A few hints that might make this easier for you:
 - Use self etching primer made for metal or glass on your ceramic or glassware
 - Before applying your glue, line up your pieces and mark them with a pencil.  It's easier when it's not covered with sticky glue.
 - Try to find pieces that aren't super heavy.  Cheaper quality dishes seemed to be lighter.  You don't want the whole thing to be top-heavy.
 - Be patient!  This project requires a little planning ahead.  I spent a lot of time waiting between coats of spray paint and letting the glue dry properly.

I gently hand washed this after the party.  It seemed to hold up well.  However, I don't expect it to be an heirloom piece.  I spent less than $10 on thrift store items and used a lot of spray paint that I already had.  So considering the cost, I feel like I've already gotten my money's worth out of it!

Rainbow Birthday Party

Our twins just turned 5 (eek!) and they requested a rainbow birthday party. I jokingly called it a Pinterest party because I felt like it was a breeze to plan with all of the fab rainbow party ideas people have pinned.  I'll share some details on a few of the ideas that were a bit more original.

 We set up a super easy photo booth backdrop with rainbow colored streamers.  I'll post more details on that later in the week. 

 I'll show you some before and after pictures of my rainbow cake stand.  Thrift store plates have never looked better with a little spray paint!

One of my favorite things about this party was my girls' involvement.  All three of them were really able to help make a lot of the decorations.  They really enjoyed being included and took a lot of pride in showing their guests their creations.

We typically just invite family to birthday parties, so my kids are usually the only kids present.  This time, they asked why we never get to play games at their parties.  So, I made up a quick game.  I covered a scrap piece of plywood in a plastic tablecloth and hot glued balloons on it.  Before I inflated the balloons, I added small prizes like candy, plastic jewelry, bouncy balls, coins, and a few scratch off lottery tickets.  I used Sharpies to color each side of a dice (die?) a different color.  When it was your turn, you rolled the dice and then got to choose a balloon of that color to pop and get the prize.  The girls insisted that the adults play as well and they were thrilled with their simple game.

In case you're interested, the girls' super cute tie dyed dresses are from the Etsy shop inspiring color.  They are great!  I highly recommend her items! They washed wonderfully and the colors are so vibrant.

I'll be back later in the week to share a few more details!