DIY Mother's/Father's Day Mugs

My parents are fairly difficult to buy presents for because it seems that they have everything they want and if there is something they want, they generally go out and buy it themselves. Unfortunately for me, this makes it difficult to buy gifts for them. Thus, in the past several years, I have been opting for more thoughtful and/or handmade gifts.  This year (courtesy of Pinterest), I decided to make personalized coffee mugs. I was very surprised at how easy this was and how well (I thought) they turned out.

Here’s what you will need:

• Plain white mug
• Metallic Gold Paint Pen (This is different from a regular gold Sharpie)

 

 

Here's What to do:

1.  Draw or trace out your design onto your mug. (I used stencil lettering that I already had and used tape to secure the stencil while I was outlining).

 

2.  If you make a mistake, the paint is easily removable from non-porous surfaces with rubbing alcohol (or even wiping it off with a paper towel before it sets).

 

 

3.   Allow your designs to dry to the touch, and then pop them in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. This will set the paint so that it is permanent.

 

 

4.  Let them cool.  The gold paint withstood my hand-washing test quite well, but to be safe, keep your hand-painted mugs out of the dishwasher. I’d also recommend keeping your design away from the rim of the cup where your mouth goes.

5.  Fill them with goodies.  I ended up finding a few trinkets at Trader Joe's, World Market and Bliss:
 


Hand lotion  (from World Market)

My Mom loves toffee; so when I saw this; it was an obvious choice (from Trader Joe's)

I love these candles and wanted to buy several for myself.  I got one for my mother-in-law as well. You can find them here.  I got mine at Bliss, which is in Founder's Hall in Uptown (walking distance from my office = very convenient).



 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO EVERYONE!