Making Sharpie Plates with the kids is a keepsake craft that everyone will love. Below is the tutorial along with food safety information.
Recently on Pinterest, I have been seeing lots of writing on plates with permanent marker projects.
The two biggest questions with these projects are, Is it permanent? And is it food-safe?
Today we are doing a Sharpie Marker Plate tutorial and putting the finished plate to the test. As well as doing a little research on the safety of actually eating off of the plates.
Are Plates with Sharpie Food Safe?
We figured the best place to research this matter was to go to the source.
On the Sharpie Website, it states...
"While Sharpie markers are AP-certified non-toxic, we do not recommend using them on areas of items that may come in contact with food or the mouth. Sharpie has not been tested as an oven-proof product and should not be used anywhere where a consumer could possibly ingest the ink. Sharpie markers are only recommended for use on ceramic or glassware when the product is being used for decorative or display purposes."
Of course, this was looked up after we made our plates and used them a couple of times.
Yup, the best mom award goes to me!
Supplies You'll Need to Create this Project:
This post contains affiliate links.
How to Make Marker Plates with Sharpies:
To begin, make sure the plates are nice and clean from smudges. The best way to do that is to wipe the plates down with Isopropyl Alcohol.
Next, begin coloring! Yup, it is really that easy!
Each of my kids took a different approach with their own favorite theme.
While waiting for everyone to finish we had some fun posing for the camera and dancing to music.
How Long Do You Bake a Plate with Sharpie Marker:
Place the finished plates in the oven set at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, I turned the oven off but left the plates inside to cool, leaving them there for several hours.
When the plates were completely cooled we all had a good laugh as we were pulling them out of the oven. A lot of the colors had changed quite drastically. My daughter's blue sky turned a weird green and a lot of other colors became much darker as well.
Are Plates with Sharpie Permanent?
The kids were all very excited to use them that night with dinner. So, of course, they got dirty and were put in the dishwasher.
After the first trip through the dishwasher, there were a couple of spots that were beginning to come off. But the second trip proved that this method is not permanent and not dishwasher safe. At least not the way that I did it.
We were all bummed about our plates. I thought this would be a great way to keep their artwork and make it fun, but it did not work. ?
Our Conclusion:
This was a fun craft project to do with kids, and could still be a fun way to keep their artwork, but this method is not permanent and not food-safe.
Plates with Sharpie Marker should not be used to eat off of, but you could put them in a Display Plate Holder to keep the artwork safe.
Since making these plates I have also been told that we used the wrong Sharpie Markers. We should have used the Oil-Based Sharpie Markers, but these are not deemed food-safe either.
Also, hand washing is advised over the dishwasher to make the designs stay even longer.
When you make a Sharpie Plate or Mug, please share a photo. I'd love to see what you made!
Our Crafting Essentials List:
- The Cricut Cutting Machine is easily our favorite crafting tool. We use it in so many of our tutorials!
- These MakerX Crafting Tools are perfect for keeping in the craft room, and are always ready when needed!
- This Fiskars Paper Trimmer is easy to use and cuts nicely without frayed edges.
- These Scotch Precision Scissors cut like a dream and you get multiple pairs in a pack!
Katie Adams
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Anonymous
Thanks for posting. Had similar results to Christmas presents my kids made for their grandparents. 🙁
Brandi Golden
Read that oil based sharpies are supposed to work. Decorated 4 plates and baked today. Scared to wash because i dont want to mess them up. Maybe i'll sacrifice one tomorrow and hope for the best.
Cam
We had the same results here...
玉芳
This is very intresting! I wondered if it worked! Thanks for sharing!
Bonnie
I had heard that they made a sharpie especially for this. But I haven't found them yet. If I do I might have to give it a try.
Rhaven
They make a type of pen called Porcelaine 150 pen that is recommended for this type of stuff. I haven't used it, but several I know have had good luck.
jamie @ [kreyv]
Bummer! I've been wondering about this!
Emily Thompson
yep... I had the same experience with sharpies and ceramic :o) All washed off! I went to Amazon and bought the real thing glass markers... they do work better and still a good way to save their artwork. Thanks for linking up to Tasteful Tuesdays @ Nap-Time Creations. So glad you stopped by! Emily
Lisa
Thank you for doing a review on this. I've been wondering about the same thing. I bought supplies to try this with the oil-based sharpies and glass, so maybe that will work. Hope so!
Beth@Under A Pile of Scrap!
I'm glad I found this today. I had just been thinking if this would work or not just yesterday. Glad I didn't waste the time & create any disappointment with my daughter. I thought I read somewhere tho, that someone let theirs cure after baking for like 2 days or so. Not sure if that would make any difference or not.
Tonya @ The Traveling Praters
Oh no! That stinks! My daughter made some ceramic mugs for her friends at Christmas, but we never thought to test the theory. DUH! Big fail on our part. Thanks for sharing.
