I have been making the rounds of the dump “stores” this summer on a regular basis and found these old cookie tins one week. There are sooo many of these tins out there that I wanted to upcycle them into something useful and make a tiered stand.
Tiered stands are perfect to use just about anywhere in your space. This one was either going to be for office things or decor… frankly I’m still not sure 😉
Each of the tins got two coats of Country Chic Paint in Coastal Fog on all sides to start.
Coastal Fog is a beautiful cross between grey and beige… greige. I love how it pulls in both the greys and beiges in a space.
To give the tins some space between them, I cut one of those spindles I never seem to run out of in half and gave it a coat of Fusion Mineral Paint in Casement.
Before adding the spindle, I needed to find the middle to make sure the stand stood true.
Here’s a little trick to find the middle of each tin… Trace the tin on a piece of paper. Cut out the circle and then fold in quarters. Once you have the middle, place the paperback on the tin and drive a nail through the centre.
Once you have the middle marked, you will know where to add the glue.
I used Gorilla Glue to keep all of the pieces of my tiered stand together. I also found that the Gorilla Epoxy worked really well too. I tried several different types of glue and these were, by far, the best ones.
To help with organization (and because I still wasn’t sure what I was going to put in each tin) I painted on little labels using a sticky stencil.
For the labels, Midnight Sky was perfect because when it dries, you can write on it just like a chalkboard!
I added some little wood knobs (that came with my hoard of spindles!) as feet.
I still can’t decide where I want to use my tiered stand but maybe that’s the best part… I can switch it up and use it in different places when the fancy strikes 🙂
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Great job on a reduce, reuse, recycle project that makes attractive decor piece on a budget. I would even consider using branches for a bit more rustic/rugged presence and “rust” paint..maybe even an entire branch with multiple side branches for a tall multi tier organizer….the possibilities are endless. Good job.
Thanks so much and I love the branch and rust ideas!! Incorporating nature any way I can is always a bonus for me 😉 You are so right… the possibilities are endless!
I loved your project!!! Cookie tins are in many dollar stores during the holidays? Right? Anyway ‘s my question is what if you don’t have a stash of spindles, where could I find them? and the top of the spindle would they have to be to be flat on top?……duh of course!
Thanks so much Gina! You can purchase spindles at places like Home Depot, Lowes etc… The usually have a fairly good selection as well. They are pretty in expensive as well. You can also try places like the Habitat REuse store; they usually have some as well. And yes, 🙂 you would want it to be flat on top 😉 – that will definitely make it easier 😉 Have fun!
Can these be used to store food in? (fruit) If so what kind of paint should I use.
Hi Lillie, Yes you could store fruit in them. Since the fruit that you would put in them would generally have a peel on it, it wouldn’t matter what paint you use to paint the tins but I would not put wax over the paint. Some of the waxes have chemicals in them that you would not want against your fruits. Any of the paints with a top coat built in like a laytex, Fusion Mineral Paint or Country Chic Paint would all be good to use.
Oh my, girl you are nailing these projects. Lovin it! Must make it!
😉 Thanks so much! Have fun!!
Very nice!
Do you have to prime the cookie tins before painting and do you use spray paint or a brush?
No, you do not need to prime the tin at all. I just used the paint directly on the tin and it adhered beautifully. I used a brush on these tins.
I had a question. You used a mail to mark the center and then glued them together. The nail wasn’t nailed in to keep it together?
Correct, I just used the nail to make the centre. You could definitely use a nail or screw to add some extra strength to the stack. My spindles had holes in the middle so it was difficult but if you spindle was solid it would be a good idea to add a nail or screw to keep them all tight.
What a great way to reuse cookie tins! I’m always seeing cookie tins at the thrift store. Nice color, and I like how you added the labels. Nice job! Thanjs for the tip on finding the center! Pinning!
I know right?! They are everywhere when you are at thrift shops. I have so many I needed to think of something to do with them 😉 I am so glad you liked it Linda and thank you for pinning!
This is really pretty Lisa. In fact this one may be the prettiest one I’ve seen yet! Love the chalkboard labels.
Thanks so much Mary. That is so sweet of you.
Love this idea, what a great way to recycle old cookie tins! Pinned and sharing
Aww thanks so much Marie! There are just so many of these tins around I thought this was a fun way to use a few 😉
Hi, I'm Lisa!
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