Mikes Amazing Stands: Photos of my projects

This is something that came to me one day. I love to surprise my little sister Jenniffer at Cup a Dee Cakes, and really like to keep her guessing. When she tells me about the cakes she's making, it gets my wheels turning. I like to come up with creative cake stands for her cakes to add a little more interest (Not that she needs it!). She told me about this cake and I thought it would be really cool to have it sit on top of a stand with some really pretty live goldfish. This was what I came up with, a custom acrylic aquarium cake stand.

Custom blue acrylic aquarium cake stand

These are some photos of it in use. The aquarium cake stand has been used to display a baby's first birthday cake, and at the Chattanooga Premier Bridal show to display the Koi cake designed by Cup a Dee Cakes .

Custom blue acrylic aquarium cake stand

Custom acrylic aquarium cake stand with Koi cake

Custom acrylic aquarium cake stand at the Chattanooga Premier Bridal show

This is a simple stand for a butterfly cake that was displayed at the Tennessee Aquarium. Read about it in this blog .

I made this stand out of a cypress tree knee (root) and a cypress slab.

Ever heard of a wonky cake? Here is an example and the support system I made for heavy cakes.

Need to make a cake like this?

This is what I came up with to support it with.

You can move the arms and legs, swivel the torso, whatever you need.

These are cake stands I made out of crown molding. Anybody that has ever worked with it knows it is tricky, and expensive. It really makes a beautiful stand.

Here is a support system I made for creating an upside down cake like this.

Upside down cake support

These tree slabs are very popular.

Stump stand

I made this spiral supported stand for another cake, but liked it better with this one.

Spiral Leg

Not a great picture, but the bride wanted a very simple angular base on this stand.

Simple angular base

One of my favorite stands.

Octagonal base

Bride requested this design to match the cake.

Ball foot base

This oval stand was originally designed and used on a grooms cake. It was made tall in order to arrange deer antlers underneath it.

Tall oval stand

This is a 7 tier cupcake stand I made to hold 250 cupcakes. It is huge (over 4 feet tall), and can be adjusted to be shorter by removing individual tiers.

250 cupcakes stand

This was another brainstorm of mine. I was goofing around on the lathe making different bases for cake stands and was thinking of my sister again. The different tiers on the cupcake stand can be taken off and put on to any of these bases which creates a lot of options. "You want a 12' top on this base, OK!", "A 16" base on that one, OK!". I painted a couple of the, just to show you could paint them to fit the design/colors of the cake. I also routed a small groove in the tops so you could incorporate a ribbon.

Cupcake stand system

Interchangeable bases

Ribbon groove

Ribbon installed

These are some butterfly houses I made. I liked this design because the openings for the butterflies were different. They can be hung up or set on a pole/post. I make the removable tops plain or with shingles and do not paint them because they can be decorated a million ways. I would personally rather have that option. Kids would enjoy painting them, don't you think.

This was my inspiration. I did not make it.

This is my creation

This one is sanded and has no shingles

This one is left rough for a more rustic look

Side by side comparisons. Sanded and rough

My youngest son Patrick and I made this one day. He liked the design and did the painting.

Love shack birdhouse inspiration (I didn't make)

Our creation

Pens. These are so much fun and easy to make on a lathe. My father passed this skill on to me years ago, and I still enjoy making them to this day. These make truly unique one of a kind gifts. I buy the hardware (pen guts) and either cut the pen blanks (the part I turn on the lathe) from wood I have or buy. You can use just about anything for a blank that can be turned. I've used woods of every kind, acrylic, corian, aluminum, and faux stone. Go to this website to see all the possibilities. I personally use their products and recommend them.

Old Christmas gifts I made

The aluminum pen was a challenge.

Third and fourth from the left are faux stone.

I glued up several different kinds of wood and angle cut them. A teachers pen is on the far right. It writes red on one end and blue on the other

The checkerboard pen was made out of ebony and holly I glued, cut apart, and reassembled before turning. It took days to get it right.

3rd pen from the left is made from corian. 6th from the left is my first attempt at a "Celtic Knot". I kept that for myself!

I taught my best friend Frank how to make these in my shop. They are his design and we really had a good time making them for his Auntie Norma. The hardware kits here allow you to make these up to 18" tall. These were only 8". Like pens, the materials and wood offer infinite variations.

Ambrosia Maple Salt and Pepper mills

A few birdhouses.

Large round birdhouse

Log cabin birdhouse with feeder tray

Six sided birdhouse. Special request from a friend

Top view

Engraved Monogram swing seat. See my blog post for the full story.

Cup a Dee Cakes blog about their photo station.

Photo station background rack

Side view

This is a stand and hood I made for myself several years ago for a large bow front corner aquarium. I have never attempted bending wood, and did a pretty good job for my first try. Just wish the pictures were better.