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Hi Friends,

You know those Sharpie mugs that are just about everywhere lately? I always thought they were the cutest things, and I’ve been wanting to make some for the longest time. I mean, who wouldn’t want to sip some coffee out of a darling personalized mug? Making a Sharpie mug was on my to-do list for Christmas, but with everything else going on, I ran out of time. Since Valentine’s Day is coming up, I thought it would be fun to try this craft, and my little crafting assistant and I made these sweet little DIY painted coffee mugs.

white cups with love u more love u most painted with paint pens



I love the plain white coffee cups that are sold at Cost Plus, so these are what I used. They cost slightly over $2 each, which is higher than the ones at the Dollar Store but not by much. I think just about any white cups would work for this project.

plain white coffee cup from cost plus


I’m addicted to research, and it’s one reason why it takes me longer to get around to doing some projects — I always have to research everything before I try things out. I had the regular Sharpies, but it seemed that oil-based markers were the way to go. So, I thought I would try using a paint pen instead, since I had a few on hand. I’ve used these CraftSmart paint pens for lots of other crafts, including painted plates, and never had any problems with the designs wearing off. 

I wanted the cups to be suitable for anytime, so I used black instead of red. My little Diva suggested writing the words love you more on one of the mugs and love you most on the other mug. So, I did.

painted coffee cups with black paint craftsmart pen


Then, she used a gold paint pen to make little gold dots all around the words. I love how they turned out!

painted coffee cups with paint marker


From what I have read, there seems to be a million ideas on how to make the writing last after the cups have been washed. I ended up baking the cups at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes and allowing them to cool down in the oven before I took them out. The colors are still nice and bright, and the design seems pretty well set.

love u more love u most painted coffee mugs with gold dots


I washed them in the sink, and they’re fine. I haven’t washed them in the dishwasher yet, so I can’t say how they would look after going through the wash cycle. I even tried to scrape a bit of paint off, but it’s pretty well baked on, which is good because I think these little guys are darling! Perfect for sipping coffee, tea or hot chocolate!

These painted mugs would make a great gift for your sweetheart, or you can make them for yourself. Have you ever done anything like this? Did the design last after you washed the cups? I’d love to hear about it.

Thanks so much for visiting. Have a fun day!

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30 Comments

  1. Dee M says:

    I saw the tip about rubbing alcohol, but I wasn't sure if it applied to paint pens. Thanks for letting me know it worked for you — I'll try this next time! 🙂

  2. Jeannine O'Neil says:

    I made similar mugs at Christmas and they were a huge hit! I used Sharpies and didn't have any issues. One of the tips I found in my research was to wipe the mug down with Rubbing Alcohol. Then if you made a mistake you could wipe it away with the Rubbing Alcohol. Worked perfectly and probably made the project take longer as I wanted perfection. Of course it is a homemade gift so slight imperfections are what makes it special. Great post!

  3. Dee M says:

    I've been handwashing these since we made them. I guess I could try the dishwasher and redo the ink if necessary, but I'm being a chicken! 🙂

  4. Laurie says:

    Love how these turned out. I have not tried these, but my daughters have made some for x-mas gifts for their brothers and I always hand wash them, just in case. I'm afraid to put them in the dishwasher. Please let us know how yours do if you put them in the dishwasher.

  5. Dee M says:

    Thanks, Beverly! I'm glad I finally got around to doing this. 🙂

  6. Dee M says:

    Ooh, ice cream mugs or bowls would be wonderful — great idea! 🙂

  7. Dee M says:

    Thanks so much, Miss Kitty. I'm hoping they last a long time. 🙂

  8. Beverly Roderick says:

    The sayings your daughter chose are perfect! Very cute mugs.

  9. Miss Kitty says:

    Hi Dee! thanks for sharing these great tips on writing on mugs and for doing the research for us. Yours turned out darling. They would be good Valentine gifts or really any time of year gifts (for others or just a gift for ourselves).

  10. Leslie says:

    I love these mugs! I've been meaning to make some I just haven't gotten around to it. I want to find the bigger mugs to hold my ice cream, hehe. Happy Tuesday!