Sharpie Mug Success, Finally!

I think we were all in the same boat when we saw how cute Sharpie Mugs were - and how easy they were to make! At least until we went to wash them, right? Well, after many tries, I FINALLY got one to work without chipping, fading or washing off!

The finished product! Yay!

After consulting about 15 different posts to combine all of the best ideas together, here is what we found. We made this one for my daughter's teacher. She decorated it all by herself - much more meaningful!



Here's what we used:


-A regular black Sharpie marker (not the oil paint)
-A red ceramic mug from Kohl's (St. Nicholas Square brand)
-Rubbing alcohol and cotton ball

1. First, you wipe down the mug with rubbing alcohol to remove the oily handprints.  The Sharpie will not stick to the mug as well. If you look at the photo above, you will see that the star on the bottom is slightly lighter that most of the rest of the printing. Although we wiped the mug down completely, my daughter's hands were all over it as she was making the mug. I kept wiping after she touched it, then I gave up and let her just finish!

2. Decorate your mug and let it set overnight. Then place it in the cold oven on top of a cookie sheet. I put the rack right in the middle of the oven for even heating.

*I have read that the cheaper the mug, the thinner the glaze and the easier it is to melt. I am not sure that this was necessarily a "cheap" one, but it worked great! I was also excited that it was colored red for Valentine's Day.

3. With the mug already inside, turn the oven on to 450 degrees (F). This is important so that the mug doesn't crack.  Take note when the oven reaches the 450 degrees. Then set your timer for 45 minutes.

4. Keep the oven on 450 for 45 minutes and don't open the door.  Then turn the oven off when the timer beeps WITHOUT opening the door. Leave the mug in there with the oven off until it cools back down to about room temperature. (About 45 minutes for us.)

5. Open the oven and marvel at your beautiful creation! :)



Before Washing

After Washing - The Same! :)

I took our mug right from the oven and scrubbed it with a cloth and dish soap. I also took my fingernails and tried to scratch the writing off. NOTHING came off, and I scrubbed hard! Hooray, success! I have had others wash right off and the oil marker had sometimes chunked and chipped before it even went into the oven.

I prefer to hand wash special things like this anyway, but you could try to put it in the dish washer, I guess. (The reviews for doing that have been varied. )  We only had time to make it, bake it, wash it and wrap it up for her teacher for Valentine's Day. Hmmm....maybe I'll try another one to test the dishwasher! I will update it when I do! 

Have you found a Sharpie mug process that worked for you? Let me know!

Remember to Share, Tweet and Pin this...it is hard to find a process that works and these are becoming quite popular!!!

Check out some of my other DIY projects and gifts!

• DIY Travel Play Mat for Cars
• DIY Antibacterial Hand Soap
• DIY Body Wash