Impress guests when you present them with their cuppa, thanks to this gorgeously colourful set

What you need...

• Cups and saucers, three sets
  
• Paint, porcelain, Pebeo: ivory 43, turquoise 20, malachite green 26, citrine yellow 01, saffron orange 03, ruby red 07
  
• Masking tape
  
• Sponge
  
• Paintbrush
  
• Cling film

instructions

1. Before starting, prepare the china by washing each piece thoroughly and leaving to dry. Mask the handles with masking tape and fix large discs on the front of the cups and the corners of the saucers, together with five smaller dots around it. This will allow the flower motif to remain white whilst painting the background colour.

2. Cover a large plate with cling film and use it as a palette to mix the following: a touch of ivory with turquoise 20 to make the blue. The lime green is made up of ivory, malachite green and a little citrine yellow. Blend a dab of ivory with saffron orange to create the orange hue. Finally, the pink is made by mixing a touch of ivory with ruby red.

3. Use a sponge to apply the orange paint onto the outer surface of a cup. Immediately dab the areas with dry sponge to reduce the bubbles created by the painting process. Before the paint dries, use a baby wipe to remove paint from around the rim and base of the cup.

4. Colour a saucer to match, then do the same for the remaining two sets. When the paint is touch dry, heat the china with a hair dryer so you can remove the dots and tape easily; a craft knife helps with this process. Use damp cotton buds to remove any paint which may have bled underneath.

5. Add detail to the white flowers using the tip of a paintbrush and a steady hand. Draw a design in pencil first if this helps. Leave the china to dry for 24
   hours, then follow the paint manufacturer’s instructions and bake the paint onto the china’s surface.