Hand Painted Plates Ikea Hack £1 each
I’ve become a little bit obsessed with making these hand painted plates. My only constraint is the cupboard space to store them. I was confined to barracks last month, as the kids were on study leave. They are pretty self sufficient, but I need to be on hand to give some gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) nudging to “just get on with it”.
As an old hat at this now, to avoid us all killing each other, I need to be available at their whim, but for my own sanity, have things I can pick up and drop at short notice. These hand painted plates are just such a craft.
Materials
- Ceramic Plates. Mine are from Ikea and were only £1 each.
- Ceramic paint
- Paint brush
Method
My original plan for these plates, was to write cute little messages over them in a swirly font. (thats still on my to do list), however as this was only a half hour project, I opted for much more simple blobs and splats.
I stuck to one single colour, but mixed up the size and type of my blobs.
You could be far more arty, but Ive been coveting handmade ceramics on pinterest recently, so this satisfied my cravings.
Once painted, leave the paints to dry for a good 3-4 hours. (follow the istruction on your ceramic paint).
The next step is absolutely vital. Place the plates in a warm oven (100 degrees C) for 15-20 minutes. I missed this step the first time I made these, and when I went to wash the plates before using, the paint just slid off. Devastating, but at least my designs had been super simple. 
Remove from the oven, and allow to cool, before washing and using. The paint that I use, allows these to be washed in a dishwasher on a low heat, and the paint stays intact. (Because who could be bothered having to hand wash them every time).
I paired these with some indigo dyed napkins (tutorial coming soon) recently, and they all looked fab together. I’ve also made some in different colours to give to friends as presents.
