Decorative Metal Buffet Stand

Welcome to our first "Do It Over Designers" Blog Hop for 2025! In case you haven't heard, the "Do It Over Designers" is a group of creative bloggers who love to recycle/upcycle/ DIY, hosted by  Anne @The Apple Street Cottage. It happens the 4th Saturday of every other month and it's all about taking something old and/or unused and 'doing it over' into something new. Thanks Anne for hosting this wonderful blog hop!

OMG! I couldn't believe I came across this vintage looking stand at my local Goodwill for $4! It had layers of dust on the metal finish but otherwise in good shape! And a little bit of soap and water took care of that! I did go online to see if there was anything out there similar, but I couldn't find one.

I guess you're wondering why this stand is so special! Well, you've heard the saying, "a  coat of paint does wonders?" It's one of the most transformative but simple way to update something! And, just take a look at the cool design of the stand in the next couple of pictures!

Imagine it painted in one of my favorite colors! A purple hue, lol! Since it's been so cold (in the single digits) and snowy here, I had to hand paint this beauty using a sponge brush and DecoArt Metallic Acrylic paint in Berry! Otherwise, I would have spray painted it!

Here's the finished look:

Are you wondering what I'm going to do with this stand! It's perfect to hold one of my old Corning Ware Vision Cranberry Casserole and Lid container! Did you know this Corning Ware style was made back in the early nineties?  How cool is this!

And it's a perfect fit!

Plus, this chic metal stand provides an attractive way to present a variety of foods. You can add a plate or bowl to display just about any type of dish! Especially if you want to highlight a favorite recipe and present it higher than the level of the table!

I love the design and color of this decorative plate and displaying it on my newly finished stand is just so fabulous!

Now, thanks to this lovely 'do over' stand, I can serve some of my dishes with a decorative flair - a lovely way to showcase special dishes or treats! Isn't it amazing what a little bit of paint can do! 

Be sure to visit all of this month's creative projects by the  "Do It Over Designers"  listed below:

Modern on Monticello

Pandora’s Box

Purple Hues & Me

Southern Sunflowers

Unique Creations by Anita

Sum of Their Stories

Birdz of a Feather

Tea and Forget-Me-Nots

Vintage Style Gal

The Apple Street Cottage

Exquisitely Unremarkable

Little Vintage Cottage

Cord Wrapped Wire Basket

Hello and welcome to our first Creative Craft Hop of 2025!  We have two wonderful hosts - Donna @ Modern on Monticello and Sara @Birdz of a Feather who take turns every other month! The lovely and creative Sara is our host this month!  

I'm so glad you're here! If you're coming over from Cecilia @ My Thrift Store Addiction, wasn't her Winter Garden Sign adorable!  

Who doesn't love making handmade baskets for upcoming celebrations like Valentines' Day, Easter and Mother's Day - or just about any type of celebration!  You can rest assured that a handcrafted basket is the perfect all time unique gift! And the best part about making this one is that you will start by using a recycled plastic snack container! I love using recycled items! Don't you? Plus, all of the supplies used came from my stash! A win win all around! So let's get started!

You'll need: 

• Plastic snack container
• Hot glue/Fabri-Tac glue
• 6mm decorative 2ply twist cord
• 2mm 16" floral wire 
• 3mm macrame cord
• Ruler/scissors
• Wire snips
• Round shape container
• Clamps
• Wire - 28 gauge

Disclosure I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, this post may contain links. I may receive a very small commission at no cost to you! The affiliate money I earn helps pay my crafting expenses. Thanks so much for your support!

How To:

I started with a clean plastic snack container I found in my recycle bin. I have no idea what was in it - but, I think nuts. The container had a nice plastic clear top that I saved for another time. Next, I got out some of my heavy duty floral wire stems (16") and started measuring one to cut out at .  .  .

 six and a quarter inches. Once one stem was cut, I used that one to cut out the others instead of using a ruler to measure each one. It was easier for me that way.

Once all the wires were cut - I guessed how many I needed - I used a small round glass to give the wires a curvy shape.

Next, I added glue around the base of the container and began wrapping the fancy cord on top of the glue .  .  .

three times.

Then I started gluing on one end of the curved floral wire as close to the cord as possible, first using the clock positions of six and twelve. 

         

After those two wires were glued on, used a full 16" floral wire size to glue on the ends in the 3 and 9 positions for the handle. Clamped the wire in place until the glue dried completely. 

Once the glue was dry for the handle, using a wire cutter, snipped the handle in half at the top. Do this for weaving the cord  over and under around the container.  Begin gluing on the rest of the curvy wires (21 odd # total ) - adding glue to the container and pushing the ends of the wires under the cord in a uniform manner around the container. 

Cover those glued on wire ends with one more cord wrap around for a total of four rows. Then begin wrapping a decorative cord over and around one wire and over the next for a decorative wrap look three times around the container.

Once you've made three decorative cords around the wires of the container, begin adding the plain macrame cord - securing one end with glue and then going over and under the wires - once again, around the container.

Continue going over and under, pushing the cord down to close any gaps and to tighten and hide any floral wire that is showing until .  .  .
you've gone over and under around about thirteen times. Then begin adding a row of decorative cording, going over and under around the container .  .  .

three times.

Cutting off the decorative cord excess, adding glue to cord end and securing inside the basket.  

