Faux Marble Desk/jewelry Plates

These stylish plates look like real marble and would go perfectly on a desk or vanity for organizing small items or as a decoration by itself. I made these for my mom this Christmas and they are pretty quick and easy to make in a day.

Materials

To make these plates you will need:

- One or more small, oven-safe bowl or plate

- Metallic Acrylic paint, I used FolkArt 675 Champagne

- Two or more colors of oven-bake clay, I used the colors Pearl and Silver

- Scissors

- Clear gloss finish, I used Shellac

- Small and medium sized paint brushes

Divide Your Clay

Decide how much clay you will need to cover your plates. I used half of each pack for my first plate and some leftovers for my second one. Get the clay soft with your hands and roll each one out. Then twist the two rolls together like the picture shows.

Cut Clay Around Bowl

After you have twisted the clay, work it untill it is flat and marbled. To get your desired marble pattern you can break parts of the clay off and re work it in untill you have a small sheet with a consistent color pattern. Then lay that sheet over your bowl or plate and smooth it. If any clay overlaps the bowl just cut it off with the scissors so you can use it in the next step.

Use the Scraps to Fill Rest of Plate

There will likely be spots where the clay didn't cover so use the trimmings you cut in step 3 to fill those spots in. Just press the pieces where they are needed and rejoin the clay. The finished area should not go off the sides of the original plate and remember to keep at least 1/8 inch consistency for best results :)

Bake and Remove From Molds

Bake your clay while it's still on the plate. If you freehand your plate or bake it without a mold it may droop while baking so I don't recommend doing so. Bake the clay normally according to the package directions, these packs bake at 275 F for 15 minutes for every 1/8 of an inch. After they are done, remove as soon as they are just cool enough to touch. The longer you wait, the more they harden and it is easier to pull them off when they are a bit flexible. My plates didn't have any residue or problems from the oven however I would still be careful about that.

Paint the Bottom, Sides, and Top Perimeter

This part is optional but I think it takes these plates to the next level. Paint the bottom, sides, and a small border of the top side for this look. My paint looks like normal color in this picture but it dried into a nice gold/pearl shine after several coats.

Spray the Plates With Gloss/sealant

I used shellac that dries clear with a very slight gold finish. I think it evened out the texture a bit and made it shine a bit more but again, this part is optional.

Let Dry and Enjoy!

I love the way these came out but here are some more tips:

- Smooth out the clay as much as you can before baking, my plates are still a bit rough looking

- Try more than one color of clay and different shades to match the area where the bowls will sit. I went for a classic marble style with the pearl and silver but black/white and brown/white might look even better

- Use clay or gloss that has shimmer for extra effect. The clays I used had a slight shimmer in them which is subtle but nice

- If you use two brands of clay, make sure the baking instructions are the same and they have a similar consistency

- Make this as a gift for someone's work desk, craft desk, bathroom, coffee table, ect. It can be used for anything from paper clips to jewelry. You could even gift it with jewelry included on it!

- If you want to make an actual plate that can be used with food make sure the materials you use allow it and are non-toxic.

Hope you enjoyed my tutorial! The necklace shown on the plates in the first picture is also a necklace I made and if you want to make it as well, check it out on my profile. Thanks for looking!