Our Flea Market Gardening experts show how to make dish flowers, how to attach the ‘stems’ and how to put on the finishing touches!
Mainly, we, at Flea market Gardening, love ceramics of any kind! We love the idea of using recycled and unloved dishes in our favorite places, our gardens. Even off season we can get some color there. We love the search for just the right colors, patterns and sizes to complete the project. That’s part of the fun! Making dish flowers can be done in or outdoors and in any season, too.
Nell Stelzer shows us her first dish flowers ready to drill. She lays them out, by color and shape and plans them out. “This is before picture of my two dish flowers. No glue was needed for these. ” Nell tells us.
Nell uses the most common way to secure dishes together, an electric drill. She says, “My father in law drilled the holes with a drill bit made for glass. He used a drill press for the small pieces, then a hand held drill for the dinner plates and larger bowls. He finished with a Dremel tool and a flare grinding stone. It takes a bit of time and patience, but it’s the most secure way to hold the pieces together.”
“I then put it together with nylon bolts and washer to cushion between pieces and used nylon wing bolts to fasten on a piece of conduit but not too tight. I have added a red gem to this one since I posted the pic to cover the bolts head. Hope that helps! Have fun with it! The nylon bolts, washers and wing nuts came from the hardware store.”
If you glue your plates and bowls, use GE Silicone II Clear Caulk or E-6000 glue for outdoor use. Both have been tested by our group for years. Let the glue dry for 24 hours.
Jeannie Merritt says, “Let me give all you new garden art designers ( like me) a lesson sadly learned from experience. Let the glue cure! DO not, I repeat, do not get overly anxious and move, touch, or even pick and show someone your project until it has completely cured (dried)..”
“This is the dish flower with the bottle attached to the center back. I used a small old curtain rod because of the bottle opening is small, then inserted into aluminum tubing. I need to get some smaller diameter rebar to use next time.” Nell says
Lisa Wilson says, “I flattened the bowl of a serving spoon with a hammer and bend it nearly in half. I glued the spoon part to the plate..make sense? The handle fits into a pole. GE Silicone II weatherproof is the glue I use.”
Nell says, “The finished leaves here are attached to the tube. I attached the plate to a pint flat bottle with GE II clear silicone weatherproof caulking for windows and doors.”
Nell shows how she made the leaves. “This shows the leaf making for my sunflower plate flower. I used an industrial piece of aluminum, a leaf for a guide then used a sanding block to rough up. I scored the veins in and cut out the leaves with kitchen shears. I sprayed them with Krylon outdoor paint. I had long stems that I wrapped around the tube the sunflower is in.”
Ann Elias says, “Making my first glass flowers is what started me looking at plates in a whole new way! My hubby drills everything and then I use a screw to secure the plates together…then a wing nut to screw it to the copper tubing. I bent the tubing around a paint can to get the shapes of the leaves. I no longer use copper…to costly…and people didn’t want to pay that much.”
Delores Elliott tells us, “For leaves I used green plastic coated wire found in the hardware store electrical department and attached them with zip ties. I sprayed the 1/2″ electrical conduit green. Through many different trials, I found I like gluing square glass salt shakers the best for mounting the dish flower on the stem.”
Louise Yunck’s nicely displayed dish flowers. “These are some the glass flowers that I make. I prefer drilling the glass. I attach spoons to the back by drilling a hole in the spoons.”
Barbara McGee’s flower patch. “Some glass flowers on twisted stems, these are also drilled. These are short about 18″ tall.” she says.
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I love these glass flowers and would love to learn how to make them. Any help would be great.
So glad you love the idea! Read the article carefully and you'll see how they are made, the glue to use and the five ways to attach them to the rods.
One of the highest purposes of the internet is all these wonderful ladies posting you tube "how-to" videos and I have learned from them as if they were in my living room! To all the 'sisters' I've never met, THANKS! Sheila- google" how to make art flowers you tube" and a bunch of them will pop up. You'll quickly discern which ladies have the best demonstration videos, on camera personalities etc. and you'll stick with them over some of the others. That is how I learned. They taught me how to drill plates, the best glues to use, how to paint on glassware, what materials to use for stems...all that stuff. Good luck and let us know how things go.
I agree, Kris,...you can find anything on Google and learn anything from YouTube!
Thanks for the info. I just love this idea..
The biggest problem I find here in Washington State is finding the beautiful clear glass plates. I have visited the Goodwill here a number of times and have only had success one time. I've gone to garage sales, thrift shops,etc. I am an apprentice (self claimed) and find this as rewarding as knitting and crocheting .Thank you for the information.
The biggest problem I find here in Washington State is finding the beautiful clear glass plates. I have visited the Goodwill here a number of times and have only had success one time. I've gone to garage sales, thrift shops,etc. I am an apprentice (self claimed) and find this as rewarding as knitting and crocheting .Thank you for the information.
On lack of finding clear glass dishes...the SAME is true up here in Alaska. The shortage could be due to the fact of so many artists zapping them up for dish flowers---particularly those who are making them to sell. I also have a hard time finding the pretty frilly things used for dish flowers that I see on Pinterest. Most of my dish flowers are made with patterned plates and solid colored dishware. Often, they can be just as pretty and whimsical with a little imagination. Sometimes I'll set a garden-esque figurine in the center...like a flower or bee, or whatever I can find. Jewelry pendants work too, as well as glass beads to embellish. You can still paint on solid dishes, too. This problem simply forces me to expand my imagination! Good luck!
It's true, I think, that the trend of Flea Market gardening has raised prices and caused scarcity! It makes finding a treasure even more exciting and fun!
I made some of the garden plate flowers and have glue a hockey puck to the back and attached heavy metal rods to that with pipe brackets. I did try drilling into the side of the puck but that was rather difficult.
Love your Dish Flowers....How do you attach the dish flowers to the fence?
I made my first "teacup" flower as a Christmas present last year. I used threaded bar as the stem. I drilled a hole the same diameter through both the cup and the saucer. A decorative cabinet knob secured the front of the flower and a washer/nut secured the back. I bent the rod after I assembled it and added glass beads and a bell from the teacup's handle.
I would LOVE to see a picture.
I would LOVE to see a picture. Please!!!!!
I would love to see a picture. Please!!!
I'm trying my hand at creating the glass garden flowers. I'm wondering, though, how you store your flowers after you've made them. I have seven made and they are sitting on my dining room table because I'm not sure how to store them (maybe for future sale). Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
I found an old end table on the curb. Drilled holes in the top and put the rebar through. Just space the holes far enough apart and in rows.
Thank you every one for the ideas. My dining room table appreciates it!
You need a rack of some kind, Sandee,...something that would keep the dish flowers from moving, tipping or touching each other. I have in mind the kind of rack used for holding brooms and mops in a utility closet. It mounts on the wall and the handles snap into the clips. Do you know what I mean? here is a link that shows one. http://amzn.to/1sOsIXR You could put this on a garage or shed wall.
There is also a rack on casters http://amzn.to/1RnYb6Q
Let me know what you figure out!
I have found that here in humid south Texas. The cure time really needs to be at least a week. The stuff I put out sooner just doesn't stay glued. I have had to fix some gifts. Now I really try to get things done early so there is adequate cure time.
E600 doesn't hold the plate to the post , what else can I use ? I tried glueing clamps to the back of the plate then attaching it to rebar , but after a couple of weeks it pulled away and fell ! Any thing else I can use ?
Try GE II Silicone for Exterior use. It works… Tried and true!
http://amzn.to/1GKortE