10 Steps to a Perfect Snowflake:

1. Use a small sponge to apply your lightest colors – white, robin egg, and blue yonder – randomly across the tile. Use a generous amount of paint and keep the sponge moving, twisting it so that you don’t continue using the same sponge shape over and over. Feel free to layer the colors on top of each other (this will add depth) but don’t mix so much that it all becomes one color.
   
2. While this layer dries, use your scrap paper to cut out a square slightly smaller than your tile.
   
3. Then, fold your paper corner to corner. Repeat two more times.
   
4. Use your scissors to cut shapes out of all three sides of your paper. Remember to leave spaces along the edges in tact so the snowflake can hold itself together. If you need more information on how to cut out a snowflake, go here.
   
5. Unfold your snowflake to see how you did! If you don’t like it, just try again
   
6. Dip your snowflake carefully in a bowl of water. Try and shake off most of the excess water, but be careful not to let it rip. This makes your snowflake “sticky”.
   
7. Carefully lay out your snowflake over the tile. It will be hard to do it perfectly, but you can pat down the bumps for the most part. Again, if you don’t like how it’s sitting, just pull it up and try again.
   
8. Carefully apply your galaxy paint overtop of the snowflake. The weight of the paint will help it lay down better – you just don’t want to accidentally pull up the paper with your paintbrush. It helps if you move from painting the middle, outward.
   
9. Paint three solid coats, and let it dry somewhat. Not completely dry – just let it set for a minute or two. If you get impatient, go grab a snack – you’ve earned it for getting this far. (Hint: You may notice the Galaxy paint has little beads in it – those are crystals that will explode in the kiln and leave you with a beautiful snowy/starry look.)
   
10. Use a pair of tweezers to pinch up a piece of paper and start pulling it up. At the point, the paper will probably tear. Don’t freak out, you can just pick it up in pieces. Slowly, your snowflake will reveal itself!
    

Bonus step: You’ll notice your snowflake is not, in fact, perfect. There may be spots where the dark paint seeped in under the paper, but this is easy to remedy. Just get a straight needle, a small tool, or the end of your paint brush (which is what I used) and lightly scrap away at the top layer of paint. It will come right up. If you go too deep, it’s no big deal because you have an organic texture underneath. No one will notice if you dig down all the way to the tile… just don’t make a habit of it!

Bonus *bonus* step: If you decide that you hate this project and want to scrap it completely, don’t throw away the tile! The paint washes off with just water. Take your tile to the nearest sink and wash it off with a wet sponge. You’ll end up with the tile just like it started – clean and ready for painting.

Now, wasn’t that easy?

Bisque:

• Coupe Dinner Plate
• Coupe Salad Plate

Pattern:

• Download pattern [PDF]

Colors:

• Candy Apple
• Spruce
• White (optional)

At Your Table:

• Pencil
• Brushes
• Sponge

Accessories (Our staff will be happy to bring these to your table):

• Carbon Paper
• Paint Pen

Directions

1. Trace pattern onto the coupe salad plate using the carbon paper.
2. Using a brush at your table, apply three coats of Candy Apple Red to the areas that say “R” on the pattern.  (As an alternative to Candy Apple Red, you could use Hot Tamale or Scarlet).
3. Clean edges either:
1. By scraping using the opposite side of the brush (look for a brush that has a sloped, hard pointed edge in your brush caddy at your table).
2. By using a paint pen in the same color red along the edges (easier method)
4. The white stripe can either be left unpainted or painted with three coats of White. 
5. Using a paint pen in the same color red, apply a line in the center of each stripe as shown in the photo.
6. For the coordinating dinner plate, apply three coats of Spruce to the entire plate.

Materials

Bisque:

• Coupe Dinner Plate

Colors:

• Hot Tamale
• Black
• White (optional)

At Your Table:

• Pencil
• Brushes
• Sponge

Accessories

• Black Paint Pen (optional) – our staff will get this for you.

