Playing with China

My closest friends know that I have a true love for all things china! It was a passion that I shared with my mother, as we both loved beautiful dishes, teacups, teapots, and little bits of this and that made from porcelain and clay. My sister does not share this interest, so I have been the one blessed to be 'keeper' of all mother's china as well as my own. So, it was with great interest that I read this on Kari and Kijsa's blog:

Idea Number 1 (you didn't think we would give all the ideas away on the first day of November)! Handpainted plates are a great way to add a little of the FABULOUS factor to Thanksgiving Day....

We wanted to start with this one now, so you could all start thinking (monograms....a different quote at each person's place...the skies the limit) And for those of you who have never painted on a plate before....no worries....we will post a tutorial on painting on ceramic or glass next week!

After reading this, I wrote to them and shared how interested I was in their tutorial, as I have a box of stemware in the storage room that I found at a yard sale and purchased with glass painting in mind. But, I have no clue how or where to start. Maybe they can teach me! In my email I mentioned that I have fun adding decals to store-bought china pieces that I have refired, creating a one-of-a-kind plate or creamer or pitcher. They make great gifts or special pieces for the tea table. They asked me if I'd share some pictures, so here they are.

The pitcher in the picture above was purchased at an outlet mall for an expensive price. It was plain white. I found a pretty ceramic decal I liked and cut it into bits and pieces. Then I placed them where I liked them (handle, back, pour spout, front, etc.). Once everything was securely in place I took it to a friend who has a ceramics shop. She added it to her next batch of ceramics that she fired in her kiln and when the pitcher was done the decals had 'melded' into the glaze and looked one and the same with the china.