I was in Home Depot yesterday.....you know like we do, shopping for cake equipment 
Ended up getting 2 ceramic tiles for cake bases for .88 cents each. The guy that was helping me told me he used to do wedding cakes.....he gave it up some time ago as he just couldn't stand dealing with the mothers of the brides! Then he tells me he has all the tiered pans, seperator plates, pillars and such and wanted to know if I wanted them..............HELLO......asked him what he wanted for them..........NOTHING!!!! he is going to bring them in Sunday and call me and give me all of his baking pans!!! Can you belive it. I have died and gone to heaven 
I've never been so jealous in all my life! If he gives you more than you need or want, PM me!! I am just starting out and could use just about anything. 
That is a great find! I'd definitely find a way to thank him... he's probably tired of cake, but maybe get him a little thank you gift. He sounds like a really cool guy. I just adore giving people!! The world as a whole can be a rather selfish place. What a blessing to know people like this really exist! I bet you're pretty excited!
One more thing... maybe give him some business cards in case any of his former clients call... he could refer them to you??? Might be a continued blessing!
I tried to get him to give me a price but he wouldn't hear it.......thats a good idea.....maybe I will do a cookie bouquet and take it to him Sunday....that is after I get this darn wedding cake done...it is consuming me this week. But I thought that was the sweetest thing....he didn't know me from Adam and he offers to give me all his cake pans and stuff.
You know, I have pans upstairs that my mom bought me.....bunch of pans that all came in a box, half of which I have never used....character pans. I need to make a list of the ones I have and if anyone wanted them I could send them your way. I did find a 1977 Wilton Guitar pan, made the cake that is in my photos.....that one is a keeper. Most of them don't have instructions but once we move next month and things settle down I will make a list and holler at you guys....there is no since keeping pans that I will probably never use.
I see 2 great things here. This stranger being so kind to you, by giving you this WONDERFUL gift, and you in turn willing to share what you have with others. Who said there is no good left in this world? I love a story of people helping people. Restores my faith in humanity. Of course, I have seen soooooooo many good things since I have been on this site. We have many, many wonderful, kind people on here. Just wanted to pat you on the back a little.
Christmas in April!! What a nice guy. People can really surprise you.
Leslie
That is sooo neat!!!! Hey, I like your idea of using ceramic tiles for a cake base...how cool is that!!?
Actually the guy that is giving me the cake pans recommened the ceramic tiles. I was going to use a mirror....(expensive) or get some plywood cut to cover. But these tiles worked out really nice. The grooms cake I am doing is for an Auburn fan.....I hot glued navy blue braiding around the edges to hide the raw edge and wa lah............instant cake stand and it is heavy enough to support he large cake that will be placed on top. If you are doing a smaller cake....the 12 x 12 squares are nice....this one is 15 x 15 so it is pretty large and heavy. But that is fine....dh will be the one carrying it in on Saturday 
And I am serious about those pans.....I don't have little ones anymore and there are about 10 pans I have that will never get used. I would rather share and give to someone that will use them and get some enjoyment out of them. To bad we can't have a trading forum here somewhere.....bet we all have things we don't use that would be useful to others here.
I was just thinking the same thing about having a trading forum. That would be a great idea for this site!
I'm curious about the tiles, because that is such a neat idea! I wonder if you could glue some of those rubber floor protector discs that you put on furniture to the bottom so it wouldn't scratch a table or counter surface? For the wedding cake I did, I bought a nice thick square of plywood and DH screwed pretty silver drawer knobs into each corner, so I would be able to lift it and set it down without having to tilt it (gave me finger room!). It's heavy, but not too much, and extremely sturdy! And it cost about $9 total!
Potatocakes, Another great idea! Wow, you can sure learn a lot here! Did you cover the plywood with anything before the knobs were added to the bottom?
Southernbelle, Wonder how much weight the tiles can hold? I think I may visit Home Depot this weekend and take a look. Like the idea of adding the braiding around the bottom. Sounds really cool! So, will you ask for the bases to be returned when you use them, or just include them in the price of your cake?
Hey guys the last wedding cake I did I used one of the tiles for! I got glass blocks from Lowes for my first wedding cake and used covered plywood, but for the second one the walls in the hall were brown marble so I bought a 16x16 brown marble tile for $3.00 (!) and used it as the base on the blocks. It looked nice, did not need covered, and is reuseable!!! They are both in my photos if you want to see what it looks like.
Newtodecorating,
Love that look with the glassblock... looks like you have candles burning inside. Is that correct or is it just reflecting light from another source? I just wondered if you had light inside the glass block and if so how you managed that?
Did the bride help you think this up or did you come up with it on your own? Pretty cool! 
Wow - what a wonderful blessing! He sounds like a very nice man. And it is so sweet that you have offered to do the same thing! Cake Central gals (and guys) are such wonderful people!
I covered the back of the tile with a white poster board that I hot glued on. Just cut it to size. It really makes a nice cake stand....and for a guy, it is not frilly. The nice thing about the tiles is you can do whatever you want with them and they are cheaper than cake boards and resuable!
wendysue- no I wish these ideas came to me! Tripletmom suggested it to me when I could not find a square stand to rent. The blocks are 8x6 and in the Conaway wedding cake I used 8 of them and in the Frame wedding I only used 6. The best part is you can use as many or as few as you need for stability, I put christmas lights and a silk material in the square to light it up, and they are only $3.10 each!!!!
Wow, good for you!
I have used a tile as a cake board, but oh boy it was sooo heavy to transport. I don't know maybe it was my tile but really it killed my hands.
(My cindirella cake was done on the tile)
Idea with the glassblock is really cool! And your cake looks very beautiful too! Have to try thisone out one day.
wendysue - No, I didn't cover it prior to hubby putting the "feet" on it. I did cover it for the wedding, though, with plain white paper and then the frosted contact paper. Gave it a very pretty, frosted glass look to it. I just cut out around the knobs. I get my boards back to reuse. It's too much trouble to go to for every time I need a board! Plus, if it's a wedding, I'll need to get the plates and columns back anyway, so it's not a big deal to get the base back as well.
I love the idea with the glass blocks! I wish I had seen that before the wedding I did a couple of weeks ago! That would have been perfect!
just goes to show you that you never know when you start talking to someone what will happen
good for you 
Hey guys the last wedding cake I did I used one of the tiles for! I got glass blocks from Lowes for my first wedding cake and used covered plywood, but for the second one the walls in the hall were brown marble so I bought a 16x16 brown marble tile for $3.00 (!) and used it as the base on the blocks. It looked nice, did not need covered, and is reuseable!!! They are both in my photos if you want to see what it looks like.
Do you put anything between the cake and the tile? Or are you putting your bottom tier right on the tile and decorating it?
Wow, that is great southernbelle! There are still a few of those BIG HEARTED people out there-I thought I was the only one!
what a perfect idea! thanks soo much , if anyone has any cake pans they want to get rid of/sell, im new and gathering what I can, I have a lot of doubles and would be willing to swap or however. off the top of my head i have a rainbowbrite and a mickey they are both in very good condition. I know i have a few more Ill post a follow up later....
vpaz- I put the cake right on the tile and decorated it!
I plan on putting my grooms cake right up there also and decorating. I did hot glue a navy ribbon on the edge to give it a more finished look. It looks really nice. And the tile was only .88 cents....the braid cost me more than the tile did 
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