A Couple of Finished Cake Stands and Starting a New Design

Here are two newly completed custom wood cake stand orders from my Etsy customers.  These are photos from inside my shop, so excuse the mess!  I've been too busy to be bothered with something as mundane as cleaning :)

First, there is Carolines stand, and the design process that led to the final product .  She started out liking this one:

Original Design X Stand

This was my first truly original design.  It is 8" wide at the base, 5.5" tall, and it had a 12" top on it.  She wanted an 18" round top on hers, but after testing the stability with a top that big, I decided it was too unstable.  I told her we needed to make the base a little wider, and that I wanted to change the way the legs met in the middle.  This was the first design change in rough form.  I maintained the same height, but stretched the legs out to 10" wide.  I also changed the way they joined in the middle.

Modified base on left side

When I got home and uploaded the pictures,  I didn't like the way the legs lost the arc on the underside.  I had a thought about making the center joint come up more so the arc would flow up to the center section, instead of running horizontal like the way it is in the picture.  I sent the picture to Caroline along with my idea, and she agreed, so back to the drawing board!  This is what I came up with.

Final revision

I liked this much better and so did she.  Notice how the center is raised slightly and the legs maintain the arc?  It just seems to flow better to me.  Now the end result.

Finished Stand

Caroline chose to leave all the edges very neat and square and also the paint color, which was a Martha Stewart color called Araucana Teal, available at The Home Depot.  I think it looks great!

This just goes to show how projects evolve.  I think the alterations have changed the look so much that it can't really be described as an "X" stand anymore.  I've had a few people tell me it looks more "Asian" in design.  What do you think?

The next stand is also an original design.  It is my Arc Leg Stand.  Aileen contacted me on Etsy and was sounding a little frazzled to say the least.  She's getting married July 30th and needed an oval to cake stand to fit her cake.  You ever tried to find an oval top cake stand?  Okay you found one, now is it the right size?  Didn't think so.  Aileen needed her top to be be 19x15.  The one I have listed on Etsy is one I did for one of my sisters cakes that was18x14.5 and is 5" tall.  I made this new one for her by stretching the dimensions out a little bit.

Aileens Oval Top Cake Stand

Finally, I have a new project/order in the works this week.  The mother of the bride contacted me in need of an 8 tier cupcake stand and four matching individual cake stands.  The project involves scalloped edges, organza lace ribbon, and fuchsia/cream paint.  I will need to do a separate blog about this one because of the challenges it has presented.  Stay tuned for more, but here is a picture of the rough prototype.

Now it's off to the shop I go!