Every once in a while, you’re bound to have someone offer you some sort of oddball item in mass quantity. You’ll be tempted to accept them, but you’ll have no idea what you can possibly do with them. What should you do? Well, you can always do what reader Robin did via our Facebook fan page and ask DSC!
Robin’s mother-in-law made her a very tempting offer: a whole stack of wicker paper plate holders. What can you do with this picnic staple besides stabilize flimsy plates? So far, other readers have suggested using them decoratively underneath house plants or spray painting them different colors and hanging them as a grouping either on an interior wall or to dress up an outdoor space. If you had a bunch of them, what would you do?
[photo by cohdra @ morguefile.com]
15 Comments
Laura
I can see a mirror, a large circular photo, or even a finished cross-stitch placed in the center and used as frames.
sus kelley
you could connect them end to end, side to side, and make a hanging screen out of them.
rebecca
i would stencil them and hang them on the wall. or get little s hooks and hang jewlery!
Jennifer
These look like their in pretty good condition, so I would make a 3 dimensional art piece by stacking them randomly and hot gluing.
Jennifer
you could make a hat with them, or a fan–either a hand-held one, just decorate and add a stick for a handle, or put them on the blades of an electric fan–….that’s all I can think of at the moment…..
Shannon
Make wreaths with them, decorate the outside edge with lace or ruffled fabric, flowers, beads, etc and stencil “Welcome” in the middle.
Tee
If you chose to do a wall grouping, you could decorate them as you would a scrapbooking page and add photos.
Using the cheapest paper plates you could use them to hold beading while you’re working or as a disposable paint pallette.
Thanks for the challenge!
(sorry if this posts twice :)
Tee
Mindy
Add a candle stick to it and top it off with a clear/glass plate. Serve appetizers, cookies, cake.
Caro
I would turn one into a clock!!
And then I would spray paint a bunch and use them to do a “mosaic” on the wall, like a plate wall!
Liz Watson
Turn them into clocks using cheap WalMart or Dollar Store clocks. (These can be easily taken apart and placed on the wicker)
mikeasaurus
how about unwinding them into long ropes of wicker, place them side-by-side and re-lace them together into something similar to those bamboo beach mats?
Brittany
I would spray paint them all funky colors and hang them on the wall!
haley
I bought a vintage lamp recently and put in a new lamp kit on it. However, this meant I had to remove the paper bottom on the lamp. I used one of these wicker plates with some hot glue and voila! Lamp makeover.
Allyson/HBMomof2
You know what’s interesting, is that I received my Ballard Designs catalog yesterday and thought of these very things. BD made wall topiaries out of seagrass circles.
Link:
http://www.ballarddesigns.com/seagrass-topiary-plaque/wall-plaques/decorative-wall-plaques/204071
They could easily be inspiration for paper plate holders and placemats. I know I am looking for them at the thrift stores now. Would love to see what you do.
cheryl
unwind them and use the wicker to make baskets or caning for seats.