How to make a vintage cake stand

If, like me, you long for the days of Victorian decadence – when tea was served in china regardless of the location and slumming it might mean forfeiting the finger bowl but never napkins – then this craft project is for you. Nothing makes a party look as elegant as a cake stand, while a pretty one can lift even the most humble shop-bought pastry into something worthy of a Parisian patisserie. Here's my guide to making one of your very own for under a tenner.

You will need:

a selection of plates
a three-tier cake-stand fitting (can be found on eBay or many online craft stores and usually cost about £6)
a fully charged cordless drill with a tile drill-bit. This is important because a normal drill-bit will break your plates
a screwdriver
a pen
a tape measure

Step one

Probably the most time consuming part of the process is sourcing your plates. Charity shops, car boots and jumble sales are great for this. Remember, they don't have to match – in fact it can look prettier and more unique if they don't. I always try to tie the plates together in some way, whether through a theme (eg birds, flowers or toile) or complimentary colours, but this is entirely up to you.

You'll need a dinner plate for the bottom, a side plate for the middle and either a saucer or teacup for the top. Be warned: very occasionally, if a plate has a hairline crack or is especially delicate, it will break when you drill it, so this is not a project to undertake with your grandmother's irreplaceable dinner service.

Step two

Make sure your plate is clean and dry. With your tape measure, take the diameter of the plate, using your pen to mark the middle. This will act as your drill guide.

Step three

Time to put on those safety goggles. Always drill your plate somewhere it won't slip, and where you aren't going to ruin into something valuable underneath. A workbench is ideal but if, like me, you don't have one of these, put it on the grass in your garden. Before I start, I put a little bit of water on the plate to keep the drill bit and plate cold. Slowly drill where you have marked the middle until you've passed all the way through. Repeat until all three plates have holes in the centre. It's worth noting that the glaze on some vintage plates makes them impossible to drill through. In these cases, you'll unfortunately have to find another plate.

Step four

Start with your bottom plate. Put your washers on and then poke the bottom screw into the plate.

Put a soft washer on the topside of this plate and then apply the cake stand fitting. Repeat until all three fixings have been attached. A small saucer is more normal for the top tier, but for an "Alice in Wonderland" feel try that china cup – perfect for putting pretzels or lollipops in.

Step five

Hold the most magnificent tea party, with your new cake stand taking centre stage.