What is the trending birthday plate tradition and how do I make a personalised birthday plate?

During lockdown, TikTok exploded with creativity, inspiring countless DIY trends that continue to thrive today. From home décor hacks to personalised gifts, the platform became a hub for creative expression, and pottery painting was no exception. Many of the designs we see regularly in our studio first gained popularity on TikTok, as viral videos sparked a surge of people eager to try their hand at creating unique, hand-painted personalised pottery items..

One trend that has particularly caught our attention is the birthday plate tradition—where parents paint a special plate to commemorate their baby's 1st birthday. Recently, we've had a wave of customers coming in specifically to create these keepsake plates after being inspired by TikTok videos.

Intrigued, we decided to check if it was indeed trending, and sure enough, we found countless videos with captions like, "This is your sign to go pottery painting and create a birthday plate!" As a result, more and more parents are embracing this sentimental tradition, designing plates featuring handprints, cute messages, and colourful artwork to mark this milestone in a lasting, creative way.

Search on TikTok and Instagram the trending hashtags #BirthdayPlateTradition or #BirthdayPlate to see for yourself.

What is a Birthday Plate?

A Birthday Plate is a custom-painted plate, typically made for a baby's first birthday, though it can be for anyone at any age.

The plate makes its debut on the baby’s first birthday and is brought out each year thereafter, becoming a cherished family tradition.

You can either paint a truly personalised birthday plate or you could make a birthday plate without the personalisation to be used on all your family members' birthdays!

Why Create a Birthday Plate?

Special Touch: Start a new family tradition that adds a unique touch to every birthday and is a simple way to make the birthday person feel extra special. Let's face it eating cake off a fun plate just makes birthdays more enjoyable. The Birthday Plate adds a touch of fun and excitement to the celebration.

Celebration Symbol: The birthday plate becomes a symbol of celebration and something to look forward to, remember and cherish.

Lasting Tradition: Painting a special birthday plate creates a lasting tradition that can be passed down through generations. As the years go by, these birthday plates become more than just decorative items—they become mementoes, steeped in memories and nostalgia. Each time the plate is brought out, it serves as a reminder of past celebrations, and milestones as well as becoming a thing of joy or maybe as the kids get older, a bit of a cringe but in a way that says Mum I do still like this though.

Eco-Friendly: Reuse the birthday plate every year, saving money and reducing waste.

Where to Make a Birthday plate?

Need you ask? Here at Crafty Monkey Pottery Painting Studio of course - we are a pottery painting studio in St. Neots, Cambridgeshire, halfway between Bedford and Cambridge. We have been helping customers to create unique pieces for many years and we have lots of advice, tips and tricks we can impart.

If however, you are not local to us, if you search for 'pottery painting near me' your nearest ceramics cafe or pottery painting studio should come up.

How to Make a Happy Birthday Plate

1. Book Your Session: Schedule your pottery painting session online with us or search 'pottery painting near me for your local ceramic cafe or pottery painting studio.

2. Get Inspired:  Check out the happy birthday plate designs and our Pinterest board below.

3. Design Your Plate: Decide on the design. Will it be generic or personalized with a name? Select the style and size of the plate you want to paint. You can see the different plates we offer in our online shop. Use the filters or the search bar.

4. Paint Your Birthday Plate:  At the start of your pottery painting session you will be given instructions and we are on hand to help with techniques and tips. Check out these to

5. Leave It to Us: Once painted, leave your birthday plate with us so we can glaze and fire your plate. You’ll receive an email when it’s ready for collection, usually within 10-14 days.

Birthday Plate Design Inspiration

Want some birthday plate design inspiration, have a scroll through some of the one's our customers have painted at Crafty Monkey Pottery Painting Studio.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How to create a birthday plate tradition?

Simply paint a plate with a birthday theme and use it every year.

What paints do you need to paint plates?

You can paint or decorate already glazed plates with ceramic paints you can buy online or even sharpies, however these tend to not be that durable and can wear off over time, also you would need to check they are food safe. If you want it to be permanent then painting earthenware bisque with underglazes where it is fired in a kiln will achieve best results.

Can you use acrylic paint on ceramic plates?

While acrylic paint can be used, it requires a sealer to make it waterproof and it is not food-safe without proper sealing and it is not likely to be durable so it wouldn't be as suitable as one painted with underglazes that is glazed and fired.

How to paint on plates and make it permanent?

You may see videos online of people making their plate with sharpies or painting already glazed plates with a paint for ceramics. These may not be food safe and are likely to wash off over time. We use special underglaze paint and then a clear glaze is applied before we fire it in our kiln. This makes your special birthday plate food-safe and durable. Just hand wash to keep it looking great.

How to make painted plates food safe?

If you make your plate at a pottery painting studio like Crafty Monkey, where it is fired then it is sure to be food safe. Perfect for serving birthday cake and totally safe for all ages.

The best part about a Birthday Plate?

You can personalise it and truly make it your own as you can see from the above examples - Whether you prefer something elegant or playful, you can make it uniquely yours. For the family or for an individual the choice is yours.

Capture the Moment

So folks what are you waiting for? This is your sign to go pottery painting and make a birthday plate!

Book your Pottery Painting Session

Don't forget to snap photos or videos of your birthday plate in use. Share your creations and tag us on social media @mycraftymonkey with hashtags like #BirthdayPlate, #BirthdayPlateTradition, and #CraftyMonkeyBirthdayPlate.

Want more Birthday Plate Ideas and Inspiration?

Check out our Birthday Plate board on Pinterest...

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