DIY Sharpie Mugs

Merry Christmas Eve! I have been seeing DIY Sharpie Mugs all over pinterest, so I thought'd I'd give it a go for some handmade christmas gifts. I think they turned out pretty good!

It's a super easy, quick personalized gift. And your design options are only limited by your imagination.

What you need:

Ceramic Mugs (cheaper are better, because the glaze is usually thinner)
Sharpie Markers (oil-based paint markers)
Clear Acrylic Gloss Coating (I used TreeHouse studio from Hobby Lobby, moisture-resistant)

I also used some sticker letters to make these designs.

How To:

1. Do your design. For these, I used sticker letters, and dotted around them with the sharpie. Let it dry.

Note: Make sure the mugs are very clean before you apply the sharpie!

2. Apply a second coat and let dry. Remove stickers and do any touch-ups with a toothpick dipped in nail polish remover. Once it looks exactly how you like it, let it dry at least 2 hours, or overnight.

3. Place the mugs on a tinfoil-lined cookie sheet and put into a cold oven. Allow oven to preheat to 425 degrees with the mugs in there, then set a timer for 30 minutes. After half an hour, turn the oven off, but leave the mugs in there until the oven has completely cooled.
Note: The reason you let it heat up and cool down with the oven is so the mugs won't crack with a sudden temperature change. Baking melts the sharpie in with the glaze of the mug. It may cause the color of the design to change, mine both darkened up a bit.

4. Once the mugs are cooled, apply the acrylic spray according the can directions. I did two thin coats and spray them upside down so none of the coating would get inside the mug. Let dry for 24 hours.
Note: I've read that you can do sharpie mugs without a coating. But from my research, I found that oil-based markers (instead of regular sharpie) and a moisture resistant coating were the best bet to keep your design long-lasting through washes.

5. All done! The silver turned out best, the gold turned into more of a bronze, but I was still happy with it. Total cost: {12 mugs for $18 markers for $14 acrylic spray for $6} = $3.16 per mug for 12 mugs

Anyone else do some homemade gifting this year?