How to decorate plates, make inspirational gifts

Hi guys, I hope you are keeping well, healthy and indoors. Strange and slightly scary times we live in at the moment but hopefully I can bring a little bit of happy into your day with a craft tutorial. Over the next few weeks I’m planning to post a lot more content. Crafts you can do with materials you probably have lying around your house, easy DIY’s, projects to keep your kids buys and many more.

Today’s project was suggested by an Instagram follower, Helena Stolka, who currently is self isolating in the San Francisco Bay area and who wanted to send her family plates with inspirational quotes to keep their spirits up. I thought this was a brilliant idea! Recently I hosted a workshop with the plate queen that is Margo in Margate and she showed me how se creates her iconic plates. Margo was very happy for me to share her technique with you today so have a look at how I created my moof lifting plates.

Decorating the plates is very relaxing, you can use plates you had spare (so decluttering your cupboards!) and as a result you have a few thoughtful gifts to send to your friends. Have a look online for the porcelain pen and the plate hangers, they are widely available at online stores.

Please add a note to your parcel that these plates are for decorative purposes only, once you write on them they are not suitable to eat from anymore.

For the pen I used, an Edding porcelain brushpen, you need to let your drawing dry for 15 minutes, You then bake it in the oven on 160 C or 320 F for 25 minutes. Switch the oven off and let your plates cool in the oven. If you use a different brand pen please check their instructions for curing your drawings.

Once the plates are cooled down you can stick a plate hanger sticker on the back so they are easy to hang. Wrap your plates up in send them off to your friends and family, I recon they will be very happy to receive this handmade gift. Please do bare in mind you shouldn’t send out plates if your are self isolating cause you are ill, germs can live on surfaces for several days.

I was still aloud to go outside last week hence me picking these plates up but I really wouldn’t want to go shopping anymore in the current climate. Please just use whatever you already have in your cupboards

Keep well, stay healthy and stay at home, see you soon with a new tutorial xx Hester