You know I always love a good decoupage project and I love making my own home decor, this technique can also be used on the outside of straight edged glass vases! This is one of my favorites because it’s a fun way to create beautiful custom plates for table settings in a really inexpensive way using paper napkins. I always pick up tissue paper that has beautiful pictures printed on it. We will be using dishwasher safe Mod Podge for this project to make it more durable and washable! Using floral napkins for decoupage panels is one of those easy and satisfying crafts and you can easily explore your creativity with this project tutorial!
What is decoupage?
Decoupage is the art of using an adhesive such as Mod Podge to adhere an item such as paper or fabric to another item or surface such as wood, glass or more for decorative purposes.
Decoupage supplies for diy glass plates
Decorative tissue paper (or tissue paper!)
scissors
Mod Podge Decoupage Glue is dishwasher safe
Transparent glass panels
Foam Brush (2)
Multi-purpose paint
Prepare your decoupage napkins
Napkins can be single-ply, 2-ply or 4-ply. Separate the top printed layer of the tissue from the other layer below the tissue paper layers. We will only be using the top printed layer for this project when using floral napkins for decoupage panels. The rest of the napkin is still perfectly fine to use!
Prepare your clear glass dishes
Wash your dishes to remove any stickers, dirt or residue and allow them to dry completely. Clear glass dinner plates or salad bowls can be found at many locations including Dollar Tree, Dollar Stores, Walmart, and Target.
Apply Mod Podge to the plate
To maintain food safety for this project, we will be applying all of our materials to the back (bottom) of the glass plate. This leaves regular glass on the front (top) of the panel. Turn the board upside down and use a foam brush or soft brush to apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to the underside of the board.
Add your napkin to the plate
Place the floral napkin face down on the decoupage medium and use a paintbrush or sponge brush to spread a layer of the decoupage medium over the top. Repeat as you apply and use the brush to flatten the napkin and remove any air bubbles and large wrinkles. You can also do this with tissue pieces as well. There may be some wrinkling in the napkin while drying. This won’t be noticeable from the front after it’s painted.
Remove excess tissue paper from glass decoupage dishes
Once all the tissue pieces are in place, it’s time to gently remove the excess tissue (this is the best way to do it!). If it is still wet, the tip can be gently removed. If the tissue is already dry, scissors can be used to trim off the excess to avoid cutting the glass. Allow the decoupage medium and tissues to dry completely before the next step. This is similar to separating a bottomed cake plate.
Paint over the separated area
This is the best part! The napkin can become so transparent that applying different colors can change to the panels to appear different colors. I used blue and yellow paint. Use multi-surface paint to paint on the back of the board, keeping the paint on the back only and away from the outer edge. If the paint or decoupage medium is on the outside edge, the dishes are no longer food safe. The idea is to keep any food contact area clear of any medium and should remain plain glass. Apply a paint color of your choice over the entire back and allow it to dry.
Once the back is painted, let it dry for at least 24 hours and then apply a coat of Mod Podge sealer and allow it to dry completely.
Once the final coat is dry, follow the direction on the back of the container to cure the decoupage panels completely before using them.
Take care of the decoupage plates for the floral napkins
Although we use dishwasher-safe Mod Podge, washing dishes by hand will still be the best practice. Allow it to dry completely before use and do not immerse it completely in water. If you want these to be more decorative and not washable, you can cut a circle of felt down and adhere with craft glue.
These make such a beautiful Tablescape! You will find that once you start finding beautiful napkins, you will want to buy lots of them for projects and it will be fun to use paper napkins for dish decor! I have a pretty extensive collection of floral paper napkins and cocktail napkins at this point to use on all kinds of projects like pots, tin cans, planters, and vases! Do you like decoupage projects? Watch how to make decoupage art on wood
