You Are Special Plate {Tutorial}

Hello blog friends!  Yes, I am still here, just busy, busy, busy!  I am finally managing to put a blog post together today.  Not just a blog post either, but a little tutorial.  Yipee!  Now I can't take credit for this project, my good friend, Anya, showed me how to do this a few years ago.  

Today I am going to show you how to make your very own "You Are Special" or "Happy Birthday" or whatever you want plate!  Did you have a "You Are Special" plate growing up?  We did.  It isn't the usual red one that I've seen but is a metal charger that you actually put underneath the plate you're eating on.  After years & years of use, however, it isn't looking so pretty anymore.  And when I searched these plates online I was so surprised about how expensive they are!  So, time to make my own!  Plus, we had a Super Saturday a few weeks ago at church (basically a day of crafting) that I was helping out with & we decided to make these plates there too.  

Here are the plates I made:

Want to make your own?

Here's what you need:

Plates 

(I got both of the plates above at IKEA for only $3.99 each.  Since we were doing this project for our Super Saturday at church I bought white plates, but you can always use different colored plates as well & they turn out super cute.  Just make sure whatever plates you buy are oven safe.)

Ceramic Marker

(I bought the Pebeo Porcelaine 150 marker.  There may be other types of ceramic markers as well, but this is the type I had used before.  I bought mine at MarkerSupply.com for $3.69 each.  You may be able to find them in your local craft store or at a ceramics store too.  For my samples I just used the black marker, but they have other colors as well which are really fun.)

Stamps

Ink Pad (water based)

Step 1:

Now if you like you own handwriting you can just simply skip this step & use the ceramic marker right away.  I am not crazy about my own handwriting, so I like to stamp on the plates first & then trace it with the ceramic marker.  So, using your ink pad, stamp out what you want your plate to say with the stamps.  You can also stamp any images you want too.  The great thing about doing this first is that you can see what your plate will look like before you use the ceramic marker.  Also, if you make a mistake or want to change something just simply use a tissue or a baby wipe to wipe off the ink & start again.  I use a lighter colored ink pad so that I can see what to trace, but it won't show up under the ceramic marker.

Step 2:

Trace over what you have stamped with the ceramic marker.  If you make a mistake you have a couple of minutes before the marker gets tacky so you can use a baby wipe or a wet cloth to wipe it off & start over.  After a couple of minutes, though, it's not so easy to wipe off.

Step 3:

Let your finished plate dry for 24 hours.

Step 4:

Bake your plate in a 300 degree oven for 35 minutes.  This sets the marker.  Now you can use your plate!  You can even put it in the dishwasher & it holds up just fine!

These really are so, so easy!  And there are so many ways you can make these & get creative with them.  You could also make a "Cookies for Santa" plate, monogrammed plates or decorate them for any holiday.  These make great gifts too!  

Now after we made these at our Super Saturday at church a couple of weeks ago my friend showed me on Pinterest a plate like this where the person used a Sharpie marker & baked it too.  I'm sorry I don't have the link for it.  I haven't tried it that way, but you could always give the Sharpie a shot & see how it goes.

If you want to see some of the plates I made in the past, click here.