An Oldie........but, thought I would post it anyway! :) Altered Glass Plates

I made these "altered" glass plates for Christmas gifts last year. They were fun and easy and a big hit!! :) I thought I would go ahead and post them here since I don't have anything new to share right now! :) :) :)

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I used clear glass plates. (I bought mine at the thrift store for .79 cents) Everything is affixed to the underside of the plate. I used Royal Coat Decoupage Glue {interjection: I think Gel Medium would also work well here......} to glue the stickers and silk leaves onto the plates. (the leaves are some old "fall leaves" from a silk spray of flowers) Smooth out w/ foam brush or your fingers. (Remember when you use the stickers, you have to put on the plate picture side down/sticky side UP.......can get tricky to place, but the sticky-ness is overcome very easily by 1 swipe of glue.) You can reposition your leaves, stickers, paper, etc for a short while until the glue starts to set up.
**Side Note: I think coating your stickers, leaves, or any images with PYMII would be a great way to prevent smearing and/or fading of your images/objects!! You would also be able to use inkjet images if coated with PYMII!!**
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For the "Abstract Plate", I used a combination of dye inks and the glue. Smeared it around. I would recommend alcohol inks if you have them. The glue/ink combination can remain sticky even after dry. I did seal w/ 2 coats of glue and then 2 coats of polyurethane. Seemed to help tremendously w/ the sticky-ness, however the glue/ink is still "soft".

For the sticker/leaf plate. I painted over the dried glue w/ acrylic paints. I used a combination of metallic and non metallic colors and used 2-3 layers. Depending on the brush you use, you will have some "thin" areas. The 2nd coat of paint will show thru these areas. You can also leave blank areas on purpose to get a more bold color combination.

After everything dried, I used 2 more coats of the decoupage glue (Mod Podge or Gel Medium should work fine here, too) and then 2 layers of polyurethane. (do this OUTSIDE!!)

To be sure, leave the plate to cure for 2-4 days. (to make sure everything is dry and set) You may now very carefully wash the plate in warm soapy water and YES you can use the plate to serve cookies or candy or other tidbits! :)

Another idea I had (but have not executed yet......) A memory plate!! One using paper ephemera, small 3D objects, and photos from a vacation or special occasion!! FUN!!!!

Stickers and acrylic paints:

Silk leaves and acrylic paints

"Abstract": Elmer's glue and dye inks: (In the future I think I would try Gel Medium and/or Decoupage Glue for this. Alcohol inks direct to glass would also be a cool effect!)