pretty plates

a trip to visit family over the holidays inspired me to get off my booty + make some improvements around the house. i just wasn't sure where to start. we've been in our house since june + didn't have a thing on the walls...so that was the first place to begin. i had cabin fever + felt the need to craft, so i scoured the web for some inspiration. i stumbled upon this little mecca of inspiration from Rhoda at Southern Hospitality:

it was like a menu for what i should do next. the collection of home bloggers' past projects was the inspiration i needed, all in one place! the tough part was deciding which amazing project to tackle first!

i decided to start small, so i picked the bird silhouette plates from Jess at Frugal with a Flourish. i couldn't believe i'd never actually played with mod podge before--how could that be? i wasn't sure if i'd use birds or mix it up with some retro images: bicycle, roller skates, phonograph, etc.

the entire project took about 30 minutes, including dry time.

supplies:

stoneware plates @ $1 each from dollar tree

black card stock

silhouette images (here's a pdf of the ones i used)

printer

mod podge

brush

plate hangers @ $3-5 each, depending on plate size (i used these and found them with the frame supplies at hobby lobby)

instructions:

1. remove any stickers from the plates, wash, and let dry.

2. while plates dry, print out your selected silhouettes with a printer. cut out the shapes and trace onto the black card stock.

3. cut out the card stock images.

4. position your image onto the plate. apply layer of mod podge to the plate + your image (both sides of your image)

5. let dry + apply another coat

6. apply a 3rd coat if desired

7. once dry, you're ready to apply the hanging discs to the back. be sure to line up the hanger as you'd like the plate to hang

8. hang them on your wall! (which i still haven't done...i'll post pics once they're up!)

these are going above the 4-poster bed in the guest room, once i clean off the bed that's currently being used as a collection place for random stuff.

the total cost of these plates was under $10, plus the hanging discs.