1st birthday party - Cupcake tower

 I really liked the idea of having a tall cupcake tower to hold the cupcakes I had in mind for Lily's birthday party, but they can get kind of pricy.  I also wanted something I could customize to match the colors of her party.  I found this blank white cardboard tower (below) on eBay for $18.

 I figured if I was going to pay $18 for a customizable cupcake stand, I wanted to be able to customize it for more than one occasion.  I bought scrapbook paper for covering each layer, and ribbon for around the edges.

 I took each layer and traced the shape on the wrong side of the paper.  I then cut out each shape.  For the bottom two layers I had to use more than one sheet glue the pieces together.

 Once each circle was cut out, I used this removable adhesive applicator to secure the paper onto each layer.  This way I can switch out the paper to match the theme of each party I use this tower for.

After the paper was added I used double sided tape to add the ribbon around each row.  I used the tape because I wanted it to be removable.  It was fine for a one-time-thing although it did tend to come off when tampered with.  It worked for this party, but if you are worried about it coming off I might use a glue gun.  I just don't know if you'd be able to get the ribbon off when you were done.

The top tier is the perfect size for an 8-inch cake, so we added a small birthday cake for her on top.

This was a perfect way to display Lily's cat and dog cupcakes for this party!