New Uses for Vintage China

Pam Dickerson from Emiliejayne’s Front Porch put together these projects to get you started!

Many different kinds of china plates and tableware pieces, can be found at Emiliejayne’s Front Porch in Bountiful, antique shops or auction sites for under $10.

China Bird Feeder

Materials:

China pieces

Old, rusty yard candleholder or any kind of metal stick that is weather proof and can hold china pieces. Just be creative and recycle.

Epoxy glue

Instructions:

1. Place china pieces on top of candleholder and glue with epoxy.

2. Let dry.

3. Place in garden or yard.

Tea Cup Planter

Materials:

Old tea cup and saucer

Small amount of floral foam

Silk flowers

Instructions:1. Place floral foam inside tea cup.

2. Fill with flowers of your choice!

Salt and Pepper Ornaments

Materials:

Empty salt and pepper shakers

Drapery tassels

Hot glue gun

Miscellaneous cording, beads or ribbon, if desired

Instructions:

1. Remove bottom of shaker.

2. Place drapery tassel through bottom and feed through top holes.

3. Hot glue in place and decorate with cord, beads or ribbon if desired.

Drapery Holdbacks

Materials (for each holdback):

3-inch long flathead screw

Fender washer

Instructions:

1. Place a three-inch flathead screw through the hole in a fender washer, making sure the washer and screw head are flush.

2. Attach the fitted hardware to the back of the plate with epoxy glue; let dry.

3. Affix your drapery holdback to the wall or window molding where desired.

China Mosaic Table Topper

Materials:

Loved china pieces

Furniture (table, chair, tray, drawer etc.)

Mastic, as used for tiling

Grout

Grout sealer if desired

Grout float tool

Instructions:

1. Clean, dry, furniture piece.

2. Place china in terrycloth towels, wear safety eyeglasses, and break china with hammer.

3. Butter each piece with mastic and place on furniture as you wish.

4. Let dry

5. Grout

6. Seal grout, if desired.

Tea Set Chandelier

Materials:

Old chandelier

Tea set with teapot and cups and saucers. Be sure there is a cup and saucer for each arm of chandelier.

Power drill

Ceramic drill bits #2296 and #2954A 71/2

Water

Instructions:

1. Drill holes in middle of cups and saucers. This is best done with about a ¼” water covering the drilling surface. Go slowly. It takes about 15 minutes per piece. The teapot will need to be drilled under water in bucket.

2. Take light part of chandelier off and feed wires though saucer and cup. Reattach light fixtures inside each teacup.

China Wedding Cake

Materials:

Boxes to serve as frame. Hat boxes and cheese boxes work well for cake layers that are round. But square boxes could also be attractive.

China pieces of all sizes and shapes. Vases, candleholders and other novelty pieces add interest and can serve as pillars between layers.

Hammer

Terrycloth towel

Tiling mastic

Tiling grout

Grout float tool

Instructions:

1. Build frame. Hot glue boxes together so they are sturdy and don’t come apart.

2. Place china in terrycloth towels, wear safety eyeglasses, and break china with hammer.

3. Butter the underside of each piece with mastic and stick each piece on frame, fitting pieces together as you wish. Cover entire frame using this method.

4. Let dry.

5. Grout.

All of these finished ideas and more are featured at: