The height that cake stands (or pedestal servers) provide make them wonderful tools for creating pretty food displays for everything from appetizers to desserts. I've highlighted a few cool, ready-made cake stands below, but here's a tip if you just want to create your own stands using dishes that you already own...

Flip a small bowl upside down to act as the "pedestal", and simply place a plate on top of the bowl. For extra security, use a few very small dabs of hot glue to hold the 2 pieces together. Hot glue will peel off ceramic and glass dishes, so you don't have to worry about ruining them, but make sure not to use too much glue, or else the dishes can be difficult to pull apart. Less is definitely more in this case - or you can also use simple craft putty as your binding element if you'd prefer not to use hot glue.

Here goes with the five fabulous ready-made cake stand finds:

1. Birthday Party Cake Stand - Green
This colorful ceramic cake stand from Pottery Barn is super cute, and the perfect hue for the autumn and winter holidays! (Blue and orange are no longer available, but the fun green version is on sale for only $24.99!)

2. Anna Kraitz DESERVE Cake Stand
This luxury porcelain cake stand has an ultra-contemporary design and is available in green, yellow, dark blue, light blue and brown. Measures: 12.2" diameter and 4.5" high. Currently on sale for $128 at Huset.

3. Whiteware Cake Stands
These versatile cake stands from the Martha Stewart collection at Macy's are a personal favorite. Not only do they have a simple, elegant design sure to compliment any type of treat, but they're super affordable too! Prices range from $14.99 for the small size to $19.99 for the medium size, and $29.99 for the large one. (These Whiteware Cake Stands are also available in a cool square style.)

4. Bimboveloce Cake Stand by Stephano Giovannoni for Alessi
Contemporary designer Stephano Giovannoni always puts a clever twist on his collection of products for Italian design house Alessi, and this cool cake stand is no exception to the rule. A little pricey at $197, but if you've got the budget for it, this creative piece is sure to amuse guests and be a topic of conversation at any party!

5. Grace Footed Platter
Simple and chic, this pretty cake stand/pedestal platter - available exclusively at Crate & Barrel - features a simple string of embossed dots that adorn the outer rims. ($49.95) If you like the look of this piece, Crate & Barrel also has several coordinating pieces in the Grace collection.

***

Please let us know if you know of additional fabulous cake stands that other readers might love too!