It seems as like as fast as the world opens up, it’s shutting down again. Here in Massachusetts, things are still much the same as they were the whole year with lots of time being spent indoors and only going out if I have a mask and a bottle of hand sanitizer on me. However, there’s still lots of fun to be had indoors. Regardless of whether or not you have kids or not, this craft is fun at any age. Who knew that personalizing your own mug could be so fun!
I also got my idea for this craft from Home Heart Craft.
How to Make These Personalized Dollar Store Mugs! by autumnbecomes.me
One place I LOVE to go is where you can pick a piece of pottery from a shelf and paint it yourself and then it’s fired and you can bring it home. Right now, however, the prospect of sitting in an enclosed area, with several other people for a few hours carries a bit more anxiety than I would like to have while doing something “relaxing”. So while browsing for fun things to do at home, I discovered this fun craft on Home Heart Craft. It requires Sharpie Markers and dollar store mugs! The best part of both of those is that I was able to order them both online. It was my first time ordering something from the dollar store and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. The mugs were really well wrapped and I got them all really soon. I was able to also find a vast array of sharpies on Amazon. I was hesitant to try the metallic or neon ones, I did get some bright colors, and as you can see that the baking process did change the colors a bit causing them to be a bit more muted, but I actually really like how the colors changed. If you don’t want to worry about the colors changing, it might be best to just use a black sharpie.
Before I go any farther, if you do try this craft I would LOVE to see how it turned out. If you’re on Facebook or Instagram, just tag me so I can check it out!
How to Make These Personalized Dollar Store Mugs! by autumnbecomes.me
While I don’t have children of my own I was homeschooled while my mother ran an at-home daycare, plus I have two little sisters and did TONS of kid-oriented things at church growing up, and I have to say, THIS IS AN AWESOME KID CRAFT!!!! Obviously they’ll need a grown-up to put these mugs in the oven, but if you are a parent reading this, I’m not joking, put them in some play clothes that are okay to get markers on, tell them to only color on the mug (and definitely watch them because Permanent Marker wall art is not fun to remove), and let them go to town drawing on their own mug! Not only will you have a bunch of fun family time all coloring together, but you’ll have a functional piece of “kid art”.
If you don’t have kids (like me) that’s fine. I found this incredibly relaxing. It’s much like adult coloring books where you get to put on a movie, pour yourself a glass of wine, and just enjoy the creative process. In the end, you either get something that you absolutely love, or you get something that you can laugh at as you drive to your local thrift store to donate it. It’s about the journey, not the destination. It’s about having fun making something fun. Let me walk you through how to get started.
How to Make These Personalized Dollar Store Mugs! by autumnbecomes.me
Sharpie Markers (you might even have one in your desk drawer)
Dollar Store Mugs (got six for $12.23 which I also believe included shipping)
an Oven
How to Make These Personalized Dollar Store Mugs! by autumnbecomes.me
1.) Get out your mug and start drawing on it! Let go and let the creativity flow! If you want to go for a simplistic look black and one other color can do that. I, however, love brightly colored things so for me having a bunch of different colors to be creative with was a must! Remember though, these colors are probably going to change while it’s in the oven. Be careful not to smudge. That was the only problem. While these markers ARE PERMANENT on things like paper and unfortunately clothing, furniture and walls, they seemed to be a bit reluctant to stay on the mug if moved against say your hand. While the colors didn’t always come off easily or fully, they did fade.
2.) Once you (or your children) are satisfied with their masterpiece, just pop it in the oven at 400 degrees F, for 45 minutes. After that pull them out, let them cool and now you have a functional work of art. I would probably stick to handwashing these just to be on the safe side. There’s nothing worse than working for a few hours on something you enjoy only for it to be ruined after it’s first washing.
So hopefully, this was a fun craft for you to do. Allowing yourself to be creative and have fun automatically helps you problem solve easier and helps you become creative in other aspects of your life. Let me know in the comments below if you had fun or as I said, tag me in your social media pictures. It may not be our choice to stay inside, but it is our choice on how we spend our time. I hope this inspires you to spend some of that time having fun. -Heather Astaneh
How to Make These Personalized Dollar Store Mugs! by autumnbecomes.me
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