CasaSugar

DIY: Hang Plates on a Wall

CasaSugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:00:46 -0700

If you read my slideshow on how to decorate on the cheap with pretty plates, you might be feeling inspired to hang some in your own home. Before you get started, there are a few steps you should learn, so you don't wind up with shattered materials for a mosaic instead. While you can just hang a trio evenly spaced on a wall, you'll make more of a statement if you group them in a more unique arrangement. To learn how to hang plates, read more.

Lay a large piece of craft paper (or even tape a few pieces together) on the floor, the size of the space where you'd like to hang them.
Place around with the arrangement of the plates on the paper before you begin hanging them. Once you've settled on design, trace the plates onto the paper. If you want a more traditional look, go with a symmetrical arrangement. For something more eclectic, arrange them asymmetrically, in a flowing pattern or a cluster as shown here.
Leave a half a foot or so between the arrangement and the ceiling to give it visual balance.
Use your traced paper as a guide to mark the placement of each plate on the wall with a pencil.
Then, hang away! For a free-floating look, you can use these heavy-duty, peel-and-stick Disc Hangers, which are available in range of sizes. Or, you can use a traditional wire plate hanger, readily available at your local hardware store. In either case, you'll need to hammer a nail into the wall to hang it from, and remember to adjust your marks on the wall according to where the plate hanger's hook is.

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How-To: Decorate on the Cheap With Pretty Plates

CasaSugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:00:09 -0700

If your budget is a little tight right now for wall art including painting, prints, or simply getting that favorite photo properly framed and matted, relax: there's another inexpensive option for dressing your walls with style and flair. Beautiful, graphic plates can look just as stunning as an expensive painting when they're displayed well. Check out some of my favorite plate displays, as well as tips on getting the look.
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Do You Have Any Plates Hanging at Your Home?

CasaSugar — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:00:32 -0700

I love the effect of a carefully arranged grouping of plates. Depending on how you execute it, it can look either wildly modern or downright traditional. Either way, it's a lovely way to decorate your walls.

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Guess Who Illustrated These Plates?

CasaSugar — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:00:06 -0700

These illustrated plates are hung in the fashionable hallway of Max and Lubov Azria's home, featured this month in Harper's Bazaar. Can you tell me who illustrated them?

Nice and New: Kate Spade Holly Heights Tidbit Plates

CasaSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:00:07 -0800

You can count on Kate Spade to infuse full-on girliness into her holiday décor. Spade's candy-colored Holly Heights Tidbit Plates ($50) are good enough to eat! The set of two green/yellow and two red/pink plates has ample festivity for holiday entertaining, but the central starry snowflake pattern is subtle enough that you can pull off the plates all year long. I adore the little dove border and repeated diamond pattern. I think they'd make great jewelry catch-alls for your bureau or coasters even!

Etsy Find: Seven Deadly Sins Floral Frufru Plates

CasaSugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:30:36 -0700

I love repurposed plates. Some of my favorites are Sarah Cihat's rehabilitated dishware, and I loved Danny Seo's DIY take, too. GiggleSugar recently directed me to these very cool Seven Deadly Sins plates ($140 for set) from Esty seller Trixiedelicious.

To find out more about these plates, and to see some more of the artist's unexpected designs, read more.

I love the juxtaposition of the name of each sin with the sweet, antique floral patterns on the plates. These plates are food safe, though you should contact Trixiedelicious before putting them in a dishwasher (I'd always wash them by hand just to be safe). I can imagine serving delicate lemon mascarpone charlottes on them at a tea party populated by cheeky, fun ladies. What would you do with them?

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Cool Idea: Mounting Mismatched China

CasaSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:00:00 -0700

Flea markets and thrift stores can be a treasure trove of mismatched china, which could lead to trouble depending on your level of impulse control. One too many "Oh, this little dish is too cute to pass up!" and next thing you know, you've got boxes of quirky plates without coordinating mates.

That's why I was mesmerized by this wall I snapped at a Northern California diner. The quirky patterns look so serene, mounted on the seafoam-green wall. What do you think of this idea? I loved it so much I never wanted to leave. The diner did something similar with mismatched mugs on a shelf. Curious about this curiosity? Then read more.

DIY: Reglazed Silhouette Plates

CasaSugar — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:47:48 -0700

I'm always tempted by the quirky china I find at thrift stores and flea markets, but I really don't have an excuse to buy a bunch of unmatched dinnerware. That is, until I discovered this cool project from green guru Danny Seo on creating Reglazed Silhouette Plates. (Thanks, Modern Roost.)

Though this project requires pottery glaze, you won't need a kiln or any other obscure tools. In fact, you probably have all of the materials lying around the house already, with the exception of the glaze. For a step-by-step guide to turning tacky old china into kitschy, crafty pieces of art, read more

Reglazed Silhouette Plates, via HGTV

What You'll Need

stack of old plates
cotton balls
rubbing alcohol
scissors
8-1/2 x 11 inkjet sticker paper cut into various patterns
porcelain glaze
foam brushes
plate hangers

How to Make It

If you don't have old plates, you can buy some at a thrift store or second-hand store. This project works best if they have a weird or tacky pattern on them.
Clean the plates with cotton balls and alcohol to remove any dirt or oil. Allow the plates to dry completely.
Cut out patterns from the sticker paper. Stars, animal shapes or silhouettes work well.
Peel the backing off the sticker and apply it to a plate. Place the sticker over part of the plate that has a pattern on it, that way you can see some of the pattern after applying the glaze. Make sure the sticker is on as firm as possible so that no glaze gets underneath the sticker. Use the handle of the foam brush to press the edges down firmly.
Pour a little bit of the porcelain glaze onto a plate. Spread the glaze around the entire plate using the foam brush. Don't over-saturate the area over the sticker, so the silhouette comes out clean. Neatness is not a concern, applying the glaze a little sloppy will create interesting textures. For example, a brown glaze can simulate wood grain. For darker colors, let the glaze dry a little bit and then add another coat.
Allow the glaze to dry overnight, and then carefully remove the sticker to reveal the old plate pattern underneath.
Repeat these steps with plates of varying patterns and sizes to create a unique wall display.

Cool Idea: Another Use For a Plate Hanger

CasaSugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 09:15:49 -0700

Su Casa member Brendelwoman recently shared her inventive use of a plate hanger that she bought at a consignment shop for $12. Since she didn't have any plates to display with the plate hanger, she needed to think out of the box. Brendelwoman decided to use the plate hanger to display some other trinkets. Can you guess what they are? To find out, read more.

She decided to use the plate hanger as a necklace and bracelet holder! She says, "The great thing about displaying my jewelry out in the open versus in the armoire is that I am actually wearing more of it now that I can see it!" Adorable, right? If you're not on the hunt for a necklace display but you need a place to display your earrings, check out my Shutter Earrings Display DIY.
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Steal of the Day: Gothic Dessert Plate

CasaSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:00:28 -0800

If ever I come across a discounted Thomas Paul design, my ears perk up; I love his work. But, in this case, the Thomas Paul Gothic Dessert Plate Set ($23.10, reduced from $38.50) caught my eye because their creepy silhouettes look straight out of The Ring Two. We've got a young girl (Samara), a horse (from the old Morgan horse farm), a boy (Aiden Keller - Naomi Watt's son), and a black crow thrown in there for good measure. Hung on a wall of your kitchen or dining room, they create a dark contemporary motif. You like, or is it too dark for your home?