Colorful Fall Leaves Dinnerware

Stencils and vibrant glass paints help create a set of plates, serving items and table accents perfect for autumn. Use for autumn entertaining, even Thanksgiving, or give as a special gift.
 

Materials:

•  Dinnerware and serving pieces: Oversized dinner plate, salad plate, cup  & saucer, wood ceramic-tile tray, ice bucket with rattan handle
•  Water goblets
•  Flower vase
•  Enamel glass paint*: Light Foliage   Green, Olive, Red Red, Tangerine, Dark   Goldenrod, Raw Sienna, Ultra Black
•  Enamel surface conditioner
•  Disposable wedge sponges
•  Leaf stencil*
•  Small sea wool sponge
•  #6 filbert paintbrush
•  10/0 liner paintbrush
•  Spray bottle
•  1/4" wide quilter’s tape
•  1" low-tack tape
•  Tracing paper
•  White graphite
•  Optional: palette paper Bottle lids, craft knife, cotton swabs, paper plate, paper towels, pencil, rubber gloves, scissors

 Tips:

• Project surface must be clean and drybefore painting.
• Apply surface conditioner to ensure a permanent bond between paint and glass. Once applied, do not touch glass. Use gloves or handle the piece from the inside.
• Surface conditioner lasts four hours. If project takes longer to complete, simply let paint dry completely and reapply surface conditioner.
• DO NOT thin paint with water (use surface conditioner) and DO NOT add water to brushes when you paint. Squeeze out all excess water before you begin to paint.
• Paint is permanent once cured for a full 10 days. Painted surface is safe for the dishwasher and microwave, and is oven-safe to 350 degrees (as long as original glass piece is).

Instructions:

1. Preparation. Wash all surfaces with warm soapy water. Rinse and dry thoroughly. Use quilter’s tape to mask off the top 1/2" of glasses and cups, top and bottom edge of ice bucket, 1" around edge of tray, and top and bottom 1 1/2" of vase (Photo A). Pour surface conditioner into spray bottle and replace nozzle. Completely mist all surfaces. Let dry. Surface conditioner leaves a slight haze on glass that will dissipate as paint cures.
    
2. Paint glasses & vase. Arrange bottle lids on paper plate so glasses and vase can perch on top. Following package instructions, drip glasses and vase with black glass paint (Photo B). Set on lids. Do not remove tape until paint finishes dripping (approximately 6-8 hours). Carefully score tape using craft knife and remove. To clean up any run-under, use cotton swab dampened with surface conditioner or a craft knife. Let dry overnight.
    
3. Paint backgrounds. Pour large puddle of Ultra Black on paper plate. Dab small end of sponge in paint. Tap off excess and pounce paint on ice bucket and cups, rim of dinner plate, and entire saucer (Photo C). Let dry and repeat. Remove tape. Clean up any run-under in same way as in Step 2. Set all pieces aside to dry overnight.
   
   Pour a puddle of each paint color except Olive on paper plate. Use a sea sponge slightly dampened with surface conditioner to dip into Dark Goldenrod and sponge around rim of the salad plate. Add touches of Tangerine and Raw Sienna with hints of Red Red and Light Foliage Green. Use a paper towel with surface conditioner to carefully clean up inside edge of plate. Set aside to dry.
    
4. Stencil serving pieces. Cut stencil apart for ease of use. Position aspen leaf as you like on bottom of the tray. Use several small pieces of low-tack tape to hold stencil in place. Use small end of wedge sponge to dip one half in Tangerine and other half in Red Red. Pounce on paper plate to remove excess paint and blend colors. Pounce paint over stencil image, keeping the Red Red towards the center and the Tangerine to the outside edge. Remove stencil.
    
5. Stencil leaves randomly around outside edge of tray. Use Dark Goldenrod and Olive for maple leaf and Tangerine and Light Foliage Green for oak leaf. Be sure one leaf is dry before overlaying another leaf on it. DO NOT tape over freshly painted items; tape to black basecoat instead.
    
6. Stencil remaining pieces. Repeat Step 4 for all remaining pieces (Photo D). Note: Leaves overlap onto white on tray and ice bucket, but not on plates, glasses or cups as these should remain a “paint free zone”.
    
7. Add details. Trace and transfer acorn onto the tray, ice bucket lid, and any other surfaces you like. Apply two smooth even coats of Dark Goldenrod to the bottom and Raw Sienna to the top. Let dry. Use 10/0 liner to add thin lines of Dark Goldenrod to top. To create tendrils, use #6 filbert paintbrush and Dark Goldenrod thinned with surface conditioner.
    
8. Finish. Set all pieces aside to cure for a full 10 days before using.