DIY Decorative Plate

I love decorating with plates. Large ones, small ones, plain ones, fancy ones--all kinds appeal to me. Recently I saw one with a beautiful damask pattern that I really liked, but since it was rather expensive, I decided to try to make one for myself.

I started with a plain glass plate. I just used one from the stack of glass plates I keep on hand to use for parties. First I turned the plate upside down marked the center, then I taped on a stencil. I chose a damask stencil that would fit in the center of the plate, but any kind of stencil would do.

Then I carefully dabbed black craft paint onto the stencil. I'll share a stencilling secret with you. Now, I've been stencilling things since 1983. Back then practically everything I made had a "country" theme. I shudder now to think about how many ducks and geese I used in my decorating! The secret? Dip your brush into paint, then get most of the paint off your brush before stencilling. I accomplish this by using an old plate, dabbing my brush over and over until there's hardly any paint left on the brush. I even dab it onto a paper napkin to ensure that the brush is almost dry. Then I daub my brush straight up and down on top of the stencil, forming a very light coat. I have to apply several light coats to get complete coverage, but this way the paint never leaks outside the stencil lines.

Here's how the plate looked after I stencilled it:

After this, all I did was to spray-paint the back of the plate. I spray-painted Heirloom White right on top of the stencilled design. Once the paint was dry, I turned the plate over and

voila!

The stencilled design and the spray paint are all under the glass, so what you see is the glossy finish of the glass plate.

I've already used this plate in a vignette in my guest room, and I'm eager to create some other designs to use elsewhere in my house.

I'm thrilled with the results, and the best part was the price: FREE!

What do you think? See any DIY decorative plates in your future?

I'm joining these fun parties:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage

Inspiration Friday, At the Picket Fence

Show and Tell Saturday at Be Different, Act Normal