DIY Sharpie Mug

After seeing several projects on Pinterest, I decided to try the sharpie method of customizing coffee mugs! I am using my mugs in my dorm room this fall {more posts about my dorm decor to come!} but you can make a simple dollar store mug into a great gift or party favor or just a cute present for yourself! Here is the super easy way to make your own DIY Sharpie Mug!

Things you'll need... a coffee mug, sharpies {any color works but they must be OIL BASED} and an oven set to 425F.

** Note: I have done quite a bit of research on these Sharpie Mugs and a lot of people suggest using DecoArt glass paint markers which are specific for this type of DIY, but if you don't mind hand washing sharpies work just as well and are a lot cheaper!**

If you are really good at free handing just simply, draw on the surface of your mug and bake it for 30 minutes at 425 degrees. Once the 30 minutes is up turn off your oven BUT leave the mugs inside to cool down {this will reduce the risk of cracking!}. Allow them to cool completely before washing or using.

If free handing is not your thing then here are some simple ways to make printable transfers without all the extra cost. Print out a pattern, letter, shape whatever you want and take a pencil and shade the back of it.

{I used eyeliner because some posts I've seen say to use it but eyeliner or a pencil both work}

Tape your pattern, letter shape etc. to the mug and trace around the edges.

This is what your mug will look like with stencil transfer

Then take your Sharpies and go to town with the coloring in!

Pop them into the oven for 30 mins and let your creation finalize!

 

As you can see the colors changed quite a lot! The blue color changed to an olive green tone but the others stayed pretty similar. I did not know the colors would change as I was doing this DIY so I guess its a kind of guess and see what you get!

After completing my super cute mugs I decided to toss them into the dishwasher for a thorough cleaning... and thankfully the design held up! But just to be 100% on the safe side I would recommend hand washing your mugs!

Cotton Anniversary

June 30th just seems like any other day to most people, but to Charlie and I {and in a strange coincidence, my parents} it is our anniversary! It is crazzzyyy that we have been dating for two years now. What?? I guess time really does fly when you're having fun! In anticipation of our anniversary coming up I have been racking my brain thinking and searching for cute gift ideas for Charlie. And after many days of planning and thinking I finally came up with the perfect present for himmmm :)

COTTON!

Now I'm sure many of you are wondering... hmmm, what the heck is cotton? Well before you jump site and start thinking I'm crazy, just wait, hold up and let me explain myself. 

As I'm sure many of you are aware, anniversaries usually have a traditional anniversary gift that goes along with the year.

and if you look at 2nd anniversary you will see that cotton is the traditional gift. So there is my hidden logic behind this strange gift idea. 

What I decided to do with this cotton was to give Charlie a present for each letter, sort of like an acronym.

Each gift correlates with a letter.

C is for Comfy Boxers.

Tommy Hilfigure

O is for One Pack of Socks

Polo Ralph Lauren

T is for Tickets to an FSU Football Game.


T is for T-shirt.

Vineyard Vines.

O is for One and Only.


N is for Next Year's Adventures.


:) I hope this helped you think of anniversary present ideas for yourself and a loved one! I thought this was super cute and a fun way to celebrate with Charlie. 

Home Depot Kids Craft

While babysitting on the lovely first day of February, I was struggling to come up with activities to do with Caroline {10} and Charley {8}. After going to their youth league basketball game we were driving home when we saw a sign outside of Home Depot saying "Kids Crafts" so, being the craft lover I am, I dragged the two munchkins along to discover what craft I could do!

Well, much to my disappointment, the craft was just for kids and I was considered their "adult supervisor". The kids were give pieces of wood carved into the shape of a car, 3 long nails, 2 short nails, wheels and a hammer and were told to construct a race car. After construction, they painted their cars and applied stickers. Well I was {and still am} extremely jealous!! The craft was sooooo cool!! I loved it and so did the kiddos.

I discovered that this was not just a random kids craft day at Home Depot, they actually do it the first Saturday of every month. If you have some kiddos in your life this is a great weekend activity for kids of all ages.

So as March first rapidly approaches and you're beginning to think of ideas for this weekend. Go To Home Depot!!! I promise you won't be disappointed.