Our staff will help you with the handprints!

Directions

1. Draw Santa’s belt onto the plate with pencil.
2. Using a large brush, paint three coats of Hot Tamale on the suit portion of the plate.
3. Using a brush, paint three coats of Black on Santa’s belt.  You can leave the white unpainted or paint it with White.  You can also use a Black Paint Pen on the edges for a finer, smooth line.
4. Using Black glaze, place handprints on the plate.  Our staff can help you get the best quality handprint.

• How it all works

Materials

Bisque:

• Rimmed Dinner Plate

Pattern:

• Download pattern [PDF]

Colors:

• Marigold
• Black
• Tang
• White
• Tickled Pink
• Parakeet
• Hot Tamale

At Your Table:

• Pencil
• Brushes
• Sponge

Accessories (Our staff will be happy to bring these to your table):

• Carbon Paper

Directions

1. Trace pattern onto the plate using the carbon paper.
2. Paint inner circle of the plate around the kitty outline with 3 coats of Marigold
3. Wipe off any excess paint on the rim with a sponge. We left the the rim white, but if you prefer paint with a color.
4. Fill circle around spider with 3 coats of Tang
5. Paint in spider with 3 coats of Black.  Leave eye circles white.
6. Fill in kitty with 3 coats of Black.  Paint around eyes, nose, and collar.
7. Use a paint pen in black to add pupils to the spider’s eyes.
8. Use a paint pen or small brush to paint in the kitty’s eyes with parakeet.  Use a black paint pen to add pupils.
9. Paint kitty’s nose with tickled pink and collar with tang. Use a Hot Tamale paint pen or small brush to add stripes to the collar.
10. Use a white paint pen to add whiskers.
11. Use a black paint pen to add spider’s web string.
12. Paint the back of the plate with 3 coats of black.

• Classes at All Fired Up begin Feb. 10th!  Sign up now!
• Start a class at your school

After looking at some resources for fingerprint art ideas, the grade levels created some adorable and creative pieces. The 5th graders created their own “fingerprint character” and wrote their name beside their character. These pieces are sure to be a success at the school’s upcoming fundraiser, and we were very excited to donate the glazes and firing
for these wonderful projects.

Organizations are often able to raise far more money with a hand-painted, unique, auctioned piece than with a gift certificate or kiln cash prize, which generally raise no more than the amount on the gift certificate or prize. Please contact us if your organization would like to partner with All Fired Up for fundraising or auction project ideas!

Materials

Bisque:

• Rimmed Dinner Plate

Colors:

• Candy Apple
• Blue Yonder
• Light Straw
• Black

At Your Table:

• Wide or Fan Brush

Accessories (Our staff will be happy to bring these to your table):

• Black Paint Pen
• Sponge Pieces
• Toothbrush (optional)

Directions

1. Begin by selecting our Rimmed Dinner Plate.   Moisten a clean sponge and wipe bisque to remove any dust.
2. Using a wide or fan brush, apply three coats of Black glaze to the back and rim of the plate.
3. Pour Candy Apple, Blue Yonder, and Light Straw onto your tiles.
4. Grab about four sponge pieces.  The sponges on your table are a bit large for this project.
5. Take one of the sponges and dip it into the water at your table. Squeeze some of the water out but make sure the sponge is still wet.
6. Dip the sponge in one of the colors.  The water on the sponge should thin some of the glaze.
7. Take the sponge and throw it at the plate.  Repeat with the other colors. Also dip your fingertips in the colors and fleck it onto the plate.  You can also grab a toothbrush, dip the bristles into the glaze, take your thumb and fleck the bristles so that the glaze splatters onto the plate.
8. Ask our staff for a black paint pen and twist off the metal tip.  Squirt some of the black paint onto the plate to create some twirly lines.
9. Allow to dry.  Our staff will fire it up, and voila–  A colorful, fun and unique plate!

• Book a party!