The Dollar Tree Punch Bowl With An Unexpectedly Elegant Second Use

The only thing better than a cheap, useful Dollar Tree item is one that can be improved with a simple tweak. If you love to bake cakes or simply want to prevent dust from settling on food as it sits out, head to Dollar Tree and look for the Caterer's Corner Crystal Cut Plastic Punch Bowl. Using this $2 dish, you can create a cake cover that looks as good as anything from a home decor store.

This BPA-free punch bowl with a fancy crystal-inspired design is already a Dollar Tree item that can elevate your kitchen aesthetic, and it would be great for serving drinks. But if you flip it over and glue a handle to the bottom, it becomes an unexpectedly elegant cake dome. Just pop it on top of a plate or cake stand, and it will protect what's underneath while classing up your kitchen.

Cake covers are handy because you shouldn't store cake in the fridge, but letting it sit out uncovered isn't the most sanitary, either. You could put it on a plate draped in cling wrap, but this DIY dome looks much nicer and helps you reduce plastic waste in your kitchen. Even with the price of the handle and glue factored in, this hack is still more affordable than buying an equally nice-looking cake cover, as elegant glass models can be priced from $60 to $100. Plus, you can customize this DIY dome to your heart's content.

After grabbing your Caterer's Corner punch bowl from Dollar Tree, it's time to select the handle. The cabinet hardware section at a home improvement store will offer plenty of knobs and drawer pulls, but anything can act as a handle, like tiny ornate trinkets from an antique market or simple flat-bottomed wooden spheres from the craft store.

Before you attach the knob, you can hand-paint a design on the bowl, fully paint it a different color, or affix decorations like beads, rhinestones, and fake flowers to the exterior. You can even use a decoupage technique to apply a printed design on the outside. Just keep safety in mind — unless you want to use your dome to display non-food items, all of your materials should be food safe.

The easiest way to attach the knob is to use a powerful glue like E6000 Craft Adhesive, available on Amazon in a 4-pack of miniature tubes. Make sure the handle is perfectly centered on the bottom of the bowl before gluing it. Let the adhesive dry, and you're done! Your new dome is not only great for covering baked goods or other foods; it's also perfect for entertaining. Imagine putting a charcuterie board, main dish, or dessert under the dome and lifting up the cover for a dramatic reveal at the table. No one will ever suspect you started with a bowl from Dollar Tree.