Chic Snack Stands

I think I put off making these stands longer than I'd care to admit. I kept having visions of myself shattering lots of nice plates, flinging glass everywhere, and injuring myself doing it. I was very wrong. It was so much easier than I had imagined.

The first plate I tried doing really discouraged me. I drilled into it for about 10 minutes and only made one little knick in the plate. I am here to tell you that there are just some plates you can't drill into. Of course my first would be the only one not capable of drilling. Just my luck. I attempted another plate and within seconds I had a perfect hole in the middle. After drilling into several different plates and cups I can now tell you that with some plates you just need to be patient. A plate can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes to drill into. At the end of 10 minutes if all you've made with the drill is a knick, chances are that plate cannot be drilled into.

Here's how you get started:

The drill bit pictured is a 5/16" drill bit made for glass, ceramics, and tile. Boy is this little thing amazing! It comes in many sizes but I felt that this was the best size for what I was trying to accomplish. I bought it at my local hardware store. I think just about any hardware store would carry it.

I used a dry erase marker to mark a spot in the middle. You can use any type of marker, this is just the one I had on hand. If you can eyeball the middle then you don't even need a marker.

Next, it is VERY important that you use water. I didn't know this at first and I tried drilling into a plate without the water....wow! Porcelian was flying everywhere and it made one of the most terrible noises i've ever heard. This being said, even with the water, it is important that you are wearing some sort of eye protection. This project is not worth losing an eye for! Pour enough water to cover the base of the plate in an even layer. Then begin drilling!

Again, be patient! Apply a small amount of pressure and wait until the drill bit penitrates the dish. Do not rush this process. Applying too much pressure may cause the dish to crack.

Repeat this process with as many plates and dishes as you would like. I drilled into plates, cups, bowls, ceramic tart pans, gravy bowls, and teapots.

The 3 pink things pictured are called Tier Hardeware. I couldn't find any place local that sold them so I bought them online for about $5 per set of 3. I bought them in gold, silver, white, black, and pink. With these you can also make the decision of making however many tiers you would like. I made 2-tiered and 3-tiered stands but you can go as high as you would like on yours.

I even made a couple plates that had no tiers but had the hardware in the middle. Fancy!

Once you have all of your dishes and tier hardware together you just screw them together. It's as easy as that!

I just love how there are so many options for making these beauties! You can make them to whatever suits your taste. Happy Drilling!