Nerdy Craft Time... Nerdy Love Mugs!

I discovered some super cheap mugs at Michael's (a craft store here, I'm not totally sure if everyone has one, you could also try Hobby Lobby which we don't have but I've heard it's basically the same thing) that had ceramic paint included inside. It also included a brush but it was huge and bulky and completely unusable, however, these mugs were made for children so a bulky brush is reasonable I suppose. I had been looking for inexpensive plain white mugs for a while and was ecstatic when I found these. I'm pretty sure I paid like $4 or $6 for 2 of them, they certainly weren't over $3 a piece, which is a super fantastic price for a 4 set of ceramic paints and a plain white mug. The mug itself is super sturdy, thick, and strong. This doesn't mean throw it across the room, but they are equal to the quality you'll find in more expensive mugs. They are decent size as well, it holds about 1 1/4 cups of liquid comfortably.  They have a shiny smooth exterior and are a nice opaque white.

I've never used ceramic paints before and was pleasantly surprised as to how nicely and smooth they painted on. Because it's on the thick side I found it was super easy to build up a texture when I wanted. I was concerned that I wasn't provided with a black paint, "how will I line things or create textures within the same color!?" I thought. The fun thing about the ceramic paints is that you can create a thick dark edge line, go over it with a thinner coat, and the darkness of the edge line will show through. But I still needed black from time to time and ended up using a combination of the ceramic paints and permanent markers, considering both can be heated in the oven and made permanent on ceramic surfaces. It worked very nicely and I was super pleased with how my mugs turned out!

Now I'm not entirely sure these fit into a Nerdy Craft Time slot but I figured food puns and creeptastic love notes had to be a bit nerdy in some sense.

 

For both mugs, I used a plain old pencil and very roughly sketched out my designs, for placement and to make sure it all fit. I drew both cup designs out on a piece of paper, just to get an idea of what I wanted it to look like.
For the lettering, I wrapped a sheet of paper around the top of the mug so my letters would line up. I wrote my phrases in pencil as well to make sure it would fit. I regret not putting "awesomness" in the middle instead of off to the side because it left me with a large open space to fill. It was fine, the heart is adorable, but if I had to do it over again I would have paid more attention. 

For the "blood splatter" on the eyeball mug, I just dotted red in varying sizes and went back over random ones with lines to create jagged edges. It was seriously as simple as it sounds.

The bottom of both mugs were actually the hardest part of both projects. The bottom has a little ridge around it so I had to compete with that. For the "Taco" mug the jalapeno really has nothing to do with anything, although it's tacoish I suppose. I just really like the phrase Jalapeno Business. The jalapeno was pretty simple as well, sort of like a giant bubble "J" but filled in super thick. I opted to give him red eyes, mouth, and angry eye brows because he's spicy. duh. The Eyeball mug was trickier. I originally wanted to put an anatomical heart on there but it wasn't nearly as cute as I thought it would be. I scrapped it and painted a cutesy heart instead. Blood splatter happened and it was done. I totally know how to spell gorgeous by the way.

 

I had tried to create some texture with a black sharpie on the taco which resulted in me putting a thick layer of yellow paint over it. This ended up cracking a bit in the oven, so I wouldn't recommend painting anything on too thick. Thin layers people! Thin layers!

Both mugs had to go in the oven at 360 degrees. I place mine on an ancient cookie sheet that I should totally throw in the trash but refuse to because it's useful with crafts. (the one from Nerdy Craft Time Harry Potter actually!) I don't have to worry about ruining a good pan when I use a crummy one! So you place the mugs on the sheet and put it in the oven BEFORE you turn the oven on. Then set your oven and let it preheat with the mugs inside. You'll want to set a timer for 30 minutes right after you turn your oven on. (including preheat time) If you set your mugs in a hot oven you run the risk of them heating up too quickly and your mugs can crack/break/explode. After the 30 minutes, just turn the oven off and walk away for a couple hours. You'll want the mugs to cool in the oven (Don't open it) for a few hours. After 2 hours, check on them to see if they are cool to the touch, if not then shut the door and let them cool for another hour. If you take them out while they are hot, they can cool too quickly and crack or break as well.  Once they are done you can remove them from the oven. I like to let them sit overnight on the counter before doing anything else. The next morning/afternoon I wash them gently and let them air dry.

Disclaimer!

**You should always follow the heating directions on your specific brand of ceramic paint, even if they differ from mine. Also never use a toaster oven which is not the same **

 

Your ceramic paint, after it's been cooked, should be mostly permanent. If you use a harsh abrasive on it you could chip it off, but if you care for your mugs (hand wash gently) they should last quite a while. They will also be food safe and microwave safe! Woooo! (well my brand of paint is food and microwave safe, check the label of your ceramic paint to make sure it is food safe if you are planning on using it inside or on the rim of your mug.)

A Quick Word Of Caution!
Be careful when using ceramic paints, they have small particles in them, so wear eye protection or take care not to get this in your eyes. Wash it off your hands right away to reduce this risk. Trust me, getting grainy particles in your eye is horrible, I'm sure getting grainy paint coated particles in your eye would be more then tragic. 

I hope you try this! I had sooo much fun! They would be great for valentine's day as well, make one for your sweetie, your mom, your weird cousin, your kids, whoever! Everyone loves hand painted mugs, painted by someone they love.

As always, Enjoy!

**I purchased the Personalize It Mug Kits from Michael's Craft Store with my very own money, all opinions are my own, I am not being asked or paid to endorse them.**