Valentine's Day DIY: Letters of Love on a Mug

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There is no need to spend a lot of money on useless flowers or chocolate (Well okay, those things are NOT useless but they don't last as long as these mugs!). COFFEE is where it's at. Your lover knows this, you know this. Even though our DIY is cheap and easy, it will score major points with your Valentine and become a treasured keepsake. Sure, using paint pens on mugs has been done before, but we added a unique (cough, pun intended) twist to make it the perfect gift for your special someone on Valentine's Day! 

Instead of drawing typical stuff like hearts, his/her name or doodling on the mug, we want you to personalize it with words so it has a story! Write your own love note or choose special song lyrics, a favorite quote, or a passage from a poem or book - the idea is that when he/she wakes up in the morning or uses the mug at work, it makes them think of you. It's genius, simple and inexpensive - hooray!

What you'll need:
- White ceramic mugs
- Oil-based paint Sharpies

sharpie-002.jpg

Instructions:

Step 1:  Plan what you want to write or draw on your mug - for those who feel they aren't great at "drawing", don't worry because we actually love the idea of simply using text. Write something that's meaningful to you and your sweetie pie. If it's something blush-worthy, you can always just use the inside-facing surface of the mug, so when using the mug at work only he/she can see the words. For our example we chose lyrics from the song "Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service. A classic in our minds. Listen to it here while you get creative. 

Step 2: Practice writing with the paint pen on a piece of paper to get used to it, figure out how you want to form your letters. Hold the mug securly in one hand and write your love note!

Step 3: Place your mug(s) onto an oven safe dish. In order to set the paint properly and avoid cracks in the paint, place your mug in the oven while it is OFF (so there is no heat). Once sitting inside the oven, turn heat to 400 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.  

Step 4: Turn off the oven, open the door and allow the mugs to cool completely before removing them from the oven (approximately 1 hour).

Step 5: Once removed from the oven, let them stand/cool off for 3-4 hours to make sure the paint dries and sets.

Step 6: Viola! A perfect personalized mug just in time for Valentine's Day! 

Tips & Tricks:

  • Always hand wash to prolong the life of the design
  • Don't draw on the rim or inside of the mug (you don't want to ingest this stuff).
  • Show us what you've made using #uniqueDIY!

*photography by Bryan Dale