DIY Valentine Initial Mugs

Is Valentine’s Day sneaking up on you? Don’t worry, I have you covered with this quick and simple last-minute Valentine Day Idea – DIY Valentine Sharpie Initial Mugs. So Cute! I’m Mandy and am coming to you today from www.SugarBeeCrafts.com – I love being here at SNAP Creativity!

These can be made for teacher or friend gifts; I used them as gifts for my kiddos. We don’t go too all-out for Valentine’s, but we do give them a little treat, and I knew mugs would be the perfect way to present the gift.

This is actually the first time I’ve tried decorating a mug with marker – and I’m hooked! I even tested it for you and ran it through my dishwasher and it stayed on perfectly – a win!

So, let me tell you all about it – on to the tutorial!

First, gather your supplies – you’ll need:

-a mug (I grabbed mine at the thrift store)

-rubbing alcohol

-a stencil (I used my cutting machine, but you could easily punch a circle out of contact paper and cut the initial using an exacto knife)

-markers in a few colors – oil-based sharpie

I want to reinforce – I did not use a regular permanent marker – I used one that is oil-based! As you can see on the package, it says “marks on wood & glass”

Prepare your mugs by wiping them down with rubbing alcohol to clean the surface. Now, on to the design – I tried two different techniques and I love them both.

First up, the stripes. I thought the stripes would appeal more to my boys.

I placed the stencil on my cup and using a straight edge of paper, I drew one line near the middle of the design:

Then after that, I just started layering the lines above and below. Make sure to extend past the circle. I varied the pattern. I made some longer and some shorter. I made some thicker and some thinner. It’s fun to get creative!

When done, simply peel off the template – this is my favorite part! Your masterpiece is revealed.

The second technique I tried was dots – I thought my girls would love these ones. They’re so cute and fun!

Again, attach the stencil. Then start with a few dots around the edges.

Then switch colors and add more dots. Vary the size and colors.

I tried to work from the edges out, switching colors pretty frequently. Just keep going until you feel like you’ve covered most of the negative space:

Then again, peel the template and be amazed by your awesome creation:

Now, the big question – how to get that design to stay!

This worked for me – maybe mugs are different, so I’m not sure it’ll work for everyone.

First off, I let my design “set” for a couple of days – just sitting out.

Then, I put my mugs on a cookie sheet and put them into a cold oven. After they were placed in there, THEN I turned the oven on to 375 degrees. I baked them for 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes was up, I turned off the oven, but I left the mugs in there. I let them cool down slowly while inside the oven. The colors did darken just a little after being baked.

I let them continue to “set” for the rest of that day.

And then the big test – did it work? I put them into the top rack of my dishwasher and hoped for the best…. and …. worked!! here it is, right out of the dishwasher – phew!