While in the midst of cleaning the basement, I happened upon a few silver pieces that had been a part of many pieces that belonged to my in-laws. During their social days, entertaining with silver, good china, and crystal was a part of the societal landscape, and you pulled it out for company and special occasions.
Nowadays, having a bevy of these types of pieces is basically obsolete (unless you're in love with this stuff and then you probably have amassed tons of it anyway).
One of the pieces I found was this silver serving dish with top and I knew exactly how I wanted to give it new life.
What was especially great about this piece was that the top pull easily twisted off.
I went to the Dollar Tree in search of 2 candlesticks. Cost = $2.00!
I picked these particular votive holders because they were a bit more contemporary than the cut glass traditional ones AND they were two different heights. I knew this would work well with the final design I had in mind.
I gathered some additional supplies.
E6000, the mother of all permanent adhesives, a silver polishing cloth ( I wanted to leave much of the blackened patina as I could for a more rustic look), and my jar of Museum Wax.
If you are not familiar with Museum Wax it's a great gooey $6.00 substance that will keep things from tipping over - hence the reason museums use it so that valuable items do not tip inside their cases. It never goes bad. I've had this for 5 years now!
It's a removable product that also allows you to temporarily adhere or place things. Try it wherever you need something to stand straight (think candles) or not be pushed off surfaces (decor items for you cat lovers who think any item is fair game for swatting) or even if you place things in a movable vehicle like an RV.
I first used my silver polishing cloth around the edges to shine up the bits that were sticking up. I left the blackened patina alone in the decorative crevices.
Next, I measured front to back and side to side.
This gave me an idea about where the middle of the bottom piece would be for placement of the tallest candlestick.
I eyeballed the placement from there and dry placed the candlestick inside.
Using a small amount, I squeezed out a thin ring of E6000 on the very edge of the candlestick.
TIP: The candlestick base is concaved upwards. Placing the adhesive all over the underside would have been wasteful AND it would have shown through the glass as a "smooshy" mess. This small amount is enough to adhere the candlestick permanently to the silver without making it look like a kindergarten project.
Once I placed it in the "middle" I had a bit of time to move it back and forth so it was almost dead center.
I measured the distance from the opposite sides and crept it either way just a bit until I was satisfied with it.
It didn't have to be absolutely PERFECT, but it did need to be as close as I could get it because the lid was going to be placed on top of that and the balance would become an issue IF it was too terribly off.
I let it dry for about 6 hours.
I moved on with placing the handle on top of the smaller candlestick in much the same way as I just placed the taller one.
A thin bead around the perimeter and it fit EXACTLY over the votive bowl.
I let this dry for 6 hours as well.
When I came back, the taller candlestick was stick nicely to the base and I could easily pick it all up.
You can see the E6000 just a bit, but it's not a mess and looks like a ring on the actual base of the candlestick.
Now I needed to attach to the lid, upside down to the tall candlestick.
I was fortunate that the votive cup of the candlestick fit nicely around the attachment of the handle.
Another thin bead of E6000 on the votive cup and I eyeballed its placement on the lid.
Because the votive cup was clear glass I could see that there was about the same area all around the rim.
I also placed it upside down to dry so that the weight of the base would be on the candlestick, making the adhesion stronger.
I let this dry for about 6 hours as well.
And....
Here's the outcome!
It's perfect for a bathroom counter to use for makeup or personal toiletries.
Using the Museum Wax I placed the small candlestick with handle in the center of the top tier.
Here it is in the guest bathroom without the candlestick and handle. It gives the top tier more room if needed.
Again, with the topper, it makes a great place to keep and display jewelry.
Without the topper, it's a storage area for sunglasses.
I didn't stage this tiered stand with food, but that's always an option. It would look beautiful with fresh fruit, or snacks, or even on a table with dessert treats like cookies and cupcakes. Add a few paper doilies to the bottom (cut as needed) to make it elegant and sweet.
I also envision it holding wrapped utensils for a buffet.
It could easily hold jars of condiments for a buffet.
It's perfect for cheese and crackers topped with some grapes.
It could be used to hold essential oils and supplies.
See where I'm going with this...
ENDLESS USES from an unused piece in my basement!
You might wonder why I didn't permanently attach the top piece.
As I was constructing this, I thought about how I could get much more use out of a piece that had a bit more versatility, PLUS, how could I store it without the top getting broken.
I knew that I would NEVER carry this around by using the handle, but always by the bottom (because I would never assume that the construction would hold 100%).
I saw my Museum Wax as a way to help with this idea, and storing the top rested on its side made it an easy fit in my cabinet.
You may not have silver or even old plates in your home, but I bet if you hit your local thrift or "antique" stores you could find exactly something that you like.
TIP: This is a great way to use pieces of china that might have belonged to a grandparent or mother and there are several folks who want a piece of it (or no one wants ALL of it but would like a piece to remember). If you made it into serving pieces then each of you would get a part of the cherished memories. It could really solve a problem and everyone is happy in the end. (Just check to make sure that you're not sitting on an Antiques Roadshow million dollar find - research it on eBay or the internet prior to permanently altering it!)
Dollar Tree also has a variety of plates (and candlesticks) to make an endless amount of these for yourself or for gifts. You can go contemporary, traditional, timeless, or funky. It's all a matter of personal taste and what you pick.
E6000 can be picked up from any hardware or Wal*Mart or even Amazon.
Yep, I broke the rules and repurposed something to fit me.
Now, you go out and break some rules as well!
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