apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Thanks so much for this post, just what I've been thinking about. I did this years ago and want to do it again. But I seem to recall that not all cups/saucers are OK to put in the oven. Anyone have any info on this? Would love to hear that's not the case, will then dash out immediately and get supplies!

thumbs up! can't wait to paint my own cup! how long should i bake it in the oven?

gosh. that is so cool and beautiful. and it sounds like such a fun thing to do! And that seahorse design is lovely.

What a beautiful way to resurrect an old tradition!

The idea is pretty common, but her execution is brilliant. Beautiful!

adorable idea! that'd be fun for a birthday party.

Stunning execution of a very good idea.

LOVE this. Great idea for making mismatched dishes really match each other.

Thank you so much! I've been wanting to learn how to do this!

this could be a great idea for a wedding, no? Guests could write their names or a message or a doodle on a tea set and it could be a great keepsake. Granted they'd have to be instructed to be careful with the pen but in my mind it's the perfect thing.

Super cool! Thanks for the tutorial :)

Fantastic. I recently bought a slew of white saucers and small plates to stop using paper plates for parties. A few of them have gold, silver, gray and black details on them. This is a great inspiration to pick up pens in the same colors and add some drawings to my set. Thanks for the great post!

how cool. i'm going to have a go at decorating an old teapot i have.

This is so beautiful! Where can you buy those paint markers? I have never heard of them and I'm a pretty crafty person. I've been eyeing dishes from Anthro lately, but this will be so much better since I can make them to my liking. I've saw a cute cup and saucer set on etsy awhile back that had a tea bag drawn onto it, so cute!

Thanks so much everyone! I'm so excited that everyone loves it! And I love the wedding idea, actually yesterday I thought about making an espresso set and ad a can of good coffee and a french press as a cool and useful wedding gift - but I like the idea of guest making different things as a special china pattern for the couple even more.

Treelovr - it takes 30 minutes in 300F (150C) - leave it to cool off in the oven, cause the dishes get super hot (yes, I know this from experience and burn myself almost every time i make something new...)

I love this idea! I use those markers all the time for Christmas gifts, and it's saved me a ton of money (and people seem to like it). A tip I heard once that I now use is to not put the cold dish into the 300 degree oven, but put the cold dish in the cold oven and let them heat up together, which is I guess to prevent the dish from shattering. Never had it happen, but after I spend hours on a plate, I like to be safe! Also, and I don't know exactly where I heard this although I do it all the time, if you make a mistake, it can be cleaned up with a q-tip and nail polish remover. Obviously let it dry before continuing to draw over top of the area. Also, per the wedding idea, we painted a design (our wedding date and names) on a plate, and then provided markers (important to have more than one- these markers for me dry out quickly) and the unbaked plate at the reception for our guests to sign, and baked the whole thing later. Now we use it when we have parties as a serving dish and it reminds us of those who shared our wedding day!

Oh, and I absolutely love Aya's design. It's really beautiful and intricate. And I bought my Porcelaine stuff at Michael's, but I've seen them at Pearl Paint as well.

Fantastic

A great tip about getting cheap and nice white porcelain pieces - try restaurant supply stores! if you are in NYC there are a ton of them in Bowery st. If not, there are a lot of stores online (Though I personally have a thing about paying for shipping...) Most of those stores will sell 6 pieces or 12 and you wouldn't need to get a 72 crate (though some wont).
I just got 12 cups and 12 saucers for less then 30$ I can't wait to start working on those!

artsharkdesigns - thanks for the tip, it makes a lot of sense!

Love this, both the pattern and instructions. I'm planning to do this.

I've done this but with low fire glaze- fired in an electric kiln for 6 hours at about 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Well I'm lucky to have a kiln in my class- but this project is great for those without kiln hookups :O)

Here are my samples: marybethsart.etsy.com

Mary beth - the coolest thing about this is how each person would get a different result cause each person have a different style. Here are some of mine: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5041391

Great, great idea, Aya! The etsy samples are very cool, too. Man, I wish I could draw better...

