Drab to FAB Ikea Jug

I LOVE all things white. My bedroom is all white, I have an entire section of my wardrobe dedicated to identical white shirts and I have four little white fluffy dogs (yes, that's right, four).

As an advocate for all things white even I have to admit that the SOCKERÄRT jug from Ikea is pretty drab. Do you know what the best thing about white is? It’s a blank canvas…

You'll need:

-A plain white ceramic piece of kitchenware - bowl/plate/mug/jug - whatever you have in your kitchen that needs jazzing up.

-Ceramic paints - I recommend the Pébéo Porcelaine 150 range of paints that are specifically for ceramics. To keep costs low buy three or four vibrant colours along with one black and one white to create darker and lighter shades for highlighting and outlining.

-Fine paint brushes

-Plastic plate for mixing the paints

Start by adding a bit of white to lighten the standard colours and paint the basic shapes of the flowers onto the jug. Basic flower, leaf and vine shapes will do the trick.

Do two coats to avoid streaks and work quickly, these paints dry really fast.

Don't fret of you make a mistake, just rub the area gently with a damp cloth.

Next, add the tiniest bit of black to darken the colours down a little and paint on a bit more detail. Add darker shades to outline the flowers and define the petals and leaves. A few curved lines inside a circular flower shape will create a rose effect.

After you've got paint happy, leave your masterpiece to dry for 24 hours then pop it in the oven and bake for 35 minutes at 150C/300F and voila, it's microwave and dishwasher proof!