DIY Tiered Jewelry Organizer Made From Vintage China Plates & Teacups

Today I'm going to show you how you can turn your thrift store and flea market teacups, plates, and saucers into a pretty tiered organizer. This organizer is great for holding jewelry or other small collections, makes a unique candy dish, and is certainly a conversation piece. All you need are a few supplies. It's easier than you might think! 

Assemble your supplies

First, let's gather our supplies. For this project you will need a variety of old plates, saucers, and teacups. You will need a tube of E6000 adhesive. This is available at hardware stores, department stores such as Target, and even in some grocery stores. Due to the materials we will be gluing, I do not recommend using any other adhesive. Hot glue will not work, nor will water-soluble school glue, so get yourself a tube of E6000. 

You will need a disposable popsicle stick or craft stick to help spread the glue, and you will need some old newspaper to cover and protect your tabletop while you work. 

A paper plate or a piece of waxed paper comes in handy when you need to set your glue-covered craft stick down, so you may want to keep one of those at your workstation too. And remember, when using any type of adhesive, always be sure to work in a well-ventilated area.

Choosing your china

For the organizer we are going to make today, you will need three plates and three teacups. From the bottom up, our organizer will look like this: plate, teacup, plate, teacup, plate, teacup.

To keep your tiered organizer from being top-heavy and toppling over, we need to build our organizer so that the largest and heaviest plates and cups are on the bottom, and the smaller and lighter ones are on the top. Think about this when you are choosing your china. 

Before we glue any of our pieces together, we will first pick them out and stack them up so we can see how our finished project will  look.

First, choose a heavy plate for the bottom so that your organizer has a sturdy base. Remember, we are going to be stacking china on top of this plate, so it has to be large and heavy so that your "china tower" does not topple over. Once you have chosen your base plate, set it aside and choose your first teacup that will be glued to the top of that plate. This teacup will be glued upside-down to the bottom plate. This is because the diameter of the cup's opening is (most likely) larger than the diameter of the bottom of the cup. 

Once you have chosen your first cup, set it aside next to your base plate and then choose your middle plate. This plate will be glued on top of the bottom of the teacup that you just chose. Make sure you choose a plate that has a smaller diameter than your base plate. Your middle plate should also be lighter than your base plate. Once you have chosen that plate, try it out to see how it looks stacked up and then set it aside. 

Note: if using elongated plates, you can either line them up or stagger them, as shown in the photos below:

Plates lined up with each other. 

Plates staggered.

Next, choose your second tea cup. This cup will be glued upside-down on top of the middle plate that you just chose. 

Once you have chosen your second teacup, choose your third plate. This plate will be situated on top of the bottom of the teacup that you just chose. Choose the smallest and lightest plate for this position. A saucer often works great for this position. 

Finally, you will choose your third and last teacup to complete your china tower. This teacup will be glued right-side-up on top of the small plate or saucer that you last chose. 

Now that you have all of your china picked out and you know what is going where, it's time to glue them together! Before you glue, make sure all pieces are clean and dry. We will glue them together from the bottom up.

 Open your adhesive and carefully apply a ring of glue around the rim of the first (bottom) teacup, and then place the teacup, glue-side down onto the top center of your bottom plate.

Now - it is up to you whether you want to continue gluing right away, or wait until those two pieces have dried. I recommend allowing them to dry overnight before adding the next piece. Either way, next you will glue the center plate to the bottom of the bottom cup, allow that to dry, and then add your second cup  - once again upside-down, and once that is dry add your small plate, and then your final top cup, which you will glue to the small plate right-side-up. 

Another option is to forgo the top teacup and use the small plate as your top tier. It's a matter of personal taste. Do what you think looks best. Below are two different ways of stacking elongated plates - lined up or staggered.

Staggered elongated plates

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Please share this post with your friends and remember, I always love to see your creations so feel free to email them to me via my Etsy shop or  on my Facebook page (links in the right hand sidebar).

