Picture-perfect plates

Is your china languishing in your kitchen cupboard, waiting to come out and be admired? Perhaps you have only a partial set of dishes or a single beautiful serving tray found at a flea market, tucked away for use...one day.

Transform unused plates into charming photo frames. This simple craft requires little time for a striking result; just be sure to select a piece that has an interesting edge, pattern or colour and that complements—rather than hinders—the picture’s subject. The subject of course can be whatever you’d like, but again, try for unfussy. If presenting the plates as a gift, use a photo that has special meaning, such as a family shot from holidays past or a cherished picture that has been sitting in an album unseen.

Materials:

Dish or platter (with a flat bottom)
Glossy photo paper or glossy photo sticker paper
Plate hanger or stand

Tools:

Scissors
Spray glue
Computer with photo-editing software
Printer

How to make it:

1. Clean your plate thoroughly and allow to dry.

2. Measure the diameter of the bottom of your plate (do not include the rim or the sides).

3. In your photo-editing program, open your image and get rid of red-eye or other flaws in your photo. Experiment with colour filters, such as black and white or sepia, if desired. To alter your photo from a rectangle to a circle, look through your program’s options: you should find an option that allows you to crop in the shape of a circle. Move the circle over your image and size it accordingly.

4. Test-print your photo onto regular paper. Trim to size and lay on your plate. If the photo lies flat and the image looks right, re-print using your printer’s best-quality setting on the photo or sticker paper. Allow to dry according to the package instructions.

5. Trim the image to size. Spray-glue the back of the photo—or peel off the sticker backing—then gently press it onto the dish.

6. Place the dish on a stand or hang it on the wall.

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