This post was first published in March 2015.
Everyone has some old crockery that they don’t like. It might be something that you got as a gift (those quintessential horrid wedding gifts from 13 years back!) or something that just went out of fashion.
Which brings me to the 4 unused bowls I’ve had in my kitchen cupboard for years now. Sometimes I get into a let’s-throw-everything-out-that-we-don’t-use-anymore mood, but even after several of those, these little creations remained. I realized that’s because I rather like the shape of them, even though the designs were not my style at all. So I got out some paint and started playing around!
You will need:
Paint (I used Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan because it sticks to anything!) | Brushes | Leaves and things to print with | CPG (Ceramic, Porcelain, Glass) Podge
Shop your chalk paint online here!
You can paint the bowls any way you like: with a brush, a roller or by swirling it around in the bowl. I painted directly onto the ceramic without preparing the surface first. The paint gives a rough texture which gives the impression of clay – love it!
The fun starts when you work a with a few leaves or plants from your garden to see what patterns they make. Have a look at the play-with-print session we had earlier – anything can make a print!
To dip a bowl, add some packing tape to the back. This will give you a better grip on the bowl and will help with getting just the right depth of dip on the edges. Leave it dry by balancing it on a can of spray paint – works like a charm!
To finish, paint the dried bowl with 4 layers of CPG Podge and bake according to the instructions on the bottle. This will seal the paint and prevent it from coming off. I won’t advocate putting it in the dishwasher or using a scourer on it, but you will be able to gently wash it in warm water.
So now you also don’t have any reason to have ugly crockery – go on, paint and stamp them!