I'm better at cooking: when you make the teas, use leftover pieces of fruit and fruit scraps to flavor them. More ideas at http://www.SustainableSuppers.com


P.S. I'd imagine one could do this with regular plates, tea pots and bowls? Now I REALLY with I could draw!

That last sentence should say wish. I got rid of my lithp long ago... ;)

Frugalista - yes, basically anything made of china or ceramics. I've done - vases, bowls, plates, coffee mugs, tea cups, sake bottles, milk jugs sugar bowl and so on.

If you can't draw, don't worry about it - there are a lot of things you can decorate with without drawing, how about try writing favorite quotes or poetry? sometimes even a simple bunch of lines or heart shapes can work really well, or some music notes. I had an idea of doing a tea set with just the names of the people in the family on them, so there won't be any mix up about who should use which one.

I have another idea for this that I might try this week.

Great idea. Is the paint non-toxic so that I could put food on the painted piece, e.g. a platter?

CZ - Yes you can! I made some plates with birds on them that can be used for eating.

I looked at these paints this weekend and it says clearly on the package "Not recommended for use on surfaces that come in contact with food."

i love this and all your artwork!

Stickycretingurl - Are you sure it was the same? There is a couple of other product by the same company that looks exactly like those only have different names, one is the Vitrea that's meant for glass and the other is Pebeo Ceramic, that's used for, well, ceramic. I've never used the glass one, but I know that the ceramic is toxic and should not be used to paint dishes that are meant to hold food, the packaging is exactly the same.

I have asked in the store I bought the paint in, and I've re-read the instructions on the paint now, and my packaging doesn't say anything about not use on food touching surfaces.

You can read more about the products on their site:
http://www.pebeo.com/us/index.htm

Persiana! You rock! thanks!

Yes, I'm sure. The packaging for both Vitrea and Porcelaine 150 both clearly say "Not recommended for use on surfaces that come in contact with food." Here is an online retailer's page for Porcelaine 150 and it has that disclaimer on it twice. Here is a blogger who contacted Pebeo and Dick Blick and confirmed that "These paints have not been FDA approved for use with food. They are for decorative purposes only. The non-toxic label is for the paint in the liquid form." A known issue, too, is the marring of the paint that occurs when this paint is used on food contact surfaces through forks/knives. So even if the paint is well and truly nontoxic post baking, the paint is known to be too fragile to withstand use with eating utensils. Perhaps you should at least mention that part in your etsy listings of plates?

I have an update on the paints! I actually contacted the manufacturer and surprisingly got an answer about an hour later! (don't you love good costumer service?!)

They said that though the paints are 100% non toxic they can not recommend to use this on surfaces that will touch food because they don't have the French equivalent of an FDA approval. The warning is there for legal reason, and not for any practical issue. The permit they do have apply for toys which also have to be 100% non-toxic (of course).
So, if you want to use those paints for food touching surfaces you will not be poisoned nor would this damaged the painting.

Thanks all, for the toxicity info. I think I'll just try this on the no food contact side of a piece for now.

Does anyone know if this paint is microwave safe, or if not, if there is one available that is this easy to use (as in I don't have a kiln in my apartment!)? My boyfriend and I cannot seem to agree on any plates that are in our price range, but we would have so much fun doing this together!

Excellent piece of art!

love th ecolor used for the design. ceramic art is an amazing job. love Turquoise!!!



Jeanne

So wash it well, if there are price stickers on them
http://www.crazypurchase.com

Pebeo is amazing stuff! I've been making hand painted mugs as gifts for every holiday since I was introduced to the stuff!

Look-see HERE & HERE.

To Jocasta02: I'm pretty sure it's microwave safe... and you only need a conventional oven to set the stuff- not a kiln- it's what makes it so special!