DIY: FROSTED GLASS PLATES

Has anyone seen this pin?

I've been obsessed with these plates pretty much ever since I signed up for Pinterest over a year ago. Now, you can have these plates, if you're willing to fork over $24 apiece over at Anthropologie. I'm not going to deny that if I had the money, I would most definitely still buy them. HOWEVER, since I don't, I've decided to find a way to make them myself. This was somewhat easier said than done, but it was not as difficult as I feared it might be. I also managed to get the supplies to paint 8 plates and 4 bowls, for a total price tag of $27! So much savings!!

*Small disclaimer on the pics: I had to do a lot of running around to get all my materials after work, so I ended up getting started later in the evening than I wanted. I tried to do my best with lighting and backgrounds, but it was tough, especially with clear plates. 

Ok, without further delay, here's what you need. And if you want to save even more, obviously you could get away with less colors, but the paint is pretty cheap so...

Glass plates - I got mine at IKEA. They were .49 cents each with the IKEA card, but even if you didn't have the card (although why wouldn't you, it's free) they were still .99 cents each.

Doilies - For these I went to a local place called Litin Everything Party and Paper. They do have everything, it's all really cheap, and consequently it can be a dangerous store. The three doilies were only $2.50. 

Glass paints - Turns out Martha Stewart herself has quite the line of glass paints over at Michael's crafts, so that's where I got mine. Again, affordable at between $2-3 per bottle. The colors I chose were Beach Glass (the one pictured, more of a teal), Pink Flamingo (pink, obviously), Blue Calico (blue) and Pacific Iris (purple).

Foam Pouncers - I did not know they were called "pouncers", but basically just sponges with handles. Once again, courtesy of Martha.

For application and material suggestions I found this great tutorial on how to make frosted stems on champagne glasses. 

From my own problem solving, I determined the easiest way to get the doily to stick to the plate without leaving a residue was to use sticky tack, like you'd use to put up a poster in a college dorm room. Comes off easily, leaves little to no marks or any remnants, and what is left behind is easily removed without damaging your work.

It's hard to tell, but they really did turn out pretty well. I haven't decided if I'm going to try for another coat yet, or be finished. When I am done officially I will "cure" them in the oven per the instructions on the glass paint website, so they are dishwasher safe. 

I may try to find another doily that has more holes in it so there is more color covering the plate, but overall I'm pretty happy with it, the coloring is subtle. And more consistent than it looks in the above picture. Not so neon, but more like the greens in the lower half of the top picture of the finished product. There were a bunch of (much more expensive) stencils at Michael's, but I didn't want to make that kind of investment until I tried this first. I might even try some other designs on the other plates and bowls since they were so cheap. 

What do you think? Have you tried anything like this? If so, any advice??