Sharpies and Ceramic Plates

      Another crafty thing Kim and I did while she was visiting involved dollar store plates and sharpies. We attempted to draw permanent designs on the plates using the coloured markers. I got the idea from Pinterest (originally from here). Kim went with a floral design, while I went for my nerdy organic chemistry stuff. Unfortunately baking the plates at 150 for 30 minutes did NOT make them permanent, so we had to start over.  I was very sad to have had my hard work wash off after the first try. 

Supplies: little dollar store plates and Sharpie markers

Drawing my nerdiness on a plate

Our plate designs: front

Our plate designs: back (mine had a back design)

Our plates in the oven

     This morning I have started on the second attempt. Before Kim left she redid her design and I've been waiting for the time to re-attempt mine. I have found another site with slightly varied instructions here.  I put the plates in at 450 for a half hour.  Kim's design was made several weeks ago and the marker has had ample time to dry while mine was made, then immediately put in the oven but it didn't seem to make a difference.

After 30 mins at 450 degrees

     It turned out alright.  Both plates have survived a mild wash and scrub. The colours did fade while in the oven but it seems more "caked on" so to speak.  I'm confident using these as tea bag holders, but I'm not sure how well they'd stand up to a real good scrub with a brush. One thing's for sure, this project was not as wonderful as it seemed on Pinterest.  The term "permanent" was very loosely used.

     So I'm a little disappointed it wasn't as straightforward and fool proof as it boasted, but regardless it was a fun activity.  I will likely experiment with this idea a little more at some point in the future, perhaps with tea mugs or more plates, but I'm in no rush since it's not as permanent as I'd like.

Keep Crafty Everyone!
Monica