DIY Painted Mugs

Personalized mugs make great gifts and they are easy to make thanks to Sharpie paint pens! Draw your design on a clean mug, bake, and revel in the awesomeness.

If you are familiar with Pinterest I am sure you have seen at least one pin showing how easy it is to make your own personalized mug using a sharpie. After looking into it, there are mixed reviews on the durability of the design after washing. However, I also discovered through my search that there is a thing called Sharpie paint pens which produce much better results. So I grabbed my handy JoAnn Fabrics coupons, bought a few Sharpie paint pens (and some Rust-oleum universal metallic gold spray paint to try that too), and then gathered some inexpensive oven-safe black and white mugs.

The first set of mugs I attacked were going to be with the spray paint. I first wiped down the surfaces of all the mugs with alcohol to remove any residue and then taped of my preferred designs with painters tape and newspaper to protect the areas I did not want to paint. I had to spray on several very light coats in order to prevent the paint from dripping, especially near the handle, so I cannot tell you how many coats it takes just keep going until it looks good.

Once they were completely dried I just peeled off the paint and voila! Cool designed mugs. I did not bake these mugs because I wasn’t sure if I should. If someone has any feedback into this, please enlighten me.

While spray painting is a pretty easy job, the Sharpie paint pens were much more fun and took less time. Again make sure to wipe down with alcohol before doodling whatever your heart desires. The first set I used stencils to make monogram mugs. The stencils were taped onto the surface with painters tape and then filled in with the paint pen. The paint dries pretty quickly and then peel the stencil off. You could also use stickers, draw around them, and then feel them off.

The second set that I made with the Sharpie paint pens were done freehand to make name tag tea mugs. Freehand means I made mistakes but thankfully I had the isopropyl alcohol nearby and was able to wipe off any errors before they dried. After all the fuss, I was pretty darn proud of how these ones came out. I drew little designs on the handles of both sets while I was at it, because why not?

Let the Sharpie painted mugs air-dry for 24 hours before baking them. After 24 hours place them upright on a cookie sheet in a cold oven. Turn on oven to 350 and let it preheat with the mugs in it. Once it has reached 350, bake for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the mugs to cool in the oven before removing.

While reviews say that these mugs are dishwasher safe, I tend to be a bit paranoid and would only hand wash them. I ended up giving them away as presents for Christmas (obviously posting late so they wouldn’t see them before Christmas and know what they were getting) so I am waiting to hear reports on how well they hold up. Need gifting ideas? In the mugs that I gifted I placed either some dark hot chocolate mix, chai tea mix, and homemade hair bands for the ladies. Super-DIY presents!

One year ago: Dark Chocolate Pistachio Saltine Cracker Toffee

Two years ago: Meyer Lemon Curd

Three years ago: Peanut Butter Cinnamon Raisin Apple Bars

Four years ago: Strawberry Fig Newtons

DIY PAINTED MUGS

Materials:

Clean, oven-safe mug

Isopropyl alcohol (or other alcohol to clean mug surface)

Sharpie paint pens

Stencils, stickers, painters tape (optional)

Directions:

1. Wipe the surface of mug with alcohol to remove any residue.
2. Draw preferred design freehand or use stencils, stickers, and/or painters tape. Allow to air-dry for 24 hours.
3. Once dry, place upright on a cookie sheet in a cold oven. Turn oven to 350 and let preheat with the mugs inside. Once it reaches 350, bake for 30 minutes. Turn off oven and allow mugs to cool completely in oven before removing, several hours.
4. Should be dishwasher safe but hand wash to ensure design will last.

Source: Inspired by various pins on Pinterest and Creature Comforts.