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Article and images copyright ©Laura Beth Love 2017 and may not be republished in print or other media without express written permission from the author.

Giant Christmas Tree Made From China Plates, Mugs, And Teacups

Townspeople from Hasselt, Belgium collaborated with Inge Vanluyd and Stefan Vanbergen of the Belgian studio Mooz to create this giant Christmas tree in the town square. Residents donated extra unused plates and cups to help create the tree, which is comprised of over 5,000 pieces of china dinnerware and stands over nine meters tall and six meters in diameter. The tree was dubbed the "Taste Tree" due to Hasselt being known as "the capital of taste".  

All images via Fresh Palace

What do you think?

Enjoy your day!

Love, 

Laura

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My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Wanna Know A Secret? Here Are The Best Places To Find Vintage Plates

One of the things that people ask me all the time is where I find my vintage plates. The answer is simple: all over the place! They are easier to find than you may think. You just have to know where to look. 

Whether you're looking for some pretty vintage plates to hang on your wall, or searching for dishes to use in crafts or to transform into some beautiful jewelry, read on for my top picks for successful plate hunting goodness!

First: Ask Friends & Family 

To start, you can ask friends and family members for any old plates that they might have laying around, and ask them to save you any dishes that they might accidentally break. 

The pro to this is that they are free. The con is that they will most likely not have a great selection of different china patterns, and what you land up "inheriting" might be more modern styled dinnerware rather than vintage. 

The problem with this is that if you plan on using the plates or shards to create jewelry or mosaics, the materials of modern dinnerware are often very thick or hard, and therefore not suitable for crafts. Why? Simply because they will be hard on your tools and could actually cause your tools to wear down too quickly or even break. 

If the reverse side of the plate says ironstone (that should give it away, no?) or the plate is heavy (think diner-type dishes) then you don't want to use those in your crafts. But asking friends and family is always a good place to start. Spread the word that you are on the lookout for some pretty, old plates and they will no doubt think of you when they come across some themselves! 

Thrift Stores

I think that the best places for beginner plate hunters to find old china pieces are at thrift shops and yard sales. You can add flea markets to that list too, but you will most likely pay more at flea markets than at thrift shops or yard sales. Antique dealers often set up shop at the bigger flea markets and I have found that those vendors tend to overprice their china. 

Check out all of the thrift shops and Goodwill stores in your area and note which ones have the best selections of plates. Some thrift shops have tons of plates. Others have hardly any. Make a mental note of the good ones so that you can visit them on a regular basis. 

Seasoned thrift store shoppers know that each thrift shop tends to carry certain types of wares on a continual basis. Some thrift shops have tons of clothes but little housewares. Others have tons of housewares and little clothes. Take note! Once you are a thrift shop shopping pro, consider mini road trips to other thrift shops that are out of your area.

Keep in mind that the prices and quality of goods in the shop will often reflect the income of the area. Many thrift shops also have certain departments on sale on certain days of the week. For instance, Monday might be half price clothing day, Tuesday might be half price dishes day. Got it? ;)

Yard Sales & Flea Markets:

The pros of yard sale shopping are that people are usually willing to bargain because most people who have yard sales are either moving or honestly want to get rid of their "stuff," so it puts you in a good position to barter.  

The cons of yard sales & garage sales are that they are mostly seasonal, and you have to do a lot of schlepping around from area to area. Also, depending on how populated the area is, you may have to get there very early to get the good stuff. Go towards the end of the sale, and you are more likely to get a bargain. The same goes for flea markets. I like to shop weekend flea markets on a Sunday afternoon, an hour or two before vendors are getting ready to pack up and go home. 

In my experience, that is the time that they are most willing to barter! As far as prices go, I think that yard sales are a toss up - you never know how someone is going to price their items. Some people have emotional connections to their things and so they tend to price them higher. Still, other people under-price.  You never know what you are going to encounter, but that makes it fun.

