Who doesn't love Pinterest? I find myself returning to Pinterest on a daily basis to save recipes, bookmark craft ideas, drool over home decor, or dream of a new wardrobe. It's the perfect platform for organizing all the wonderful ideas found in the web world. Not only do I hoard these glorious ideas, but I often put them into practice. I thought it would be fun to share my newest projects that are from my pinboards!I've seen the idea of Sharpie mugs floating around and I thought I should give it a try. Sounds easy: White mug + lettering with a Sharpie + bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Easy, right? Well... in theory... if it works. After figuring out what I wanted each mug to say, I free handed the text on each mug as was really happy with the way it looked. I baked them and then put them in the oven as directed. Once they were finished, I took them out and let them cool. Everything seemed according to plan until I tried hand washing them. The lettering on every one of them started scrubbing off with water and dish soap. BUMMER. However, I wasn't ready to give up, considering these were part of my Christmas gifts I gave last month, and I really wanted this to work. I set out on a quest around town to find a black porcelain marker that was wash-proof. I finally came across the DecoArt glass paint marker at Hobby Lobby. I wasn't sure it would work, but I gave it another try, re-lettering all the mugs. The lettering wasn't turning out quite as nice as the Sharpie lettering, but it still worked okay. After baking and giving it the final hand washing test... It worked!! I gifted them to my family and they loved them. One mug even made it through the dishwasher and turned out just fine! At the end of the Sharpie mug tutorial, there is a disclaimer stating that many other people had the same problem with the Sharpie washing off. Over all, I rate this tutorial a 4 out of 5. It's such an easy, wonderful project but if it doesn't work in most cases, it's not the best tutorial. If you want to try it, I highly recommend getting a porcelain marker and saving yourself a potential headache.
I also wanted to quickly share the chalkboard ornaments I made for Christmas presents. These weren't a Pinterest idea, but my own. I hope people love receiving handmade gifts as much as I love making them. I honestly don't know how to give gifts any other way.
I hope this post finds you warmly cozied up in your homes. It's cold here, but I don't mind being layered in blankets.
Much love,
Love these, Jasmine! I've had the sharpie mugs pinned for a while and I'm so glad I read this post before giving it a try! I'll go straight to the porcelain market instead. But, my lettering won't turn out nearly as pretty as yours!
Posted by: Ariel | January 24, 2013 at 12:10 PM
Thanks, Ariel! With the lettering, it helps to write your design on paper first. That way you will get a better idea of what it will look like on the mug and won't be doing it blindly. I hope you try it!
Posted by: Jasmine Jones | January 24, 2013 at 12:38 PM