DIY Club! You Crackle Me Up!

I am just in L-O-V-E with the look of plates on the wall!

I tend to have more wall space than floor space these days

{and, BONUS...the kids cannot reach that high!}.

I have seen so many FAB collections lately, but have not quite been able to find the right plates for my own walls. The styles and designs I found in catalogs and stores were never quite right. I prefer old, vintage, kind of beat up looking decor {I actually rarely look at a Pottery Barn catalog  - gasp! Please keep reading, I am not that weird!}. I also have an interesting color palette in my home {purple living room walls, for example}, and I was only interested in shopping at thrift stores, Goodwill, etc. {it is more fun and I am cheap!}. So, my solution...make my own little vignette of customized plates. Perfection for my imperfectly charming home!

Textured Medallion Plate Art
{click HERE for a pdf document}
This design is rough and cracked and imperfect just the way I like it! The most challenging aspect of this project was the size of plates I chose...and the fact that they are curved {I was not stenciling on a flat surface}. I had to hold the stencil carefully due to the curvature of the plates. By using larger plates or doing this on a tray, for example, the process would be much simpler, but like most things I like to make it a challenge!

There are many options for this project. You can use any colors, any size plates, any stencils or embellishments. The following supplies and directions are for the art I have created for my home. 

Supplies

DecoArt Primer/Sealer

DecoArt Texture Crackle, Yellow Ochre

DecoArt Texture Stencil, Royal Tile
DecoArt Satin Enamel Paint, black

Gorilla Glue

DISChangers, in corresponding sizes

Large stiff paintbrush  (or palette knife)

1 - 2 Smaller stiff paintbrush (one with fine tip, one with 1/4 ╥ wide bristles)

1 - 12" plate

3 - 8" plates
1 - 6" plate

NOTE: I looked for plates with interesting edges and details on the rim...I think it made the perfect built-in frame for my collection.
Note: Sizes may vary

DIY it!

*Paint all plates with the DecoArt Enamel in black and let dry completely. This may take 2 coats {I recommend it}. Most of the plates I found had a white backgrounds and "interesting" patterns. I knew I did not want the pattern/background showing through my crackle, so a coat or two of paint was in order.

*On the 12" plate, and one of the 8" plates, apply a coat of primer/sealer and let dry 24 hours, as per directions.

*Apply DecoArt Texture crackle to the 12" and 8" plate, as per directions. I used a wide stiff fan brush rather than a palette knife because my plates were curved.
*Let dry.

*See below, assembly.

Black Enamel Plates

*Apply a coat of primer/sealer to the remaining 3 - 8" black} plates, and let dry 24 hours, as per directions.
*Decide on and position stencils on the center of the black plates.
NOTE: to accommodate the size of the plates I selected, I had to cut the stencils into smaller pieces.

*Position stencil and using a smaller, stiff brush, apply texture crackle medium to the stencil, while holding the stencil carefully. Apply medium generously, so you will get a good crackle!
NOTE: If you are working on a larger flat surface, you may tape down or use stencil adhesive.

*Carefully remove stencil and let the plate dry completely. NOTE: Between each plate I washed and dried the stencil so as to not get smears or excess paint on the following plates.

{good crackle!}

Assemble It!

*Once everything is dry...
*Position one of the 8" {black} plates and adhere it to the large-12" {yellow} plate using Gorilla Glue. Put a line of Gorilla Glue around the bottom ring of the smaller plate.
*Repeat for the  process for the 8" yellow plate and the 6" black plate {measurements may vary}.
*Let dry.

*Layout the plates on a flat surface {table of floor} to determine layout of plates.

Hang It!

*To make hanging easier, cut circles the approximate size of your plates and place them on wall using masking tape to get your positioning the way you want it. {I hung the large plate first and then positioned the others according to my liking}

*Mark nail position

*Using the supplied directions, apply DiscChangers to back of plates. I used 4 in varying sizes to accommodate the weight and size of my plates. Can I tell you how much I L-O-V-E DISChangers - that was the easiest time I have ever had hanging anything and it looks great!

What is your favorite piece of wall art?

Linky for the Blog Hop OPENS at 6PST/9EST on 5/7/2010 

Visit my other DIY Club Creation HERE.

Disclosure: As part of the DIY CLub and this vendor sponsored event, I  received products to complete my DIY from DiscChangers, Gorilla Glue,  and DecoArt. We all want to send a special thank you, to all of our sponsor who sent us these awesome products to work with. Also a special thank you to Brent from Linky Tools for all of his hard work in making this event come together so smoothly.  We highly recommend that you post your next party through him--he is a  great guy to work with. Visit his new site http://linkytools.com"> Linky Tools. 

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