Sharpie Decorated Personalised Mugs

Sharpie Mugs – Monogrammed and Personalised

I have a few friends who have moved out of London to the countryside recently (boo).  I wanted to make them a housewarming gift that would be personal, but functional, in case not to their taste!  I’ve seen a great tutorial over at designmom.com  which uses graphite transfer paper to make the monogram.  I tried that but couldn’t get the graphite to stick to the mugs I had chosen, and my attempts just looked messy, with the ink running everywhere on the mug.  The method I’m using here needs very little drawing  ability.  Just the ability to cut out.

Materials used for this project:

• Mugs
• Contact Paper (Sticky backed Plastic)
• Masking Tape
• Porcelain or Sharpie Pens
• Printer paper (and access to a printer)

Tools used:

• Cutting mat & craft knife.

Method

First, tape the letter to the contact paper, and cut out the shape.   Use a big bold font to give yourself a lot of drawing room, I used Guinness Extra Stout NF.

Sharpie Mugs Giraffe Print

For this giraffe design, I drew blobs all around the S shape outline in random sizes and shapes to retain the impact of the letter shape.  The I filled in further blobs to leave minimal white space.

Sharpie Mugs Scribble Stripes

The stripes design allows you to scribble over the edges quickly.  If you’ve stuck down the letter well you shouldn’t get any bleed under the lines.  Any small bleeds can be taken off with a cotton bud and water before the ink dries.  Or use rubbing alcohol for stubborn marks.

Sharpie Mugs Spots Design

Random tiny spots all through the shape.

Sharpie Mugs Fluffy Design

And finally the “C” is for the cutest little boy I know.  I wanted it to look like a fluffy toy. For this style, use the letter cut out, instead of the “hole”, and make little strokes away from the plastic onto the mug (to reduce bleeding).

Leave to dry for about an hour, before peeling the paper off, before I putting in the oven for about 15 minutes to bake on.  Wait at least 48 hours before putting in the dishwasher.  The longer you leave in the oven, the more chance of the design being fully “baked” on.  Mine have had a few trips through the dishwasher, and are still going strong, but if you are worried about losing a precious design – stick to gentle hand washing.