mini door plate tutorial

Tutorial of the Week: Mini Door Plates

Good morning, everyone!  Another Thursday…another tutorial!  I thought I would change it up a bit this week, and instead of learning a new technique, I thought we would make some mini door plates using some of the techniques we’ve already learned 🙂  These little door plates make great additions to the cover of a mini album, can be used in mixed media projects, and even just tucked in with a cluster of flowers on any project.

I actually recorded this tutorial video 3 years ago, so the quality of the video is not as good as my new fancy, shmancy Samsung phone, but the information is great and I thought the timing couldn’t be any better.

Before I get started, though…I just want to thank Tammy (sscrafter1 on YouTube) for allowing me to record this tutorial.  The original idea is hers, but I did add my own twist to it 😉

Materials

  • medium weight chipboard
  • foil tape
  • metal filigree corners (#546-P and #730-P)
  • beads, bead caps and head pins
  • bone folder
  • paper piercer
  • embossing folders
  • keyhole punch
  • glue – see what I recommend HERE
  • alcohol inks
  • acrylic paints
  • ink blending tool c/w felt
  • paint brush
  • non-stick craft sheet

Step #1

Cut a piece of medium weight chipboard 3/4″ x 2-1/4″ and cover it with foil tape.  Don’t worry if you get creases in the tape – just remove them by running a bone folder over the top face.

mini door plate tutorial

NOTE:  This tutorial was done making the small door plate.  The chipboard dimensions for the larger door plate are 1-3/8″ wide by 4-1/8″ long.

Step #2

Mark the placement of the knob and keyhole on the back of the plate.  The center of the knob should be 3/4″ down from the top edge, and the top of the keyhole should be 3/4″ up from the bottom edge.

mini door plate tutorial

NOTE:  For the large door plate, the knob should be centered 1-3/8″ down from the top and top of the keyhole 1-3/8″ up from the bottom of the chipboard.

Step #3

Punch the keyhole and pierce a hole using a paper piercer to mark the placement of the knob.  I use a slotted hole punch that is approximately 1/8″ wide by 5/16″ long and the 3/16″ hole punch on my Big Bite to create the keyhole.  I first punch the slot by lining the top end of the punch up to the bottom mark made in Step #2.  I then punch the 3/16″ hole right over the top end of the slot.

mini door plate tutorial

Step #4

Emboss the piece of chipboard using your favorite embossing folder.

mini door plate tutorial

NOTE:  I used the keyhole of the lock in the Tim Holtz Mini Lock and Key Movers and Shapers die set as a template for the keyhole on the large door plate.  I first die cut the keyhole out of light weight chipboard, then traced the keyhole onto the back of the door plate.  Finally, I used a combination of hole punches and an exacto knife to cut the hole out.

Step #5

Glue one Silver Corner Metal Filigree Embellishment (#730-P) to each end of the chipboard door plate.

mini door plate tutorial

I always glue the corners as low as possible to ensure the maximum amount of gluing area.  Here’s a picture showing exactly where the corner of the chipboard is relative to the edge of the corner filigree:

mini door plate tutorial

NOTE:  Silver Corner Metal Filigree Embellishments (#546-P) were used when creating the large door plate.

Step #6

Allow the glue to fully dry and add your desired finish using some of the techniques we’ve learned over the past few weeks…

Alcohol Ink with Acrylic Paint

I used 2 different techniques on the following door plate, and just love how the finish turned out.  I first pounced a combination of alcohol ink (espresso, ginger, caramel and gold mixative) onto the entire door plate.  Once the alcohol ink was dry, I painted the entire door plate using black acrylic paint and immediately wiped it off.  As you can see, this left some great shadowing around all of the embossed areas.

mini door plate tutorial

Tutorials for the 2 methods I used to create this effect can be found by clicking on the following links:

I used the same method to create the finish on the following door plate.  I used pitch black, stone washed, and slate alcohol inks with silver mixative, and antique white acrylic paint.

mini door plate tutorial

Acrylic Paint with Rub n’ Buff

In the video, I decided to do something a little different.  I first painted the entire door plate black using acrylic paint and allowed it to dry completely.  I then put a little bit of Antique White Rub n’ Buff on my finger and very lightly rubbed it onto the doorplate to bring out the pattern of the embossing.  I then repeated this using Antique Gold Rub n’ Buff.  Using the 2 different colors of Rub n’ Buff help to add a bit more dimension and interest.

mini door plate tutorial

Step #7

Glue a bead cap and a bead onto the door plate, ensuring that you center it over the hole you pierced in Step #3 above.

mini door plate tutorial

Well, that’s it!  You’re all done 🙂  If you’re looking to watch the video of this tutorial, I’ve embedded it here in this post for easy reference:

 

Well, I hope you find a little time for yourself this Easter weekend and have fun making some door plates for your next project.  Don’t forget to play around and try out some different finishes…this is the perfect project for that!  Like, how good would the acrylic paint base with some chunky embossing powder look on these puppies?

Thanks for popping by and HAPPY EASTER!  Cheers!

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Comments

  1. Kathy M says

    Oh, WOW! Another great tutorial! What a great idea! Doorplates are so “in” now, but are a little pricey. Now I can make my own for a fraction of the cost! I already have the materials on hand in my craft room, so….I’m off to my “home” to create!

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