DIY Gold "Painted" Ceramics

What’s prettier than a bright ceramic? A bright ceramic with metallic details! Duh. 

I found the inspiration and know-how for this “painted” ceramics craft on — where else? — Pinterest. It was easy and festive, and I’d been off my craft game for a while, focusing on finishing a scarf I started knitting back in January. Substituting metallic Sharpies for paint, it was the perfect Sunday morning craft, and it fit within my saving-for-vacation budget.

So on Saturday, when we ended up near a used kitchenwares store that I had walked past a bunch of times but had never been into, I finally made my way inside only to find the most impressive hoard of appliances, china, and cookware I’d ever seen in one place. I was on the hunt for something ceramic to sprucify.

The collection at Cookin‘ was so extensive some (boyfriends) might call it overwhelming. If I hadn’t been looking for something specific, I would have gotten lost in the teacups and cast iron pans, but I was on the search for a ceramic creamer or a tumbler in white, red or bright blue. What I found was a small apple green ceramic vase for $12 that would work. I’d test the craft on this cup and planned to put it on my otherwise drab desk to add some cheer to my fluorescent-lit workspace.

To make your own metallic decorated ceramics, you need:

• A piece of ceramic ware that you want to decorate
• A metallic permanent pen
• An oven

Once you have your supplies, simply set your oven to 350 degrees F, draw on your ceramic ware with your metallic pen, and, when finished drawing, cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Let cool and admire! 

And, voila!

I will say this about Sharpie art: up close you can see the pen marks, but from afar it’s hardly noticeably. I’m thinking about adding a second coat of Sharpie to my vase to cover the marks. If you’re looking for an easy craft and you don’t mind imperfection, this craft will work for you. With a bit more effort, I’m sure a bit of acrylic paint would do the job better. When I test that, I’ll let you know how it comes out.

What did you get up to this weekend? What’s on your desk?

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