Looking for a nice little touch to make your dining room table decor stand out? A'Makers Studio's got you covered! What better statement piece than DIY decorative plates. It is sure to grab your guests eyes! Take a look below to find out how to make your own!
Products Needed:
- Birds and Buttercup- Mesh Stencil
- Ceramic Paint - Smoke gets in my Eyes
- Angled Squeegee
- Gilding Size
- Your Choice of Leaf (we used Gold Leaf)
- Artist Brush (or any small paint brush)
- Chip Brush (or any medium sized paint brush)
Step 1
Peel the Birds and Buttercup Stencil and place it on the plate. Make sure to cover the edges of the plate as well by folding the stencil over it. Rub the stencil firmly into the plate to make sure it is adhered very well.
Step 2
Squeeze the Smoke Gets in My Eyes Ceramic Paint onto the
Angled Squeegee and spread the paint onto the stencil making sure to cover all areas.
Once done, slowly peel the stencil away from the plate (if you see any unpainted areas as you're removing the stencil, just lay it back down and add more paint over that area). Once fully removed, immediately wash with warm water and mild soap or put into a bath of water to soak. Once all of the paint is washed off of the stencil, lay it adhesive side up to air dry.
Step 3
Once the Ceramic Paint is dry Use the Artist Brush to apply Gilding Size over specific areas you want to gild on the plate (for example the birds wings), and let it come to tack (very sticky / not completely dry). This takes about 10-15 minutes. You can tell the Size has come to tack when you touch it and the skin of your finger comes away with some resistance.
Tip: Gilding Size is like glue, so be sure to keep the edges of your jar very clean so it can be easily opened in future.
Step 4
Once the Size comes to tack, open your leaf booklet and peel back the first tissue. Hold it by the spine of the booklet with your hands on the tissue, not the leaf. Lay the leaf face down on the plate. Burnish (rub) in one direction with your hand while the booklet is still on the leaf you just laid. Remove the booklet and repeat if the plate was not completely covered. Overlap each additional sheet just slightly so as to hide lines.
Take a Chip Brush and smooth in the same direction as you burnished to take away excess leaf. After the larger chunks of leaf are detached you can rub a little more vigorously with the chip brush to remove smaller sections of the leaf in the details.
Tip: You may re-use the excess leaf being brushed away!
Step 5
Finally!
You have a beautiful decorative plate to spruce up your dining room area, for hosting a dinner or to give as a gift!
Check out www.amakersstudioshop.com for more creative tutorials and to browse our other products.
Do you have more of a desire to refinish furniture or transform larger pieces? Take a look at our sister company, Amy Howard at Home, for furniture paints, antique finishes, specialty techniques, and more.
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