3.11.2023

Birthday Plate Tutorial

I can't get enough of these decoupaged plates that I shared earlier this week.  I had an opportunity to make another one, as part of Collective Bias' Glue N Glitter group, and thought that a proper birthday plate was in order for Soren's upcoming festivities.
I had a few Dollar Store glass plates left over from the Mom's Night event, so I decided to use some decorative stickers and papers to make a personalized cupcake plate.
Here's what I needed:
  • Glass plate from Dollar Tree (clean off all tags/stickers from the back)
  • Mod Podge (or diluted Elmer's glue)
  • Foam brush
  • X-Acto knife or scissors
  • Decorative alphabet stickers
  • Decorative paper
  • Old book
STEP ONE
Draw a cupcake (or print a clip art one, then cut out and trace it onto your paper), then cut it out of your decorative paper.  I chose green stripes for the base, blue polka dots for the icing, and red for a cherry on top.
I began with the base, and cut out the cupcake out of green paper with an X-Acto knife and ruler.  Layer some cardboard (or a self-healing mat) underneath your work surface.
I repeated the process with the other papers.
The X-Acto swivel knife (part of the new Designer Series) worked great on the curves of the icing and cherry.
STEP TWO
Paint a layer of Mod Podge on the back of your plate in the center using the foam brush. 
Center your cupcake in the center, working from foreground to background (in my case, cherry, icing, then cupcake wrapper, overlapping the shapes).
Here's the view from the front:
STEP THREE
Onto the outer edge and the lettering.  I stuck the letters on my jeans to remove some of the stickiness from the back of the stickers.  It also helped me to keep on track for which letter came next (no spelling errors for me!).
I counted the letters in "Happy Birthday", noting that there are 14 (counting the space).  That meant I should place the 7th letter, "B" and the 8th letter "I" at the top of the plate in the center.

Add some more Mod Podge around the outer edge, for the letters, and lining up your "B" and "I" at the top in the middle, start adding the letters around your plate.
Keep smoothing out any letters that start to peel up.
I then spaced out my son's name along the bottom of the plate in the same manner. Unfortunately, I forgot to add some other decorative birthday stickers that I had purchased, which I meant to scatter around the cupcake.  I guess that gives me an excuse to make yet another plate!

Here's the plate from the front, so far.  Not a pretty site, but the glue will eventually dry clear.
STEP THREE
On to the background. I decided to cash in on the book page craze and use torn pages of an old dictionary to make a neutral background, which would help the colorful letters and cupcake pop.   You could also use some other interesting paper, or even tissue paper.  Just tear your pages into small pieces
and paint another thin layer of Mod Podge on the back of the plate.
Layer your papers, adding more Mod Podge on top and smoothing out any bubbles as the arise.
Continue until you've covered the entire plate.  Feel free to allow the edges to overhang the plate, as you'll be trimming them later.
Make sure any small holes are covered, then coat the entire backside in Mod Podge and allow to dry.
When dry, trim the edges with an X-Acto (or scissors), and enjoy!
Just be sure not to submerge the plate in water or put it in the dishwasher, since the glue will come off.  You can simply wipe the front clean with a dishcloth.
These are so simple and a bit addictive.  My guess is that by the end of the weekend, I will have made one for each member of our family!
FYI: X-ACTO is running a contest right now called X-ACTO 365, and they are looking for 365 creative uses for X-ACTO knives. You could win cash prizes! http://www.xacto.com/365contest/
Disclosure: This project and shopping trip was compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for #collectivebias. I purchased the X-Acto knife, blades and stickers with the funds.  All opinions are my own.


15 comments:

Thao said...

I might have missed this but where do you get the glass plates?

JoDee said...

What a great idea!!! I am definitely adding this to my projects to do list!!

Tanya said...

That is awesome! I am in crafty mode this weekend so maybe I will make one for my nephews upcoming birthday. Great idea.

Michele P. said...

very cute, I am not a crafty person but this looks easy enough for even me, lol.

SeeryusMama said...

Super duper cute! I love it!

I so admire your crafty-awesomeness.

Naomi said...

Your timing is impeccable- Roo just got a glass plate decorating kit as a birthday present and some intrepid parent (cough, cough DADDY) threw away all the materials and packaging in an attempt to clean up party detritus. So we have the plates but not the varnish, etc. Mod Podge, I have. Thanks!

Holiday Snob said...

This is really adorable! Saw it at tatertots and jello link party!

Lindy@Itsy Bitsy Paper said...

Totally adding this to my "To Do" list. I love it. What a fantastic gift too!! Great post.
http://itsybitsypaper.blogspot.com

Laura @ Our House Of Joyful Noise said...

Soooo CUTE!! Modge Podge is great, isn't it? I never thought of using it on dishware. So it's safe to eat off of? If that's the case, all kind of great ideas come to mind.

Amy W said...

How fun!! It turned out so wonderful! I'm imagining that you could use newspaper instead of the old book pages as well...

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