Confession and Tile to Trivet Makeover

Hello, my name is Shanee and I am an addict.  I can admit it but I have to tell you I have no interest in a 12 step program because I like being an addict and don't intend to change.  I am addicted to Pinterest and there are just too many projects I find I want to try.   It is useless to fight it.

My spare daughter, Bri introduced me to Pinterest back in the fall (then promptly closed her facebook and pinterest because she was spending too much time on them)...gee thanks Bri.  Mini told me the whole thing was silly.  I didn't pay her any mind since any time I mention cooking or crafts she gets a glazed look and heads off to check on her Fantasy Football team.  What could she possibly know?  Well, she was right it is silly and addicting but since I am so ADD and hormone induced insane it really helps me keep ideas in one place (as opposed to clipping articles and pics only to lose them before they ever enter my "someday" notebook).

When I stumbled onto these adorable dot painted dishes I just had to try painting some.  Bri and I headed off looking for paints and dishes.  Initially I wanted to paint some Christmas dishes but after some research we discovered that all the paints we could find were not cleared for contact with food.  Opps.  We decided to err on the side of caution and only create designs on the edges of dishes. 

Paint in hand all we needed were the dishes.  I am sure you can relate to this scenario.  You have zero dollars but go shopping anyway and see 10 things you just have to have. Then you go shopping with money and you will find zilch!    That is exactly what happened on our dish hunt, plenty of money but no dishes that fit the bill. 

Okay, plan B.  Bri had seen some designs on coasters so we decided to give that a try.  The great thing about tiles is they are cheap!  Super cheap!  Gotta love super cheap. 

We printed off some templates to use for monograms and designs and got started.   Maybe everyone else in the world knew this but Bri taught me a little trick for transferring designs.  We printed off our design and then HEAVILY traced the design in pencil on the back.  After a bit of measuring (I HATE the measuring) we were ready to transfer.   We flipped the template over and traced the right side..ta da design transferred to the tile.  This was so nice to know after I had been trying to transfer using a very worn out piece of graph paper!

Now for the fun stuff.   The paints we used were Americana Gloss Enamels.  I love the consistency of this paint.  Some multi-surface paints do not work well on glass or glossy surfaces but this paint has excellent coverage for both the dot painting and the freehand painting I did.

Some of the dots were created with the pointed top (I know there is a name for these but I am having a moment and can't seem to find the world I need)  that came with some of the paints and others were created with toothpicks or the end of paint brushes.  The rest of the design was freehand painted.

After the painting was all done the tiles needed to dry for 48 hours.  Once dry I placed them in a cold oven on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and then baked for 25 minutes.  After baking and cooling, I used 150 grit sandpaper to sand the edges and backs and then I attached felt to the bottom using my trusty glue gun (first time ever NOT to be burned doing a project).  You could use cork as well and it would definitely look more professional but I was doing a use what you have project.   I then tied each set with red and silver ribbon to complete the gift.

I am planning on delivering a couple of sets tomorrow, I can't wait!  Hope everyone has a terrific Monday.

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