52 Projects is an adventure in discovery. Every week, for 52 weeks, do something. Something you’ve never done before. Something you’ve always wanted to do. Something that scares you. Something that inspires you. Something that inspires others. Something that tickles your fancy. Something that caught your eye. Something that just popped into your head. It can be big. It can be small. It can be whatever you want it to be. Find out how doing something can lead you to discover things about yourself, your world, your God. Then, come here on Sundays and share it with others. I'll write about mine here, you write about yours on your blog, then use the tool in my post to link to your something. Please feel free to jump in and participate anytime throughout the year!

Jane


Sunday, March 7, 2010

Week 7: hand painted dishes


I loved my project for this week. I stumbled upon it when my husband surprised me one day after work this week with an amazing craft book from Borders. With 300 projects offered, the book is sure to be a hit with me. There are so many awesome things to try from tin can dragonflies to copper wire mobiles to tiled serving trays.

You would be shocked at how inexpensive and easy this project actually is. We went to Ikea yesterday and purchased one coffee mug for .59 and one cereal bowl for $1.99. Right next door to Ikea was Michael's Arts and Crafts where I purchased two Porcelaine 150 paint pens made just for glass and ceramics for $3.99 each. Possibly the paint pens are the biggest investment but they come in a full range of colors and tips and you can use them on lots of projects in the future. Trust me, you'll be hooked when you see how easy this is. I'm already thinking ahead for unique hand painted gifts. I think this would be great fun for kids to try too and imagine the funky keepsake you'd have for years to come. Ikea is the mecca for inexpensive plates, cups and saucers. I happen to adore the clean look of white plates but you could probably choose just about any color you want. You might even have an old set in your closet right now that would be happy for a little lift. The paints are opaque and non-toxic.

One side of my mug:

The other side of my mug:

The OUTSIDE of my bowl has some of my favorite words:




This is the INSIDE of my bowl:


The possibilities are endless!


Here are the instructions:
1. wipe down your china and make sure it's nice and clean.
2. uncap your paint pen, get the flow of ink started and let the painting begin!
3. let the paints fully dry on your china for 24 hours
4. place the pieces in a preheated 300 degree oven for 30 minutes.
5. let the pieces cool in the oven and remove.
6. the paint is now baked on to your piece. Enjoy!

11 comments:

  1. ~now this looks like WAY MORE FUN than my vinyl letters i tried and a little less on the wallet too! i picked up 4 plates last month at the thrift store for 20 cents a pieces...i will have to try this...who WOULDN"T L♥♥♥VE to eat out of such PRECIOUS pieces...wonderful and inspiring as always...brightest blessings~

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  2. Awesome!!! I love love love this! Another project to add to the list.

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  3. I like this idea....it would be ideal in my house, because when the men break my crockery, I can just replace it without having to search everywhere to find the pattern.........

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  4. these are fabulous...i must go find some pieces are a thrift store and do some painting too...ours don't last long around here, between hubby, the dog, the baby and the kids we're luck to get thru a whole month without breaking something!

    Now i'm noticing that the colours and lettering are very similar to the 52 projects button!!

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  5. That is very cute and love the words that you had put on them, especially balance! That is so hard to accomplish, but always worth to try!

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  6. I had so much fun gathering our supplies. I can see we'll be making more trips to Ikea. You rock!!

    ;)

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  7. It's lovely - if they were in a store I'd want to buy them - definitely! :)

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  8. absolutely amazing! now, to clean out the cupboards to make room for some new dishes!

    very cool idea!

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  9. How fun and lovely! I didn't realize there were non-toxic pens like this! I can't wait to give it a try!

    I'm late getting my project up this week...

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  10. I love them and this would make a great annual project to do with the tot. I didn't realize you could eat off them either, but am happy to learn from you (again). I'm also late, but am so far behind with comments, I may just declare it my "bye" week and catch up with everyone else's projects.

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  11. I just love your distinctive style, Jane. Another great project!

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