Stencil Decorative Plates to Complete your Christmas Table Decorations

Do you like to make easy and inexpensive home décor items to decorate for Christmas or to give as gifts? If so, this is a fun verre eglomise project that I especially like because the plates look very festive. They fit right onto a tabletop display alone or layered with other pieces. And they are truly useful all year round.

This year I’m really excited about using everyday items from around our home to decorate for Christmas. I have discovered that I can add just a couple of boxes of Christmas – only items. So easy and stress free. Here’s a sample on a recent blog post on MyPatchOfBlueSky.com!

I found these “partridge in a pear tree” engraved plates in a consignment shop and just stood there, hands on my hips, trying to conjure up an idea. For $5, I decided they would be perfect for a verre eglomisé, or reverse-painted glass project.

At our home we invite family to join us late on Christmas Day for drinks and simple, delectable treats. We celebrate Christmas Eve with a huge feast at Steve’s sister’s home, so less feasting and more resting and chatting seems in order! These small plates, good for hors d’oeuvres and dessert are perfect, and I love how they coordinate with another Holiday Paint + Pattern Tile Runner project I did.

SUPPLIES

• Royal Design Studio Small Polka Party stencil
• Royal Design Studio gold leaf and imitation silver leaf and size
• Royal Design Studio stencil crèmes in Renaissance Red and Patina Green
• MasterClear
• Royal Design Studio 3/8” stencil brushes
• Motsenbackers Lift Off 5 to clean stencils
• Pure White Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan
• Paper towels like Bounty, soft bristle brush, paint brush

STEP ONE

On half of the plates, use Renaissance Red stencil crème and gold leaf. On the other half, use Patina Green and silver leaf.

Lay the stencil in the center of the back of a plate. Hold it down with one hand and stencil with the other hand. Dip the stencil brush into the Renaissance Red stencil crème, offload any excess on the paper towels and tap the color onto the stencil. Remove the stencil and use a hair dryer to dry for a few seconds, then fill in any missing dots by moving the stencil around. Finish the rest of the plates that are this color. Let dry.

Repeat on the other half of the plates using Patina Green. Let dry.

STEP TWO

Use a flat brush to paint on a thin coat of leaf size only in the circle of the back of the plate – right on top of the polka dots. Let dry 10 or 15 minutes until it comes to tack.

Lay a sheet of leaf on top of the size and use a large soft brush to compress into the size. Brush off any excess leaf. Repeat for all plates. (Half gold and half silver.)

STEP THREE

Paint the backs of the plates with two coats of Pure White Chalk Paint®. Let dry.

Optional: Add a tiny stencil like a star on the backs of the plates, and personalize with your initials or a little note if you want to give these as a gift!

STEP FOUR

Paint the backs of the plates with two coats of MasterClear to seal. (Wash plates by hand with soap and water after use.)

You can see that my personal photography session assistant jumped right in with four paws. She handled quality control, checked for feline edibles (no luck) and then helped herself to some greens.

All in all a productive and amusing day!

I hope you are enjoying an especially memorable holiday season and that you have found lots of holiday project ideas during December here on Paint + Pattern’s How-to + DIY section.

From Lacey Jane and me, Merry Christmas!