Hey there!!! Now that Halloween is done, I can finally take a deep breath over here. I finished the kids’ costumes the night before Halloween (I cut it close this year!), but I feel like it’s too late to do a proper post on them (maybe next October?). But in the meantime, here’s a few pictures so you can see what kept me so busy (they’re Tamatoa, or “shiny crab”, Moana, and Maui from the Disney movie “Moana,” in case you’re living under a rock… 😁):
And now that it’s been a week, I’m all “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!“. I’ll give you one guess as to what type of person I am in the meme below… 😂
Oh yes, the hubs and I have already casually started listening to Christmas music during Saturday brunch. I think he (yes, he started the trend this year!) first started playing it back in September (sadly, not exaggerating here… hahaha)… Also, yes – Thanksgiving is great! But I don’t see why I have to wait 20-something days to start getting excited for Christmas. Sorry/not sorry – I consider everything from Halloween to January be the holiday season… 😂
Anywho, for those of you that like to make DIY Christmas gifts for the grandparents or other family members or friends, this post is for you!
This project may seem intimidating, but I promise anyone can do this! You just need the right supplies.
Supplies for a Personalized Christmas Cookie Platter:
- Oven-safe porcelain plate (I used this one)
- Baby wipes (to correct mistakes)
- And of course, some willing participants ☺️
For my design, I wanted to use each child’s footprint to make a reindeer. I also considered making penguins (but having to do both white & black paint on little feet seemed complicated), and a Christmas tree (with handprints for greenery & fingerprint ornaments). I loved the tree idea, but felt like telling the different handprints apart could get confusing (although I guess you could always pick different shades of green, and sign each name in the corresponding green? Still seems too complicated for my patience level though, haha!).
Anyway, once you determine your design, make sure you have any mixed colors ready to go, so the stamping of each print goes smoothly. (You don’t want to run out of a mixed color with one print left!). Also, getting help from your partner to hold each kid while you position and stamp their print(s), is super helpful! And have the baby wipes handy to quickly clean their hand/foot afterwards!
So first I stamped each kids’ footprint on each platter we were making:
I used baby wipes to help clean up any splotches. Since the paint is wipeable until baked into the dish, this step is pretty forgiving.
Once each print was dry (I think I let them dry overnight to be super safe), I painted the noses and whites of the eyes. Then after letting those dry for at least 12 hours, I used the black marker to add the pupils, antlers, draw and heart shape, and sign each name. The last step was filling in the heart and painting the “Merry Christmas 2017” message with a small paint brush. Again, the paint is wipeable, so be patient and know that baby wipes will help you to fix any mistakes!
Finally, I used the instructions on the porcelain paint to bake the platters, in order to make the paint permanent. The paint I used is completely non-toxic (so safe for food after baked into the dish) and claims: “Once baked, the paint is permanent, microwave and dishwasher safe as well as UV and solvent resistant.”
But of course, I warned the grandparents that hand washing was probably the best. 😁 We also includes plate stands with this gift, in case the grandparents wanted to display them as Christmas decor, instead of just as a cookie platter, etc.
The opportunities for this DIY project is really endless! Think of the cute things you could make for a birthday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc! Just image search for “handprint art” or “footprint art” for endless ideas/ inspiration!
Has anyone else ever tried painting pottery at home? I have to admit, this was my first time (usually have only ever done something similar at a commercial place, like Plaster Works). Well, don’t be intimidated- it’s so much easier than it looks, and the end result is WELL worth it!! ☺️
From East to (mid)West Coast 
4 thoughts on “DIY, Personalized Christmas Cookie Platter!”