Holiday Craft and Gift Ideas!

Back in October I came across this adorable Halloween plate on Pinterest. I didn't have high hopes on how it would turn out... everything always looks better on Pinterest... but it turned out ADORABLE. Since then, I rack my brain every holiday and try to come out with something new with the same concept. I've had sooo many people ask me how I made it, what I used, ect. After typing it out 100 times, I've decided to just blog it!

 

This was our first project.. the Halloween plate.

Here's my directions!

What you need:

• A porcelain or glass plate. My FAVORITE is a cheapy $4.99 target porcelain plate with scalloped edges. If you using glass, MAKE SURE it is oven SAFE!
• Paint. My preference is Martha Stewart all surface paint. I believe it's only $1.99 for a tube at Michaels.
• Fine point brushes. Again, my favorites can be purchased at Michaels. Anywhere between $4-8
• Stencils. I found mine at Michaels.
• Wide brushes. My brushes I use are from Michaels and are $7.99. You want the softest brushes you can find so they won't leave streaks! I use medium soft (they are the softest our michaels has), and they do leave some streaks. I think a little bit of streaks gives it character! I've never tried foam brushes, they may have a softer result!
• Paint pen. I've found that the broad tips are my favorite!
• Top Coat, if you WANT. I used it on this plate, but haven't used it on any of my others. You'll learn why I no longer use it.

Steps:

• Remove the sticker from the back if there is one. Thoroughly wipe the plate down.
• Paint the plate with a soft wide brush. Let dry for an hour or two, maybe longer depending on what your climate is like where you live! Add a second coat. Let dry and repeat on the back.
• For best results, let dry over night. If you try to stencil on the letters while it's the least bit tacky (even if it feels dry to touch), your pencil will push the paint off. Not a big deal if you get it perfect the first time, but by allowing it to dry over night you can erase if need be!
• If you chose to do a top coat, do after the paint dries. If you put the top coat over the letters that have been done with a paint pen, it will eat through the paint. Not sure why.. but yes, this did happen to me and I had to redo the letters!
• Stencil on your letters and trace with the paint pen. I use a paper plate to blot my pen on before i use it on the plate. I've become a professional with a paint pen now, but if you are new to using one, do a couple practice strokes on a paper plate first!
• After your letters have dried, you can add your child's art work! If you mess up, don't fret! Wipe it off quickly with a wet paper towel! When doing feet, I have discovered the easiest way to do it (with a toddler at least!) is to a have a bucket of warm soapy water nearby with a towel underneath. After you paint their foot and put it on your plate, just have them stand down in the bucket. I wasn't about to try to scrub Martha Stewart paint out of my Turkish rug! After their foot print dries, add the rest of the face to make a ghost with your paint pen. I also add my daughter's name and year to the back at the end.
• Let dry for 24 hours.
• Bake your plate at 325 for 20 minutes. Just keep an eye on it and make sure you aren't getting brown spots on it. That has happened to me, but I just touch it up after it's done baking with paint. No harm done!

 

Some other holiday ideas...

Thanksgiving.. same concept as Halloween.

Easter.. again, same concept. I messed up the whiskers, but my paint pen was on it's last limb.  I also free handed the eggs. I had no intentions of putting the eggs on it, but after we put her hand on it, I realized it was up way to high and there was too much blank space under the bunny.

 Christmas. A little different. I bought a square plate from Target. (Also $4.99) and didn't paint the entire plate. Instead, I painted polka dots on the trim. For the 2 bigger size circles, I used a quarter and a nickel as my stencil and free handed the little guys.

 Mother's Day. Same concept for the plate. We also tried something a little different.. an apron! As most of you know, my dearest Mother is the owner of Josie's Restaurant... so this was the perfect gift for her! I bought my apron from Michaels ($5 for one). We did the feet for the butterfly... and hands for the flowers. I free handed the bottoms of the flowers, the center of the butterfly, and the bumblebee. (Wasn't thinking... should have used my daughter's toe!) and then free handed the dots. I did not use a paint pen at all as I was afraid it would bleed through! I also washed and ironed it prior to painting. Keeping the bucket of water by the table was the perfect idea for this since we were constantly changing colors!

 Happy Crafting!