Our Hopeful Home: How to Make a China Plate Wreath

The day I learned about plate wreaths was the day I swore I would make one of my own. And make it I did! Today I'm sharing how I made a china plate wreath, along with a step by step tutorial so that you can make one, too.

chinoiserie plate wreath hanging on mirror over white mantel

The beauty of this plate wreath is that it can be transformed with different plates throughout the year, as your decor changes with the seasons. In other words, plate wreaths are both beautiful and versatile at the same time.

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Collecting vintage plates and saucers (or any plates and saucers for that matter) can be both fun and rewarding. It's fun for obvious reasons (can you say "thrill of the hunt"?) and rewarding -- if you put those plates and saucers to work as decor in the form of a china plate wreath.

Wondering what kinds of plates to use in your plate wreath? There's no right answer -- as long as the color scheme and/or theme is based on what you love, then you can't go wrong. While I chose blue and white china plates, you can just as easily choose red or green transfer ware dishes for the Christmas holidays, pastel floral plates for spring, brown or green transfer ware for fall and the list goes on and on.

Try collecting plates you love while out thrifting, and see what combos you can come up with that reflect your own unique taste and style.

I used 9 different thrifted blue and white chinoiserie and/or Blue Willow china plates (with two exceptions) in various shapes and sizes.

I placed painter's tape on the back of each plate reflecting their size so I knew what size plate hanger to use for each one.

While I used metal plate hangers on the majority of plates, two of them already had some wire attached -- like the 4" Delft plate in the above photo.

altered Adhesive Plate Hanger on back of plate

While I ordered a box of mixed size plate hangers for my plates, there wasn't one small enough for this 3 1/2" plate. So I reached into my supply of Disc Adhesive Plate Hangers and customized the 3" disc (it was too large) to fit this teeny tiny plate. (They come in smaller sizes - even 1.25" - but I couldn't find that size locally and didn't want to wait for them to be delivered.)

Two good things about adhesive disc hangers:

1. You can cut them down to size to meet your needs, and

2. They're removable! (Just soak the plate in warm water and the adhesive hanger should come off.)

So what do we need to make a china plate wreath?

Supplies for Making a China Plate Wreath

1. Plates and saucers of various sizes (mine were 3 1/2", 4", 5" and 6")

2. grapevine wreath (mine is 18")

3. floral wire

4. wire plate hangers (Make sure they'll fit your plates -- they come in different sizes!)

5. wire-edged ribbon (optional) I used gingham ribbon but I'm also partial to this chinoiserie fabric ribbon.

6. preserved moss sheets or preserved moss roll (optional)

7. hot glue gun (optional)

8. hot glue sticks (optional)

9. Disc Adhesive Plate Hangers: (optional)

Set of 2", 3" and 4" disc hangers

10. Large suction cup hooks (works well if you're hanging the plate wreath onto a mirror)

11. Faux greenery

HOW TO MAKE A CHINA PLATE WREATH

grapevine wreath covered with small chinoiserie plates

Before you begin, make sure you attach some sort of loop onto the back of the wreath to facilitate with hanging once it's finished. I created a loop with twine and secured it to the top back center of the wreath.

1. Place your plates all around the wreath to get an idea as to your final set-up. Take a picture to remember the arrangement.

2. Attach the wire plate hangers onto each plate.

I'm currently writing a post all about different types of plate hangers and how to use them. Stay tuned for that!

3. Start with the first plate by threading floral wire around the wire springs and then twisting it extensively to be sure the wire is attached securely. Be sure to use a generous amount of wire because you'll be needing it! (See #5.) I used 36" inches of floral wire.

twisted floral wire on back of grapevine wreath

4. Using the wire "tails" left over from the initial wrapping, wrap them around the grapevine wreath and twist the ends together at the back of the wreath.

5. Just to be sure those plates are extra secure, wrap whatever wire you have left BACK AROUND to the front of the wreath/back of the plate and wrap whatever wire is left around that wire hangar once again.

6. Continue with each plate until all of them have been securely attached.

OPTIONAL (6* and 7*)

6*. After securing plates onto the front of the wreath, it's time to cover the back of the wreath with moss. (This works best if you'll be hanging it on a mirror and the back will be visible. I SKIPPED THIS. Also, it gives the wreath a more finished look overall and adds some protection from the sharp wire on the back.)

7*. Cut the moss into strips, and using hot glue, glue the strips onto the back of the grapevine wreath until it's all covered.

8. Add springs of faux greenery onto the wreath, securing them by shoving them into the wreath until you're satisfied with the look.

9. Create a bow with the wire-edged ribbon and add it to the top of the wreath and secure it to the wreath with floral wire.

romantic mantel decorated with bird cage and china plate wreath

10. Using the twine loop you already created at the top back side of the wreath, hang your plate wreath on anything sufficient enough to withstand the weight of the wreath (including the suction cup if that's what you're using). I placed my loop over the top of my arched gilded mirror and it held quite securely.

If using suction cups, make sure they're strong enough to hold your wreath! I tried hanging mine on a suction cup cleared for 10 pounds but it didn't hold! Luckily it fell on some pillows and my plate wreath was saved.

NOTE: Some people also add tea cups into the mix by attaching them to the plates with velcro. While I like that look, I chose not to include them as I didn't want to get involved in having to remove the velcro once I was ready to return the cups and plates back to their original duties.

grandmillenial chinoiserie plate wreath hanging on gold mirror

The mantel was already decorated with my spring bird cage vignette and cordless rechargeable brass table lamp with scalloped shade (currently out of stock but still listed on my Wal-Mart storefront in the hope that they will become available again some time soon).

chinoiserie plate wreath with gingham bow

If you change the plates and change the ribbon it's like a whole new wreath! While I absolutely love my blue and white plate wreath I will definitely change it up depending on the season and/or holiday.

I'm looking forward to changing out the blue and white plates with my brown transfer ware plates for fall and my red transfer ware plates for Christmas.