Guest Book Alternative: Signable Sharpie Plates {Tutorial}

My Baby Shower is less than two weeks away and it is coming down to crunch time. I’ve still got favors to bake and assemble, but I have finished creating a lovely signing plate for guest signatures with Baby Kira’s name on it.

Instead of having a guest book that will get lost in some drawer or a signed picture frame mat, I wanted to display something in the nursery as a constant reminder of those wonderful individuals who helped to contribute to my success as a mother and our, my husband and my, success as parents.

I have seen on Pinterest many versions of the Sharpie Mug, but never plates. Before I started gathering materials for this project, I browsed Etsy to see if I could purchase a pre-designed plate at a reasonable price. The plates I found were between $20 and $100 dollars.

Yikes! I knew I could make one cheaper than that.

Most of the DIY’s associated with the Sharpie Mug were on ceramic, but here I used porcelain. I used porcelain because I found white porcelain plates at The Dollar Tree and figured they would work just as well.  Once I got the plates home, I was ready to start my project. I washed the plates with liquid dish detergent and allowed them to dry. I then gathered the rest of my supplies.

Here is the complete list of what I used:

White Porcelain Plate(s)
Sharpie(s) various colors
Letter Stencils
Round Clay Cutters
Cardstock
Scissors
Rubbing Alcohol
Q-tips

Before marking your plate with the Sharpie, trace a circle from cardstock using the bottom of the plate as a template. Next, cut the circle out of the cardstock and trace the letters onto the middle of the paper ensuring they all fit.  Draw your bunting using a series of triangles on a curved line.

Once you are satisfied with your template, use the Sharpie(s) and copy the design onto your plate. Use complementary colors if possible.  On the Kira Plate I used orange and pink sharpies because I love that color combo; however, while the plate was being baked, the orange color turned brown.  I still love the design, but that is one caveat to using an orange sharpie with this project.

If you make any mistakes, use the rubbing alcohol and Q-tips to remove stray lines.

When you are ready to set the design, place the plate in a cool oven, then set to bake at 350 degrees Farenheit and allow the plate and oven to come up to the same temperature together. Once the oven has reached 350 degrees, let the plate bake for an additional 30 minutes. After time has elapsed, turn off your oven, leave the plate inside, and let the plate cool for 1-2 hours. You may even decide to let it cool overnight.

Before washing the plates, allow them to set for 24 hours.

I washed the finished plates with liquid dish soap and I was so happy when my design didn’t wash away. I won’t be using either of these plates for eating, just as a display so I am not concerned with them being food safe; however, if you plan on eating from a Sharpie Plate, you might want to keep your design strictly on the edges or rim of the plate to protect against toxicity.

For a plate that you would like guests to sign, I would suggest keeping the design minimal so it doesn’t compete with signatures, thus allowing for more room for names and well wishes. For the baby shower guest plate, I kept it simple with a small bunting and Kira’s name.  A 10″ plate should hold 30-40 names with a minimal design and a 12″ plate should hold 50-70 signatures. Once the plate has been signed, pop back into the oven as above to set signatures.

After I made the guest signatures plate, I wanted to keep going and create a Celebration Plate. I will use this to collect cards at the shower and ask that it not be signed. I love the ladybug look and think it is the perfect reminder that even though we may be ladies at a tea party, it is a party so Let’s Have Some Fun and Celebrate!