Church Rummage Sales:

Many churches, charities, and other organizations hold yearly rummage sales. These have the potential of being a goldmine for the plate hunter! 

Why? For starters, these are often annual events that are either held on only one particular day or a few days over the length of a weekend, but only once a year. That means the folks who donate to these events often "clean house" and collect a pile of things throughout the year to donate/sell for the short event. Unlike thrift shops and flea markets, that are constantly "picked-through" by other shoppers, the rummage sale can be like Christmas morning for shoppers. My advice: get there early! 

These types of sales are most often created to benefit a specific charity, so be prepared to possibly pay an entry fee, and also be prepared to pay a few dollars more for dishes than you would at a thrift shop. Keep in mind that it's usually for a good cause.

Your Local Community Recycling Center:

Depending on where you live, some municipalities have recycling drop off centers that collect plates. Call your township municipality to find out if your town collects dishes, and find out if it would be possible for you to get some. Some centers are for drop-off only and will not allow you to pick through them, but all you have to do is ask to find out. It's that simple. 

Antique shops/antique vendors, and Ebay:

You can get just about any kind of fancy plate on Ebay or at an antique store, but you are most often going to pay top dollar, including shipping and sometimes other costs (packaging, insurance, etc.) 

The pro of shopping Ebay is that you can shop from the convenience of your own home and you can search for specific china sizes, shapes, or patterns. 

As you can see, there are plenty of different places to search for vintage china, and each place has it's own pros and cons. Some days you may not find much of anything, but don't get discouraged! 

There are thousands upon thousands of old dinnerware pieces just waiting to be found. 

Keep looking! 

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Where is your favorite place to find dishes?

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Laura

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Article copyright ©Laura Beth Love 2019 and may not be republished in print or other media without express written permission from the author. For any link corrections please leave correct info in comment area.

How To Put Letters Or Words On Vintage China Plates DIY Tutorial

This project was actually created out of my need for signage for my new art studio at the Banana Factory in Bethlehem, PA! Having lots of great wall space to fill, I needed a way to display my name on my wall so that when folks visited my studio they could get an idea of who I am and what I do. I'm never one to go the traditional route, so I didn't want to use standard printed signage. Instead, I put my brain into creative overdrive and created my own unique signage by working with what I'm most familiar with: plates! I love how they turned out!

I thought I'd share with you how I created these word plates in case you'd like to create your own. Just imagine the word possibilities that you could create with these! You could spell out anything that you could imagine and hang them anywhere in your home.

A few ideas: EAT or DINE (for the kitchen), RELAX or DREAM (for the bedroom), FAMILY or HOME (for the living room or family room). You get the idea! 

This really is a great DIY home decor project that costs next to nothing (and its fun!) 

Check it out!

My finished letter plates, ready for hanging! This entire project only cost me $6.00!

Materials Needed

A collection of old plates, all similar in size

Black Sharpie marker

Large sized paper clips (you will need one for each plate)

E6000 adhesive

Toothpick or craft stick to apply adhesive

Paper plate (to rest the adhesive on while you are working)

Vinyl stick on letters (the repositionable type)

Instructions

1. The first thing you have to do is collect a bunch of different pattered plates. I used dinner- sized plates which were all similar in size. Each was about 8" across (20.3 cm) give or take an inch or so. They do not all have to be exactly the same size, just close in size. I thought the large sized plates packed a punch and made a nice impact, so I went with those. You could also use smaller plates if you prefer. Just make sure the plates that you choose are all around the same size. It just looks better that way! 

Where to get plates: thrift shops, yard sales, flea markets, friends and family. These are the best places to find plates. You want to have a variety of different plates, so start collecting them now and stash them away until you have a nice selection. How about sharing this project idea with a friend? That way, you can give each other your duplicate plates (since you will often find a few of the same pattern for sale at one time.) Once you have your plates, wash them in warm soapy water and dry them, making sure they are very clean.

Repositionable vinyl peel off letters. These are the bomb!

