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Hi Friends,

You know those Sharpie mugs that are just about everywhere lately? I always thought they were the cutest things, and I’ve been wanting to make some for the longest time. I mean, who wouldn’t want to sip some coffee out of a darling personalized mug? Making a Sharpie mug was on my to-do list for Christmas, but with everything else going on, I ran out of time. Since Valentine’s Day is coming up, I thought it would be fun to try this craft, and my little crafting assistant and I made these sweet little DIY painted coffee mugs.

white cups with love u more love u most painted with paint pens



I love the plain white coffee cups that are sold at Cost Plus, so these are what I used. They cost slightly over $2 each, which is higher than the ones at the Dollar Store but not by much. I think just about any white cups would work for this project.

plain white coffee cup from cost plus


I’m addicted to research, and it’s one reason why it takes me longer to get around to doing some projects — I always have to research everything before I try things out. I had the regular Sharpies, but it seemed that oil-based markers were the way to go. So, I thought I would try using a paint pen instead, since I had a few on hand. I’ve used these CraftSmart paint pens for lots of other crafts, including painted plates, and never had any problems with the designs wearing off. 

I wanted the cups to be suitable for anytime, so I used black instead of red. My little Diva suggested writing the words love you more on one of the mugs and love you most on the other mug. So, I did.

painted coffee cups with black paint craftsmart pen


Then, she used a gold paint pen to make little gold dots all around the words. I love how they turned out!

painted coffee cups with paint marker


From what I have read, there seems to be a million ideas on how to make the writing last after the cups have been washed. I ended up baking the cups at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes and allowing them to cool down in the oven before I took them out. The colors are still nice and bright, and the design seems pretty well set.

love u more love u most painted coffee mugs with gold dots


I washed them in the sink, and they’re fine. I haven’t washed them in the dishwasher yet, so I can’t say how they would look after going through the wash cycle. I even tried to scrape a bit of paint off, but it’s pretty well baked on, which is good because I think these little guys are darling! Perfect for sipping coffee, tea or hot chocolate!

These painted mugs would make a great gift for your sweetheart, or you can make them for yourself. Have you ever done anything like this? Did the design last after you washed the cups? I’d love to hear about it.

Thanks so much for visiting. Have a fun day!

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30 Comments

  1. Sharon Erickson says:

    I love painted mugs. I just get scared that I will mess up! The colors are perfect and this is such a great gift idea. I'm going to share and pin this! I would love if you linked this up to Totally Terrific Tuesday! It will be LIVE tomorrow at 9pm CST. Thanks so much for sharing and hope to see you there!

    Sharon
    herorganizedchaos.com

  2. Pam Garrett says:

    Thanks for sharing your directions and finished product. I thought about making these for Christmas gifts, but I was too rushed then to enjoy doing it. Things are more calm this time of year so making them now sounds like more fun. I'm making a Valentine's Day one for my husband and may go ahead and make a few for Christmas gifts while I'm at it. Thanks for getting me ahead of the game. Take care.

  3. Lauren says:

    I've been racking my brain for valentine's gift ideas for my family (all the girls have a Valentine Tea together). Finally! You've saved me!! Thanks. These will be a big hit!! #SITSBlogging

  4. Mrs.AOK says:

    Beautiful job! I tried this with paint markers for a swap present in the past, but I have no idea if it washed away after being washed. 🙁 I hope not.
    Happy #SITSBlogging Saturday!!
    XOXO

  5. Sami Bookout says:

    super cute! I love this idea and the black and gold.

  6. Barb @ A Life in Balance says:

    Beautiful! So glad I came over to look at your mugs! Now I want to make some more.

  7. Dee M says:

    2 years? That's wonderful that they lasted — thanks for letting me know! 🙂

  8. Dee M says:

    Thanks so much, Sue! I wish I hadn't waited so long, but I'm glad we finally made them! 🙂

  9. Laurie says:

    Don't blame you. The cups my daughter did were made 2 years ago – and by hand washing, they still look just the same as they did when the boys opened them . . . obviously I'm a chicken too! lol

  10. Sue says:

    This is such a great project. My son in law did this for everyone for Christmas and I thought at the time "I should do this". Now I am further inspired. Good choice on the mugs, too. These look perfect. Thanks for sharing. Stopping by during the Blog Hop from Katherine's Corner.