To make the decorative top, starting near the wire handle, begin pulling two wire cords out and two wire cords up. Continue alternating two wire cords out and two cords up around the entire container.

 Once that's done, add a bit of glue to one end of the decorative cord and insert down into the inside of wrapped cords until dry. Then begin going over and under the wire stems, pushing the cord down together to close any gaps as you wrap. Are noticing the decorative star design of the wrapped wire cords? So cool!

Once you've wrapped around enough wires, push the decorative cords down around the wire and add hot glue to secure the cording on the wire. Let dry before moving on to the next one.

Once the glue is completely dry, begin cutting off the excess wire leaving the . . .

wire handles.

To close the handle, use another piece of curvy wire and wrap ends together using 28 gauge wire. Add a bit of hot glue to the wire and handle to keep the handle from coming loose. 

Then begin wrapping the handle with macrame cord. First adding a bit of glue to secure the cord to the handle and . . .

wrapping the cord around and around . . .

the handle. Securing the end with glue.

I'm so loving this design!

These pictures cannot begin to show the amazing sparkling effect of the gold and lavender weaving technique! The finished piece is quite beautiful to see!

Perfect to hold my chocolate candy - or anything to your liking!

I hope you enjoyed my cord wrapped wire basket! Imagine making adorable baskets for any occasion with this cool technique! Give it a try!

Up next is Jenna @ The Painted Apron, sharing her lovely Valentine Tree you don't want to miss! Jenna is so talented with her creative artistry!

And be sure to check out all of the talented bloggers sharing their amazing creations listed below:

Valentine's Heart Shaped Air Dry Clay Dish

Drab to Fab Spruced Up Winter Garden Sign

Cord Wrapped Wire Basket

Valentine Tree

Free DIY Valentine's Day Treat Bag Toppers using Printables

Decoupage Hearts

DIY Charm Necklace

Lantern Floral Swag For Winter In Black and White

Crushed Glass Valentine-No Resin

DIY Pottery Barn Vase Dupe

Christmas Light Bulb Cookies

 

I'm joining a group of talented, creative ladies sharing their delicious Christmas cookie recipes for this awesome hop Twelve Days of Cookies Recipes starting on December 1st! It's sponsored by  Janet @Try It - Like It! From December 1-12, a brand-new cookie recipe will be shared daily, offering a delicious lineup of treats to inspire your holiday baking. Stay tuned for mouthwatering creations you won’t want to miss! This is such a unique hop concept which is active for 12 days!. A brand-new cookie recipe will be shared daily, offering a delicious lineup of treats to inspire your holiday baking.   

Be sure to visit each and everyone on their designated day. The links will be updated each day so don’t forget to visit often to access each recipe

 Twelve Days of Christmas

Cookie Blog Hop  

Dec 1	Birds of a Feather	Ice Cream Sandwich Recipe
Dec 2	Tales of Belle	Danish Pebernødder Cookies
Dec 3	Jenron Designs	Movie Night Toffee Pretzel & Popcorn Cookies
Dec 4	Sum of their Stores	Chocolate Orange Porridge Oat Cookies
Dec 5	Esme Salon	Easy and Fun French Macarons Recipe!
Dec 6	Our Hopeful Home	Belgian Butter Waffle Caramel Sandwich Cookies
Dec 7	Purple Hues and Me	Christmas Light Bulb Cookies
Dec 8	Rose Bakes	M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dec 9	Painting in the Dark	Sugar Balls
Dec 10	Get Inspired by Faith	No-Bake Candycane Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Dec 11	Jupiter Hadley	Chewy Lemon Cookies
Dec 12	Save Money Fever	Piped Butter Cookies

Today, December 7th is my recipe sharing day for Christmas Light Bulb Cookies:

If you're coming over from Kathleen @ Our Hopeful Home, welcome! Doesn't her Belgian Butter Waffle Caramel Sandwich Cookies look delicious!

I'm not much of a pastry baker but every now and then I'll try out a recipe that looks interesting and inviting! Sometime ago, I was intrigued by an adorable picture and recipe of cookie light bulbs I saw on Pinterest. They looked quite pretty and unique - perfect for Christmas - so I decided to give it a try!

How to Make Christmas Light Bulb Cookies 

Gather: 

• 3 cups of all-purpose Flour
• 1/2 tsp. kosher Salt
• 2 sticks Butter (room temperature)
• 2 oz Cream Cheese (room temperature)
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 large Egg
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Plastic wrap, parchment paper, bulb shaped cookie cutter, skewer
• Frosting and asst. Sprinkles 
• Shoestring Licorice 

Directions:

Whisk together flour and salt. Beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy for 2-3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture until combined. Divide dough in half, flatten into batches and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On a floured surface, roll one batch of dough to 1/4" thick. Cut out cookies with a 3" light bulb shaped cookie cutter.  

Make a hole in the top of each cookie with a skewer - spinning it around to make sure the hole is large enough for the licorice shoestring.

Bake until edges are golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Cool on pan for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

Spread a thin layer of frosting on each cookie and .  .  .

decorate with different kinds of sprinkles.

Thread licorice strings through holes for an edible version of a cookie garland!

Can you tell my cookie decorating skills are somewhat lacking! Lol!

A delicious treat .  .  .

or a homemade tree decoration!

December 8th features Rose Bakes sharing her recipe for M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies! Hmmm, sounds yummy! You must check this recipe out!

Happy Christmas Cookies Baking!!!!