This afternoon, unusually for Florence Finds, we’ll be getting our craft on with this DIY project sent in by Anna from Angel in the North.
It’s fair to say that shabby chic and vintage china isn’t usually my style but I instantly fell in love with the modern take on these charity shop finds and the bold type Anna used for the lettering. I think they lend a really quirky touch to the trend and I can see them anywhere in the home, maybe even a child’s bedroom with a name stencilled on instead?
Over to you Anna!
What you need:
- China plates in a style of your choice. (Mine were £1.50 for three in a local charity shop. The number you need and size will depend on the text you want to use. Mine were 16cms in diameter which meant the letters were 7cm high).
- Sharpie permanent marker in black, fine point
- Ballpoint pen
- Ruler
- Scissors and craft knife
1. Create a stencil for your letters by printing your text onto thick paper or card and cutting it out. The font I used was Bodoni MT in 400 point.
2. Position your stencil in the right place on your plate and draw round it using a ballpoint pen.
3. Go over the line with the Sharpie (it helps to use a ruler for the straight edges) and fill in. Let the first coat dry overnight, then you might want to do a second coat to get a dense, even finish.
So, do you like readers? I think it’s a seriously clever idea and I love that it’s so easy yet so effective.
As ever, if you’ve got a home DIY, whether it’s a revamped and painted chair, a window treatment or anything else you think is worth sharing, I’d love to hear from you – send them in marked SUBMISSION to hello@florencefinds.com
Thanks Anna!
Love,
Rebecca
xo

I can’t wait to try this – it’s so up my alley and I’ve already got plates on the wall in our kitchen… yay! Plus it looks easy, which I like 😉
Ah that looks lovely! It doesn’t fit in to my style at home but I really like these 🙂
Very cute and very clever!
x
So simple and very clever! This may be a dumb question, but can you eat off them or are they just for decoration? And if so, would they be ok to wash, or would the pen come off?
Hi SJP – I wouldn’t recommend eating from them, just enjoy looking at them!
I have heard some people put them in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees and it sticks into the plate. Then you can wash it off and possibly eat off of it. I’ve seen it done on mugs and bowls.
They look lovely – very clever idea!
These are so pretty even though not quite my style. I’ll be trying it with some quirky plates I have…thanks a million! x
LOVE this idea. I think I’ll be doing this in the near future ;o)
Jx
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Oh my, I love this idea! 🙂 and it such an easy DIY. Thanks for this! Pinned 🙂
I LOVE these! Tomorrow I will be hitting the Thrift Store looking for some plates! Thank you for sharing!
Gorgeous project! I love the contrast between the flowery plate and sharp, black letters.
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How cute those are. And if your trying to diet and don’t want the word EAT tempting you, you could rearrange them to spell TEA. lol.
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i love be this idea! So simple and pretty. Perfect for thrift finds!
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Very good notion you had here! I like it a lot!
..and I can afford it!
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How did you hang the plates to the wall? I like ‘floating’ or invisible hanging methods, instead of more traditional wrought iron or framed plates [like my grandmother’s Royal Dalton collections].
I was wondering how to hang them. I tried 3M sticky strips for pics but they are falling and breaking. This is a really cute idea!! Thanks!!
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