Plate Painting Project

Unfortunately, our MOPS speaker cancelled at the last minute last week, leaving us with an hour of time to kill.  What better way to use your time than with a fun crafty project, and some old fashioned girl talk?  I spent the day prior to our meeting racing around town to get all of the necessary supplies, and it was well worth the effort.

We got in touch with our crafty side this week and painted one-of-a-kind plates.  These are so much fun to create!  The girls were all able to get in touch with their inner crafty and their personalities really came through in their designs.  We had bunnies, cupcakes, cakes, stars, fruit and lots and lots of polka dots!

Here is how I went about creating my special plate.

Step 1:  We started by purchasing clear glass plates.  I found them at Hobby Lobby and Walmart. 

You will also need:

Paint brushes

Acrylic paint

Rubbing alcohol or Goo Gone

Dry erase pen

Step 2:  Remove the annoying super sticky price stickers.  You can use either Goo Gone, or just simple rubbing alcohol.  I found that I prefered the rubbing alcohol, because it didn't leave behind a greasy residue.  

Note:  If using rubbing alchohol, there is no need to wash the plates after removing the sticker.  If using Goo Gone, run the plates through the dishwasher after the sticker is removed. 

Step 3:  Use a dry erase pen to outline your design on the FRONT of the plate.  This will give you a nice template when you turn the plate over to paint the back side.

Note:  For those who have crafty anxiety, I provided a few cookie cutters that could be traced.  The hearts and bunnies were a big hit!

Step 4:  Time to start painting!

I followed Whimsy Love's recommendation, and used folkArt paints.  The run just under $2 each at JoAnn's or Michael's and come in a huge variety of colors.  One of the benefits of folkArt is that they only recommend an hour drying time, where other paints will require long to set.

Remember that you are painting from the most detailed pieces to the least.  I began by painting my sprinkles, and the outlines of my cupcake cup.  At this point my 3 year old also decided that he wanted to "help". 

(Translation:  He drew all over his arms and gave himself full sleeve "tatoos" while I wasn't watching) 

So, in the interest of time, and my sanity, I opted for polka dots instead of my initial letters.  I ended up really liking that the plate can be used for all special days, and not just birthdays.

I'm not always known for my patience, and again, the 3 year old was helping, so I sped the drying process along with my hair dryer.

I then added the additional layers of color and detail.

 
Step 5:  Allow the plate to dry and then remove the dry erase design.  To preserve, place plate in a cold oven.  Preheat over to 350 degrees and bake the plate for 30 minutes.  Turn oven off, and allow plate to cool completely before removing.  Or, you can allow the plate to air dry for 3 weeks before use.  Hand wash plate.  I've also read that you can place the plates on the top rack the dishwasher, but I'm not brave enough for that.

This would be a great project to do with your kiddos!  These plates would be so cute with hand or footprints.  Or, you could make seasonal plates and give them as gifts to friends and family!  So many possibilities!

We'll be using this special plate today for Hillbilly's birthday!

Enjoy your special plate!

e