2. The next thing you are going to do is get your paws on some repositionable vinyl letters. These are sold in different sizes. The size you will use will be determined by the size 

plates you are using, so you will want to collect your plates first and then purchase your vinyl letters afterward. I used the 4" (10.2 cm) vinyl letters. These are available from craft stores, some hardware stores, as well as online. I bought mine at Dick Blick Art Supply because that was closest to where I live. 

One pack of the vinyl letters cost meabout $6.00, and I thought that was a bargain! I was lucky that I only had to buy onepackage of letters. Depending on what you are going to spell out, you may need to buy more than one package, so plan ahead! There are only so many of each letter included in 

a package. For example, the character count of letters in the package that I bought was 

as follows: A-2, B-1, C-1, D-2, E-3, F-1, etc., so check the package!

Before you apply the letters, lay all of your plates out on a large tabletop and turn them until you are pleased with the positions of the patterns on the plates. Position the plates 

on your table top in the same order that you would like them hung on your wall. Next, carefully peel off your first vinyl letter and starting with the top of the letter, position it on your plate (either centered or not, your choice). Slowly apply the letter to your plate, starting with the top of the letter and working down. Go very slow to make sure you don't get any air bubbles or wrinkles in you letters when you are applying them. 

Yes, they are repositionable, but they also stick really well! You do not want to have to reposition them unless it is absolutely necessary! The first time that you apply them is when they have the best adhesion!  Once your letter is applied, smooth it out with your fingers and then move on to the next one. 

There you have it! Isn't that cool? 

3. Once you have all of your letters on your plates you are ready to attach hooks to the reverse side to hang them with. You can buy those wire plate hangers if you prefer, but my way is free! Yay! 

Before you attach a hanger on the reverse side of your plate you need to eyeball it and make a marker mark on the reverse side to indicate exactly where you will be gluing the hanger. You want to do this so that your letters will not be crooked when hung on the wall. With one hand, hold your plate in front of you, perfectly centered (facing you), and with your other hand make a small marker mark on the reverse side at the top center edge. Just estimate as best you can where the top center is on the reverse side of your plate. Then draw a line going down the back of the plate from the marker mark that you made towards the center and over the foot (ridge) of the plate. That is the spot where you will glue your hanger.  

This line indicates the top center of the plate from the reverse side

4. Open up a large paper clip as shown in the photo below. Use your fingers to bend the paper clip so that it sits relatively flat against your plate. It doesn't have to be perfect, just try to make it flat if you can. I positioned the small end of the paper clip towards the center of the plate so that the large end of the paper clip would serve as the hook for hanging.  

I recommend this adhesive. I would NOT recommend using a hot glue gun! 

5. Now you are ready to glue the clip to the plate. Use your craft stick or toothpick to apply a thick, generous coating of adhesive to the small end of the paper clip, traveling up towards the hook/large end. Coat the entire small end of the clip to the plate. Do not be stingy with your adhesive! Spread it around the clip with your toothpick or craft stick. Make sure it is really well coated with a nice thick coating of adhesive. *Allow to dry 24 hours or at least overnight. 

Clip with dried adhesive

6. All you have to do now is hang them on your wall. I used regular nails to hang mine, but depending on what your wall material is made of (and especially if you are hanging large, heavy plates) you may need to use reinforcements for your nails, such as mollys or anchors. If you are unsure of what type of nail to use, ask for advice at your local hardware store. 

That's it! 

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial!  

What do you think?

What would your plates say?

Disclaimer: Please use your best judgment when completing this or any craft project! Always remember that safety comes first! Use good sense when choosing where you will hang your plates and always use the correct length and type of nail and/or supports to hang heavy items. When completing this or any project you do so at your own risk. 

Have a great week!
Laura

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Article copyright ©Laura Beth Love 2019 and may not be republished in print or other media without express written permission from the author. For any link corrections please leave correct info in comment area. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from quaifying purchases.