$1 DIY Thanksgiving Decorative Plates (And a Giveaway)

When it comes to holidays I like to decorate on a budget. I usually hit up the dollar store and look for things that don't scream DOLLAR STORE! For example, I grabbed a few of these white plates for a buck each (of course) and in just a few minutes turned them into pretty Thanksgiving decorative plates that can be displayed on the kitchen counter or on a dining room hutch or china cabinet. You can make some too.

I love playing around with color combinations and the Autumn-inspired vinyl pack from My Vinyl Direct made that super easy to do.  All of the colors are beautiful - which made it really hard for me to stick to just two or three on a single plate...which is why I made a few plates!

I simply created my design in Silhouette Studio by first typing out my text using the Samantha font - it's my go-to these days!  That alone would have been lovely, but I wanted to add another color to really make the plates pops, so I added the leaves.

The leaves are free designs from PicMonkey that I saved and then traced in Studio. If you need a refresher on cutting PicMonkey designs, just head over to the full tutorial here.

Once my design was ready, I measured the plate and then resized my design in Studio to make sure it would fit nicely. 

Then it was time to cut. If you have a large design with a lot of detail - like I did on the "Let Our Lives..." plate, be sure to add weeding lines. They will save you and your vinyl. Take it from me (who sometimes doesn't follow my own advice and ends up wasting a huge piece of beautiful gold vinyl)!

And of course when I do the weeding lines...perfection.

Now can we just pause for a moment to really recognize the precision of this machine. I wish you could see just how tiny the veins in the leaves are. It still amazes me every time that the Silhouette machines can cut such fine lines with such accuracy.

Once the designs were all cut and weeded I used transfer tape and the hinge method to make sure the designs were even and centered on each of the plates. 

And that's it! Aren't they beautiful? I think they'll make some great gifts.

PS. Because the $1 Thanksgiving decorate plates have vinyl on them, they are not safe to eat food directly off...so grab a napkin or a plate stand! 


You'll have to excuse me while I go shop the MVD's Christmas and winter vinyl packs...did I mention I'm all about the vinyl packs because of the value and the coordinating colors. LOVE!

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I receive a small commission. That's what helps fund Silhouette School so I can keep buying new Silhouette-related products to show you how to get the most out of your machine!

Thanks for coming to class today at Silhouette School.  If you like what you see, I'd love for you to pin it!