10 Creative Ways To Repurpose A Candy Dish Around Your House And Yard

You may have spotted an abundance of vintage candy dishes in all sorts of materials and styles in antique or thrift stores, where these unique pieces often sit untouched and unloved on the shelf even while the more dining-related plates and bowls get quickly snatched up. Vintage candy dishes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from large elevated platform dishes to small lidded jars. While you may not need them to hold your sweets, there are a number of other ways to use and upcycle these often gorgeous glass pieces, including in spaces like the bathroom, bedroom, or office to hold and display items.

These glassware or pottery pieces were typically sold as part of a dishware design set during the 20th century, representing many famous vintage dishware brands like Fenton and Anchor Hocking, whose famous Depression glass was often a collectible promotional giveaway from retailers and other businesses. This means lots of them are floating around in secondhand venues, so you can often get them at a steal and in pretty much every décor style under the sun. This makes them great for upcycling and repurposing projects that can make use of these spare glass pieces in novel new ways.

Turn any vintage candy dish into a pretty handmade candle. All you need are some wicks and melt-and-pour wax. Heat the wax in a double broiler, and pour it in the candy dish. You can even customize the scent with scented or essential oils, as well as add elements like flower petals, coffee beans, and other textured materials to the top of the candle. These candles make beautiful, one-of-a-kind décor items and great gifts.

Vintage candy dishes make a pretty way to display holiday decorations, be it seasonal accents like greenery and berries or small objects like exquisite glass ornaments. Keep them with your holiday décor stash to create low-slung centerpieces and arrangements for your coffee or dining table. Clear glass candy dishes also make a great container for small snowy scenes with miniature trees, reindeer, and faux snow.

Use a pretty glass candy dish as a spot to store jewelry on your dresser, bathroom, counter, or vanity top. Many are lidded, which allows you to keep your things safe and dust-free. Use deeper dishes for bracelets and hair accessories, or use a shallow, wide dish to keep earrings, rings, and necklaces in. An assortment of these small dishes for jewelry make a great alternative to more traditional jewelry boxes.

Candy dishes are perfect for creating small arrangements of natural elements, like collections of stones, sea glass, or dried flowers. You can also use a clear candy dish to keep your collection of colorful crystals or minerals dust-free and contained. Place a candy dish on a table, dresser, or nightstand and fill it with pine cones, acorns, nuts, or shells for a beautiful addition to any décor tableau.

Use vintage candy dishes on a bathroom vanity or nearby shelf to store essentials like cotton swabs, cotton balls, makeup sponges, and other items. You can also use prettier ones to hold soaps, bath salts, or bath bombs near the tub. Use clear glass ones to display things you want visible or use opaque candy dishes on your shelves to hold things you want to hide away, like hair accessories, toothpaste, toiletries, and makeup. 

Shallow candy dishes make great succulent gardens when filled with soil or pebbles, allowing you to add these hearty little plants to the container. Use small dishes for just one plant, or use a wide candy dish to arrange succulents of multiple varieties. You can even turn a shallow candy dish into a mini fairy garden with plants, moss, and miniatures in addition to the plants. Use a candy dish with some soil in it to grow herbs or small plants like aloe vera in a narrow dish that adds vintage charm to your windowsill or countertop.

Turn a shallow vintage candy dish into a cheap feeder hummingbirds will love by adding small plastic cups filled with nectar. You can also fill a vintage candy dish, or even just an orphaned candy dish lid, with birdseed, then hang it with twine from a porch or tree for an easy DIY bird feeder. With some pillar candlesticks and an adhesive, you can build a candy dish and other vintage dishware into a great multi-tiered feeder you can use in your yard. 

The best tablescapes involve layers and levels of décor. Because many candy dishes are raised and elevated, they make great pieces to create floral arrangements for your next dinner or special event. Add a chunk of floral foam to a candy dish and arrange real or faux flowers in the dish. Or add some water and floating candles for a pretty, glowing raised centerpiece element that is low enough to allow conversation over the top.

Use candy dishes as a place to stash small items on your desk or other workspace, like paper clips, binder clips, and washi tape. Or enlist it in a sewing room to store pins, threads, and needles at the ready. You can turn a lidded small candy dish into a pretty lidded pin cushion just by adding a bit of foam batting or styrofoam to the interior.

Turn an old candy dish into a charming glassware garden mushroom. Use a vase or cylindrical glass container on the bottom, like these small vase terrariums, and glue a candy dish to the top. You can leave them in their clear glass or paint them with acrylic paint and spots. Add LED puck lights inside the top for a cozy way to light your garden or front path.