My Plate Wall...Finally!

I posted this a few days ago now, but I'm also going to add it to Kimba's DIY Day. Pop on over and check it out, there is always so much inspiration...

I can finally show the finished product of the plate wall. Its been something that I've been puttering on for weeks now. I've only actually been working on it for two days, but it seems like its taken forever to materialize. The idea came from the oh so brilliant Kimba. Basically people spend years trying to find plates of a similar color and pattern to make a display on their wall. Then it one day occurred to Kimba, why not just make them all the same color? And voila, the incredible spray painted plate wall was born. You can see the post here.

I decided I must have one. We have this wall in our living room that is just impossible. Such a weird shape with a cutout to the stairwell. Just not a space that you could hang your basic 4-sided frame. Nope, it needed something different, something with a little more pizzazz. This picture below is the wall pre-plateness.
Oh, and I needed it to be something cheap. This project cost me under $10! The plates were found at a number of different garage sales and thrift shops. Less than $1 for all of them. Then a can of Krylon gloss white, $5.89. Then I needed two additional plate hangers (I got 4 for free off of Earthcycle), which I picked up at Dollarama, $2. So my grand total was $8.89!

First things first...find some incredibly ugly plates, with good lines. Check.

Next, spray paint the heck out of them (2-3 coats). Check. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of this process, but I learned the hard way that a white gloss finish looks much better (and more fitting) than a matte finish. I used Krylon, which is quickly becoming my one and only spray paint. Oh, and make sure to give those plates a good cleaning with soap and water before you start (also learned that one the hard way!)

Then, I suggest you make a template on the wall. Check. Now, this is generally the obvious, smart thing to do. But folks such as myself also need to learn this one the hard way. I figured just a hole here, a nail there. It can't look that bad, right? Ha, ha...not so. When hanging a grouping I've learned its terribly important to map it out, and measure it. The hours I spent this afternoon filling and puttying holes is proof! So the dear Hubbo came to my rescue (well, actually he was probably a little shocked at the disaster I was making of our freshly painted walls). He forced me to make a map, well more like strongly suggested, "If you don't do this, I'm not helping you..." Convincing! This is the backside of Christmas wrapping paper taped to the wall.
Then it came time to start putting the nails in. The first grouping was unfortunately too high, so in addition to filling my disasterous holes, I also had to fix the first grouping of holes. But we finally got it to the right height, and I'm so pleased with it.

The lovely Nepper plate wall.

Now the plate below may have had some value, but it did have two significant chips in it. So figuring on that, I painted it anyway. Its by J&G Meakin, and based on the stamp it looks like its from the 30's-40's. I searched and searched trying to find information on the pattern, but couldn't find anything. I think it has the prettiest lines of all the plates. I'm glad I used it.

I think the triangle shape goes pretty well with the cut out to the stairwell. It adds a little character and charm to the space.

I also had to share these few pictures of my china haul a month or so ago. I had really wanted to use real tea cups for Abbi's birthday party (the theme being "Royal Tea Party"), but at every second hand store it was at least $5 for a tea cup and saucer. But I stumbled upon this lady's china collection at a g-sale one Saturday afternoon. I casually asked how much, expecting it to be more than I was willing to spend. Instead she said $5 for 5 tea cups, saucers, and the coffee pot. Gulp. $5 you say? Sold! She sold me the two bottom plates for 25 cents each (the one on the bottom right being the J&G Meakin plate). I spent a total of $5.50 on all of this gorgeousness! I love all of it, and now now have some incredible beginnings to a tea cup collection. Awesome score.
She sold me the coffee pot for only $1 because the knob is broken off the top of the pot (which I didn't even notice until she pointed it out). A beautiful Royal Albert coffee pot for $1. Normally in the $70 range.
This saucer is also made by Meakin, but this time the brother (Alfred, I think). I absolutely love this pattern and will definitely be keeping my eyes open for some additional pieces. Its called Renaissance. So classic.
So that's the plate wall. Another project made possible by my dear husband. Truly, you should hire the man if you need something hung. Perhaps that could be a new business plan.
"Nepper's Hangings." Ooo, I can see it now...