How To Turn A Thrifted Cake Stand Into A Simple Bird Feeder

Thrift stores are a gold mine for unique kitchenware, and cake stands are no exception. If you've ever wandered around the home goods section of your local second-hand shop, you've probably seen one or two sitting around. Odds are, they have some quirks and interesting designs to them, which make them the perfect item to upcycle for other creative uses. For our purposes today, that thrifted cake stand is a fun kitchen item you can turn into a DIY bird feeder.

It doesn't get much simpler than placing a cake stand in the garden and sprinkling bird seed across the plate. In fact, any style cake stand will do. You can use a vintage one if that's your vibe, or even a tiered stand if you want something taller. This DIY is low effort and easy on the wallet. Not only is it budget-friendly because we're using a thrifted item, but you could also DIY your very own bird seed. All you need are sunflower seeds, which most birds enjoy, and maybe add in safflower seeds if you want to attract more cardinals.

Of course, there are many ways to spruce up your cake stand bird feeder, which we'll address below. But for the basic transformation, all you'll need is an old cake stand and the bird seed of your choice. Supplies for these upgrades include paint, antique teacups, a hot glue gun with glue sticks, and a three-point hanging basket chain.

Once you have a cake stand and bird seed, you can set it out and watch the birds feast. But as always, we have some options for you to get creative and elevate the bird feeder. For starters, you can paint the cake stand to give it a new look. Repaint it in a solid color to stand out in the garden, or add designs like polka dots, stripes, or honeybees. You might be wondering: Is it safe to paint a bird feeder? To keep our feather friends safe, it's important to look for paint that's water-based and labeled non-toxic and zero-VOC, which stands for volatile organic compounds.

If you want to be able to put more bird seed out at once, you can pick up a few teacups at the thrift store when you get the cake stand. Use hot glue to attach the bottoms of the teacups to the plate of the cake stand. Then fill each cup with bird seed. You can also turn it into a hanging bird feeder by attaching a three-point hanging basket chain. To do so, simply drill three holes at equal distances around the circumference of the plate and attach a single chain hook to each hole. Then hang the entire thing up with the top S-hook. This is a great way to hang it at the end of a covered patio or on a shepherd's hook in the yard.