I was looking for a simple kid craft to entertain the kids with last week and stumbled upon the personalized sharpie mug idea. Genius. I had two purposes to the craft I wanted to try. One, it needed to be kid friendly. Two, it needed to double as a Valentine’s Day gift for grandma and grandpa.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Those are the most beautifully sharpied mugs I have ever seen. You could totally sell those on ebay. I know. But riches are not what we’re after here. We’re after thoughtful gifts for grandma. And grandma loves coffee. Score!
Simple Kid Craft: Sharpie Mug
Here’s what you need:
Mugs
Sharpies
An Oven
Update :: Rachel commented below that using Sharpie Oil Based Paint Pens will make these last longer! Thanks Rachel for the tip!
That’s it! I found our mugs at the thrift store for only $0.50 each. There is no reason to spend one penny more. If you don’t have a thrift store nearby, I would suggest checking out the dollar tree. We already had the sharpies on hand, so the next step was to let the kids go wild.
In my mind, I thought my four year old would draw a tree, or a house or a car. Instead, he just started swirling it all around. This was his design, so who was I to stop him?
Once the sharpie mugs were decorated by each of my kids, I let them dry overnight. The next day I placed them in a COLD oven and turned the heat on to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I let it “cook” for 30 minutes and then turned the heat off. IMPORTANT::: Let the oven cool before you pull out the coffee mugs. You don’t want an extreme temperature change. And an extreme temperature change will happen with the negative temperatures we’re having.
That’s it! A fun and personalized mug for grandma and grandpa that will be worth millions one day! If… we’re lucky. 🙂 I would recommend hand washing them only to preserve the masterpiece.
So after creating these masterpieces, I suddenly had the desire to “add my touch”. I held myself back. What do you think? Should you add your own interpretation to your kid’s art when you think it needs it, or let it go?
Find more Easy Kid Craft Ideas!
Was there any kind of a sharpie smell while the mugs were baking in the oven?
Hi Lindsey. Honestly, it’s been so long since I’ve made this recipe that I can’t remember whether or not there was a sharpie smell. Did you experience one?
We are going to use a clear coat on top! Hoping to help preserve the art work a little longer!
Great idea!
Awesome idea !!
These are adorable. Do you have to use sharpies or will any marker work?
Thanks 🙂
Hi there! I have seen this fun craft a lot lately and I would like to do it with my before and after school kids as well as the senior living communities I visit each month.
Could you tell me where you order these mugs from in bulk? What do you think the best marker to use is?
Thank you!
Hi Emily,
The best place to find mugs like this is at the thrift store. They are so inexpensive. Let me know how it goes!
Dollar tree allows you to buy in bulk and each mug is only $1.
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I love it! This is an awesome idea! Can you use paints as we’ll or just the Sharpies?? Thanks 🙂
*as well…
I love them! I was thinking about getting some of those neat sharpie pens that are oil based. I saw some that were a gold and silver that were pretty neat. I am sure that all the colors were better aimed for the kids. The great news is that if it does wash off, grandma can send it back to get redecorated for each holiday 🙂 The gift that keeps on giving!
can you use the regular sharpies? I was looking at the oil based ones the pack only had 5 colors and was 20.00.
I don’t want to burst your bubble because those are absolutely perfect… BUT…. They will wash off and after very few washes. The actual way to do this project to last is to purchase Sharpie Oil Based Paint Pens. They are located with the paints in the craft section of our local Joann store – and run about $3.50 each in this area. You still have to bake them and hand wash them and it cannot be on a food surface (on outside of mugs like you did). I’m sure the grandparents will love them all the same.
Thanks Rachel for the tip! I did not know that they would last longer with an oil based sharpie. I’ll update the post. Thanks!