The ever most popular DIY sharpie mug//coffee cup

There are a billion tutorials out there on this DIY sharpie mug I know, but I just wanted to share with you my cup and my experience. First off, I will start by saying this tutorial is with sharpie oil based paint pens, not regular sharpies (although I have done regular sharpies too). I also have found that if you are coloring a design in, sharpie paint pens tend to not leave lines like the regular sharpies do. Some people say that these mugs last through the dishwasher and some people say that they do not. I personally haven't tried running them through the dishwasher because I didn't want to take the chance to ruin them.

The best kind of mug to get are cheap ones from the Dollar Store or from Walmart because the glazed used is more inexpensive. Before you start drawing on your mug take some paper towel and alcohol and wipe it down first to remove anything on the surface that could interfere with the sharpie from adhering to the mug.

I wanted to do something simple so I decided to just go with gold polka-dots. To get a perfect circle I held a nickel up to the mug and traced around it with pencil.

I just kept tracing the nickel all the way around the mug trying to make it look as evenly uneven if that even makes any sense.

Next I filled in the circles with my Oil Based Sharpie Paint Pen. I used a medium point one because I had a bigger design. If you are doing a thin design make sure to get a fine point one. 

I waited for the paint to dry a little and I did a second coat. Here is how the mug looked after I filled in the circles. 

If you have any mistakes or your pen decided to explode paint (like mine did, more than a couple times haha) no worries. Take a q-tip or a paper towel towel and dip it in some alcohol and it will take the paint right off. 

You need to let the mug dry completely  for 48 hours. After 48 hours it is time to bake your mug. 

Place the mug inside your oven and turn it on to 350 degrees. Set your timer for 30 seconds.

When your timer goes off, turn the oven off but don't take it out of the oven. You need to let the mug cool down with the oven to avoid it from cracking of any sort.

When the oven is cooled down it is time to see your masterpiece!

This is how mine turned out.

ENJOY!

Spring is in the air

This winter was the worst winter that I have ever experienced. Negative ((30)) wind chills, endless snow and not to mention the electric bill. With that said, I can not express to you how excited I am to be having some warmer weather. Well, ((40)) degrees isn't that warm but it sure feels like it after how cold it has been! Being a northerner, something just sort of happens to you when you can feel the warm rays of the sun. People come to life. It's like your mood instantly shifts and frowns are turned upside down. People come out of hibernation and the city no longer looks abandoned. The dirty snow melts away and the dead grass starts to revive. Tree's start to fill with leaves and the lake is no longer covered with ice. Flowers start to bloom and birds start to chirp. Its time to put away the sweatpants people! Spring is in the air :)

((I took this picture last summer using my    Olloclipcamera lens attachment for the iPhone.))

      Some of my favorite things about summer:

Music festivals
Fairs
Cook outs
Walks
Gardening
Lake Michigan
Downtown
Taking pictures

     What are your favorite things about summer?