Quick and Easy Dollar Store Tea Set Makeover

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

Finally, the last project on my list.  A pretty tea set.

I wanted another cute little porcelain tea set for my dolls and stuff.  You used to be able to find them at most dollar stores.  Sadly that’s not the case anymore. 

So, I did the next best thing.

I got a plastic set instead (see the doll blog for their reaction).  You can find this tea set at Dollar Tree as well as most dollar stores.

It’s the right size and is sort of cute, but the colors are kind of tacky.  The easiest way to fix the color issue was to paint it.

So let’s paint some plastic!

I gathered up some supplies I had on hand and got to work.  I used acrylic paints, paint brushes, a paper plate for the paint, and glossy Mod Podge. 

The Mod Podge protects the work and makes the pieces shiny and pretty.

I also used these, nail emery boards.  You could also use fine sand paper, but I used these because it’s what I had around.

So first, I lightly sanded the surface of all my pieces.  This helps the paint stick on better, or so I’ve been told.

Then I applied 2 coats of white paint to all the pieces, allowing them to dry between coats.  I painted one side of each piece at a time.

I was going to paint the pieces a different color after the white paint dried, but I decided they looked pretty that way and went with it.

I then added some pale pink paint to bring out some of the details.

And finally, I applied two coats of the glossy Mod Podge (allowing to dry between coats) to seal and finish them.

The tea set looks so much nicer now.  The gloss makes the pieces look very porcelain-like, but since they are plastic I don’t have to worry about dropping them.

I could have painted little designs on the cups like flowers and such if I wanted to, but maybe I will save that for another set.

I really like how cute the tea pot came out.  There were little roses around the heart that I didn’t even notice until I started painting it.

The plates look really pretty too, the hearts are so sweet.

I added a touch of pink to the spoons to tie them into the set, also because painting them white made them look too much like “disposable” plastic spoons.  Maybe next time I’ll try using a silver or gold paint.

Over all, I think the tea set looks great and it would be fun to paint more of them in the future.

Here’s the updated list:

• 3 piece outfit
• Holder
• First aid cases
• Umbrella
• Tea set
• Tote

Six down and out.

Give it a try:

• Plastic Toy Tea Sets, 14 pc.
• Craft Smart® Acrylic Paint, 2 oz.
• Mod Podge® Gloss
• Craft Smart® All Purpose Brush Set
• Sassy+Chic Assorted Emery Boards, 24-ct. Packs