I was searching for some cool new recipes for our Sunday brunch and came across one that required a "ramekin". I had no idea that those little porcelain bowls that go in the oven were called "ramekins. So that was when I decided it was high time we got a set of those.
Around the same time, I wanted to use stencils to do porcelain painting. I love to paint stuff but am absolutely hopeless at free-hand painting. So I put 2 and 2 together and realized I could use my Silhouette to make some stencils for the ramekins. Now wouldn't that look cute? Hand-painted ramekins in our brunch table?
Like many of my ideas, they work better in theory than in practice... To start off, I had to design a stencil that would fit perfectly all the way around the little pots. At first, Hubby and I had blast (I know this will sound nerdy, but what to do, an engineer married to a mathematician...) remembering how to do the development of a "truncated cone" (yep, we were back to high school math!) Basically we realized that a ramekin is (in theory) nothing but a "truncated cone" (imagine a horizontal slice of an upside down cone).
BTW, if you like math, check out this super cool mathematically visual website, really wished I'd seen it my college days... http://www.matematicasvisuales.com/english/index.html
Anyway, after some calculations I was able to make the stencil using the Silhouette software and came up with this:
I wanted to use 2 colors so I made 2 stencils. Next, I loaded the Silhouette with stencil vinyl and got it cut. It was my first time using vinyl in the Silhouette, it worked beautifully :) So I removed the negative spaces using their hook tool and got the stencil out.
I didn't use the transfer tape, because I realized that the vinyl backing was way too sticky for the porcelain. I even soaked it in water a little to get some of the glue off, otherwise my stencils might rip when removing.
After travelling in time all the way to high school and back, I was a little upset that the stencils didn't fit 100%, and I guess that it was because the ramekin is not a perfect cone... anyway, here's what I got:
They turned out just ok... like I said, not quite what I had envisioned. Painting with stencils was fun, but one thing I am sure of: I won't be stenciling non-flat surfaces anytime soon!
Oh, just some last remarks on painting with stencils, always better to use less paint, since it tends to slip under the stencil and create a blot. Also, when working with porcelain (or glass, I would image), always fix the mistakes with water as soon as you make them, it comes out really easily. I let some of my mistakes dry up and then had a hard time removing them. I used Martha Stewart's multi-surface acrylic non-toxic paint, loved it!
Now I need more recipes requiring a ramekin!! Anyone?? Ideas, please! If you send me a recipe I will try it out and post it in the blog.
Thanks for stopping by today!
Around the same time, I wanted to use stencils to do porcelain painting. I love to paint stuff but am absolutely hopeless at free-hand painting. So I put 2 and 2 together and realized I could use my Silhouette to make some stencils for the ramekins. Now wouldn't that look cute? Hand-painted ramekins in our brunch table?
Like many of my ideas, they work better in theory than in practice... To start off, I had to design a stencil that would fit perfectly all the way around the little pots. At first, Hubby and I had blast (I know this will sound nerdy, but what to do, an engineer married to a mathematician...) remembering how to do the development of a "truncated cone" (yep, we were back to high school math!) Basically we realized that a ramekin is (in theory) nothing but a "truncated cone" (imagine a horizontal slice of an upside down cone).
BTW, if you like math, check out this super cool mathematically visual website, really wished I'd seen it my college days... http://www.matematicasvisuales.com/english/index.htmlAnyway, after some calculations I was able to make the stencil using the Silhouette software and came up with this:
I wanted to use 2 colors so I made 2 stencils. Next, I loaded the Silhouette with stencil vinyl and got it cut. It was my first time using vinyl in the Silhouette, it worked beautifully :) So I removed the negative spaces using their hook tool and got the stencil out.
I didn't use the transfer tape, because I realized that the vinyl backing was way too sticky for the porcelain. I even soaked it in water a little to get some of the glue off, otherwise my stencils might rip when removing.
After travelling in time all the way to high school and back, I was a little upset that the stencils didn't fit 100%, and I guess that it was because the ramekin is not a perfect cone... anyway, here's what I got:
They turned out just ok... like I said, not quite what I had envisioned. Painting with stencils was fun, but one thing I am sure of: I won't be stenciling non-flat surfaces anytime soon!
Oh, just some last remarks on painting with stencils, always better to use less paint, since it tends to slip under the stencil and create a blot. Also, when working with porcelain (or glass, I would image), always fix the mistakes with water as soon as you make them, it comes out really easily. I let some of my mistakes dry up and then had a hard time removing them. I used Martha Stewart's multi-surface acrylic non-toxic paint, loved it!
Now I need more recipes requiring a ramekin!! Anyone?? Ideas, please! If you send me a recipe I will try it out and post it in the blog.
Thanks for stopping by today!
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