DIY Sweet Stenciled Picnic Plates

Some of my best summer memories from when I was a kid involve summer picnics. I loved helping my mom pack our lunch! It has been a really long time since I have been on a proper picnic, and so I thought it would be fun to get a picnic set this summer. I haven’t found any that were both cute and inexpensive enough for me. So I thought I would use one of my old suitcases and embellish some plates for my set.  I found these really cute stencils from Martha Stewart at AC Moore, and decided to stencil some melamine plates. The stencils are sticky, so you don’t have to worry about paint seeping in and the foam pouncers make stenciling easy. You do have to let the paint dry for a few weeks before you can use the item, but there is no baking involved which I like. This project was really quite easy, and best of all I had a great time making these plates!

Here’s What You Need:

*Plates (I bought melamine ones from Target)

*Stencils (Martha Stewart Brand at Michaels)

*Foam Pouncers (Martha Stewart Brand at Michaels)

*Martha Stewart Flat Paint (Also at Michaels)

*Paint Pallete or Disposable plate

*Skinny Paintbrush (optional)

Instructions:

These stencils from Martha Stewart are really easy to use! Figure out which design(s) you want on your plate and carefully lay them out onto your plate. Smooth out the stencil and try to remove any air bubbles. Squeeze a little of your paint out onto the palate or plate. Next, lightly dip your smallest foam pouncer in the paint. Dab the pouncer onto the stencil being careful not to go too close to the edge. If you would like to use different colors in the same stencil, you can if you work quickly. Use the side of the pouncer for thin areas. Make sure to rinse your pouncer really well between colors. Setting up an area in the kitchen close to the sink is really convenient if using multiple colors since you can quickly rinse your pouncer and return to painting. Once you have painted your stencil carefully remove it and wash the stencil off. The stencil will maintain its stickiness when it dries. When making a border where you need to repeat the same stencil, wash and dry the stencil in between sections. I used a paintbrush to make the letters. Lightly dip the tip of the paintbrush in your paint and then lightly dab your paintbrush on your plate to make dots and draw your letter with the dots. Once you have painted your plates set them aside in a clean area and let them cure for 21 days. Then enjoy. It says that these can be washed on the top rack in the dishwasher. I still think I will hand wash them though just to be extra safe.

Aren’t they sweet! I LOVE my new picnic plates and I can’t wait to use them! I have to say I am really loving the paint and stencil line from Miss Martha, the queen bee of crafting. This is definitely my new craft paint of choice, and her colors are fantastic! I hope some of you will give this diy a try! You will have a blast! I’ll be back with another cool project on Thursday. Until then…

Happy Crafting!