Carrie's Pretty Party Plates

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I saw these plates in a craft book and, luckily, the process was easy  
enough to remember without having to buy the book! I made these plates  
for some of my friends and my visiting teachees as Christmas gifts,  
but this is a generic enough project that can be done for birthdays,  
Valentine’s, or to have on hand as “give-away” cookie plates (plates  
they can keep!).
You should know that the finished product is not dishwasher or  
microwave safe. This is a hand-wash plate.
 
First, you need a well-ventilated space (I recommend the garage) and a  
clear glass plate (available from IKEA for $.79 - $.99)
 
 
(I left the sticker on for this picture, but you would, of course,  
remove it.) Using a low-tack spray adhesive, lightly coat the BOTTOM  
of the plate.

 
 
Next, lay a piece of lace over the plate and smooth down any wrinkles  
completely.
 

 
I used a piece of really cheap lace, like stuff you would use for lace  
curtains. Lace can be expensive especially when you are doing lots of  
plates at a time. I think I ended up using 10 yards for 36 plates.
 

 
Next, you are going to spray paint the back of the plate with the lace  
on it. I tried it both ways, and it looks better if you spray paint  
the background color first and then spray paint the negative space  
white, for better contrast. You will see what I mean. Make this layer  
of paint really thin. You will want to barely cover the plate with  
color. The paint makes the adhesive loosen so you don’t want to over  
do it or the color gets under the lace. Also, too much paint can cause  
drips. Go easy.

 
Use intense colors for good contrast, too. The green and pink worked  
well, the yellow not so well. There was a blue I would have liked to  
try. You could also do color on color instead of using white. It’s  
more funky, and I think orange and black would make awesome Halloween  
plates.
 

 
Remove the lace, with gloves on, and let the plates dry thoroughly.  
Once that layer is dry, spray the backs of the plates white to create  
the “white lace”. Again, you can do any color combination you would  
like.
 

 
Once that paint is dry, you should give the plates a final coat or two  
of clear polyurethane. I spray version would be convenient and maybe  
more effective. I used a brush-on version and I think the spray would  
have been better. Here you can see the finished product and one of my  
experiments at the very top.
 

 
You will inevitably get some paint where you don’t want it. A razor  
blade will clean things up nicely and quickly.
 
I bought some cardboard cake servers ($10 for a pack of 6) to use as  
separators for presentation.

 
And tie it all up with a bow.
 

(This post is by Carrie who is experiencing technical difficulties posting

on Lucky Penny...apparently I am too because I could not get the

pictures to insert where I wanted them-she had it all organized with picture by step.)

Carrie, so so lovely.

 
Carrie Ann Rhodes