Tutorial Tuesday - DIY Dinosaur Serving Dish

I  loved this dinosaur dish I came across on Three Little Monkeys Studio. I think the Oreo's caught my eye as they and dinosaurs are big favourites around here.

You could also use another animal to suit your theme. Maybe a bunny for Easter?

DIY  DINOSAUR SERVING DISH

Cost of supplies: Free if you raid your kid’s toy box and garage, but none of these items were more than $4 each in stores.

Time: Ready in 2-3 days

Materials

• Hard plastic dinosaur toy (it needs to be sturdy and balanced*).
• Small melamine plate
• Sand paper
• Adhesive (I used Loctite Stik’N Seal)
• Spray paint (my heart belongs to Rustoleum)
• Hand held saw (I used the FatMax Multisaw)
• Parchment paper for lining the plate

Directions

1. Use the handsaw to cut off your dinosaur’s head just above the shoulders. Use steady strokes to keep your cut level. Use the sandpaper to smooth the edges of your cut.
2. Use the sandpaper to lightly sand the surface on the bottom and top of the plate where you will be adhering the dinosaur. No need to sand the entire surface.
3. Apply your adhesive to the body and plate. My adhesive recommends applying to both items you want to glue together, and allow them to set for 5-10 minutes BEFORE adhering. When ready, attach the plate to the body. Touch ups can be done around the glue site with a damp paper towel. Allow to cure for 24 hours.
4. Once the body and plate have dried and cured, prep the dinosaur’s head and attach to the plate. You will need to eyeball it from the side and front before attaching to make sure it is in the right spot. Perform any touch ups and allow to cure for 24 hours.
5. Once completely dried, you can start painting. Spray paint from all angles and underneath. I like to spray one coat at a time every 20 minutes or so to avoid drips and get the best coverage.
6. Once your guy is dry, line with a circle of parchment paper cutting a hole out of the middle for the head and trimming to fit.

Update: Some readers were concerned about food safety and missed my recommendation to use parchment paper so that the food does not come into contact with the painted plate. If you have already have a white plate, it would be preferable to use that of course. I was just repurposing an old princess plate I had on hand, so that is why I painted it. Food safety first!

* My dinosaur wasn’t quite balanced, so I used a small piece of felt pad stuck to the bottom of one foot, and voila!

Isn't this great?!

Who's going to try it?

All text and photos by Three Little Monkeys Studio