Just A Quick Craft...

We've got a family wedding coming up in a couple of weeks and traveling expenses are going to add up quick, so I did a little registry reconnaissance and came up with the perfect, personal, and most cost-effective gift-- personalized Sharpie mugs! (We put ours in a cute gift basket-- filled each mug up with Starbucks K-cups, tossed in a bag of Godiva dark chocolate covered almonds, and a mason jar full of heart-shaped organic dog biscuits for their furbaby.)

I've seen these a TON of these on Pinterest, but I was concerned about them looking a hair on the cheap side so:

Tip #1: Any Sharpie will work, but oil-based paint Sharpies give a much more polished look. You know, like you painted them. :)

Tip #2: If you don't have the steadiest hand, depending on the color of the mug/dinnerware, draw your design in yellow, ultra-fine point Sharpie, then trace with the final color.

Tip #3: Along the shaky hand lines, use window cleaner and q-tips to touch up any slips and smudges you make!

Then just throw them in a cold oven, set it to 350 degrees fahrenheit, then turn it off after 30 minutes. Be sure to let your mugs cool before you remove them!

These would also make super cute mother's day and baby shower gifts, coupled with coffee, for the zombie parents out there on night-shift! I can still never thank my aunt enough for the Starbucks gift card she got us. Life. Saver.