Jacquelyn Karlic
Hi! Followed you over from Someday Crafts link up. Thanks for posting this because I have been seeing this on pinterest and have been thinking of trying it. Good to know that the colors will change after being baked and that they don't last after being washed. Guess this is only a good project if yo are making the plate as a keepsake and not to actually be used :-/
Jackie
Kayla Janachovsky
What a great idea! Thanks for linking up to The DIY'ers!
Jeni IGOTTHISMARTHA
Super cute idea!
Melissa at My Fabric Relish
Thanks for this post! Such a bummer!
Vicky @ Mess For Less
That stinks that it didn't work! I thought for sure it would. Pinterest fail.
Ashley
I ended up putting mine in at 450 for about an hour. It might have been a bit excessive, but the Sharpie has survived several trips through the dishwasher already without any signs of wear.
Lise Garneau
Hi Ashley! Was that with the oil Sharpies? Just wondering! Did some for gifts for our children for Christmas! Now I am wondering if I should scrap the whole project!
Alexis AKA MOM
OH man I keep hearing it doesn't work :(. I heard you have to handwash only. Then I heard that there is a certain type of sharpie you must use but for the life of me I can't google and find the right kind.
Valerie
I've heard you have to use the oil-based sharpies (available on Amazon, plus some Wal-Marts, and Office Depot/Staples type stores). I haven't tried it but it seems to be the preferred method.
Mary Beth
Thanks so much for sharing your project at Project Inspire{d}.
I've tried this as well and it has been hit or miss for me. I did a vase for Valentine's Day and it worked but some other projects haven't.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Hugs, Mary Beth
Andrea Reed
Stopping by from Sugar Bee Crafts, thank you for sharing. I've always wondered if this worked or not!
O'Mamas
We did this for Valentine's Day on a set of mugs ... we used Sharpies for the outlines, colored in with permanent paint pens. We set the oven temp to 450, popped the mugs in the oven and did the same as you ... when it beeped that it was at 450, I set the timer for 30 minutes. Took them out, let them cool completely. Waited 24 hours before we used them, and while we don't use the dishwasher (we use milk dishwashing soap, and a soft sponge), we've been using them daily and they are just fine.
O'Mamas
And by "milk" I meant "mild" dishwashing soap ... oops
Joshua
These should also work just fine.
stacey gibbon
very interesting! I always wondered about it, especially since tutorials were all over Pinterest. Well now I know.
Thanks for linking up at Crafty Thursday Obsessions. Hope to see you this week again.
Have a great week <3
Natalie Buehler
Thanks for sharing this on Tutorial Thursdays 🙂
Your post was one of the most visited links and I will be featuring it tomorrow on my blog, and your image will also be pinned and added to my Facebook Page Album of the same name.
Please do come by to grab your button.
I would love it it you would visit again this week 🙂
x
Natalie
Rose :: Fine Craft Guild .com
Hi
There are actually specific ceramic pens that you can use. yes, they are EXPENSIVE and yes they are not food safe.... so you have to make the designs only on the outside/edges which you will not touch/where you will not put your food.
Actually, the sharpie method is good for ceramic projects like little vases, for grandma... which she's not about to wash, smother with grease, etc... but which just contain some pretty flowers, picked in the field when her grand kids are over...
Katie Adams
Thank you for letting me know! With this idea pinned all over pinterest I just assumed it would work.
Maria Linhart
You are supposed to used unglazed (unpainted or unfinished) ceramics to make this really work. This way the ink can penetrate the dish not just sit on top of it. If you can only get your hands on glazed ceramics I have heard there are sharpies that are made to penetrate the glaze. I don't know if they really exist but it's worth a Google search.
Sarah Vanderkooy
Thanks for sharing your experience, I love seeing all the ceramic projects, so good to know. I have a marker intended for this type of thing but I only have black and would have loved to use color. At least it was a fun experience right?
Missie
i had the same results and was super disappointed. Then we used non toxic acrylic paint and it worked out great
Amy
Your project may not have worked for several reasons...
1. You put them in the oven before it was preheated.
2. You left them in there for several hours after the timer went off.
3. You put them in the dishwasher.
#s 1 and 2 may be the reason your colors did not turn out right....the plates were left "baking" the whole time your oven was cooling down.
As far as putting them in the dishwasher....I'd say 99% of the project instructions I've seen for these say hand wash only.
I've made several Sharpie plate/mug/bowl projects & they all turned out great & have lasted through tons of hand washing.
Etta
So happy I wasn't the only one who has white plates again!!!! I thought it was just me!!
Luana
Take the kids to color me mine if u have one near you. I took my son and you get to pick and paint your own bowl, cup or what ever you choose. He uses his every morning for breakfast.
Sally
My daughter colored a mug for me in grade school, years ago and I have put it in the dishwasher many times, and it still looks good. I don't know how they did it though.
Tamara Clymer
If you use a clear dish, color on the bottom and then cover with the Mod Podge that is dishwasher -safe gloss, it should hold up in the dishwasher and since the ink is on the bottom of the dish it is food safe.
Katie Adams
Great tip! Thanks Tamara