Pier 1 Knock Off

I recently spotted this Pier 1 plate wall hanging on their website and I really wanted it. So I looked online to see if I could find it for cheaper than $79.95...with no such luck. I even went into Pier 1 hoping there might be one with a chip that they would sell me for cheaper:) But once I saw it in the store...it wasn't really the colors I was looking for. I went to Kirklands and they had a lot of great plate decor too...just much smaller and still about $40. So, I racked my brain for a few days wondering how I could recreate this on the cheap.

On one of my many trip to the dollar store...there were these white chargers with a fun dot border, so I thought, "Why not paint my own plates?" So I left the store with 4 chargers and 4 mini plastic plates (2 for $1)

First, I primed the orange plastic plates. I just used a regular white primer I already had...but if I ever did this again, I would buy the plastic spray paint for a better adhesion.

What took the longest in my planning was how to get the embossed look on plastic plates. I could have just painted a design on them...but I wanted some pop. Then I decided that puff paint would add the perfect dimension.

So I free handed different designs on each plate after I primed them. If you are not comfortable doing this, then simply draw on a design and trace it with your paint:) I liked that if I messed up, I could just wipe it off and start again.

Here are my chargers:

Next, I just painted the plates with acrylic paint. Here is one after the first coat. Each plate took about three coats.

To give the "embossed" design some pop...I mixed the color of the plate with about a pea size of brown to make it just a tad darker. Then I painted on the design with a eye shadow brush.

My next step was to seal the plates. I went to the store to just get clear spray paint, when I discovered that Krylon makes glaze in a spray can! Woo-hoo!

Here is my plate after one coat of the glaze. I just did one coat on each to make sure it would last for the whole project. I did not want to run back to the store for more spray glaze!

It's crazy how it really made the plates look ceramic!

OK...so I don't have any helpful pictures of how I put this together. I know, right? My dad mainly did most of it...while I watched and offered to help:)

What we did was arrange the plates on the table face down and then he took thin (about 1/2" thick) wood and we glued them down on the back of the plates with JB Weld. Then he took silicone and filled in the gaps along the sides of the wood to make it super sturdy.

I know this picture is terrible (it's off my non-iPhone), but I just HAD to take it! After applying the JB Weld, my dad wanted something to hold down the wood while it dried...and after looking all over the dining room...he could only think of his gun to weigh it down! Such a dad thing!

So after the back was dried, we flipped it over and my dad mixed together some more JB Weld and we glued the little plates to the front. And that's it!

I have to say I really love my Pier 1 knock off:) I had a hard time deciding how to arrange it. All the ones I have seen in the store are not symmetrical...but I am such a symmetrical person...that it only felt right:)

I love all the color it brings to the space. I typically on decorate in black and white...but I love all the colors:) I can't decide if it needs a little plate in the center too. I dunno...I will let it sit for a while.

Price:

4 chargers: $4

4 mini plates: $2

spray glaze: $2.97

puff paint: $1

Total: $9.97-Hooray for saving $60!

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