Make a Woodland Dessert Stand

Dessert stands are a whimsical way to present desserts or appetizers for a special event. Birthdays, weddings, tea parties, or garden parties and other summer gatherings are perfect occasions for a festive table for foods and desserts. A Woodland Dessert Stand goes well with any of the forest themes that have become popular over the years – owls, hedgehogs, foxes, fairies, and red and white mushrooms are common additions to the theme. This dessert stand takes only minutes to put together and it looks beautiful!

Materials needed to make a Woodland Dessert Stand:

• 2 recycled tin cans – washed and dried
• 2 tree slices of different sizes – these can be purchased at Michaels or other craft stores if you prefer not to cut your own
• A package of moss sheets, also found at the craft store
• Scissors
• A hot glue gun and accompanying glue sticks

Directions to make a Woodland Dessert Stand:

1. Remove the moss sheet from the package and smooth it out.
2. Lay one of your can on the sheet to see how wide you will need to cut it. Cut the sheet along that width.
3. Wrap the trimmed sheet around the can until the ends slightly overlap – trim the excess sheet.
4. Use hot glue to apply the moss sheet to the can.
5. Repeat the above steps with the other can.
6. Wash the surface of the tree slices with a little bit of warm water and soap.  Allow this to dry.
7. Use hot glue to attach the moss covered cans to your tree slices so that the larger slice is on the bottom and the smaller slice is at the top.
8. Some moss sheets can have an odor to them – it helps to put them outside or in direct sunlight to air them out before putting food on the stand.

I used my stand for these cupcakes. You can top your cupcakes with woodland themed cupcake toppers or any small plastic figurines.

Helpful hint: I was a little worried about the stand being able to hold heavy cupcakes and still stay upright and balanced – but it did fine! However, if I were to make this stand over again I would consider using a full (unopened) can on the bottom to keep it weighted down. Another option would be to use an empty can on the bottom, but fill it with something heavy like pennies or pebbles and then glue it to the wood slice.