If you haven’t learned already, I am a huge fan of thrift store shopping.  A couple of weeks ago I was at a local Salvation Army store with Harper looking for goodies.  I was excited when I stumbled upon 3 mugs with my initial on it – WAIT, that’s not my initial, mine is an E not an F.  Hmmm, what to do.  They weren’t free, at 25 cents each I figured I could take the plunge and see what I could do with them because I really wanted to sip some French Roast out of those babies.

I don’t know what decade they are from, but my guess is the 1980s or maybe the 1970s – I really have no idea.  They are made of white milk-glass with matte black letters.

Making your own decorated dishes has been pretty popular on Pinterest for the last few years so it was on my brain when I saw these and decided I could get them and figure out how to change those Fs to Es.

After a little research I found that the best reviewed marker for using on dishes is the oil-based Sharpie.  I have been a big fan of Sharpie since the 1980s so I’m not surprised they have another awesome product for me.  It’s called the Sharpie Oil-Based Paint Marker and they come in 4 different tip sizes and lots of different colors.

I started by drawing that E on freehand with a regular extra-fine point Sharpie marker.  Any slip-ups and I used alcohol to wipe it off and start over.

Once I got the shape right, I used the oil-based Sharpie marker to fill it in.  Since I wanted the finish to match, I covered all the matte Fs with the glossy oil-based Sharpie.

After looking up some “recipes” online I determined it was best to put the finished product into a cold oven, bring it to 350’F and “cook” it for 30 minutes.  I also let the oven (and mug) cool completely before taking it out, I get nervous about having something hot sitting out on the counter for the kids, the dog or the husband to pick up, ouch!

And lookie there, three E mugs.  I think they turned out great!

E for Excellent

E for Eccentric

E for Elizabeth

I haven’t washed them yet and will update you on how they are holding up.

xo

Elizabeth

Update:  The dishwasher killed the Es.  I will repair them and hand wash from now on – more updates to come.

Here are some of those gorgeous DIY dish decorating Pins I love!

Image from Fall For DIY.

Image from Sofyaa.

Image from The Lovely Drawer.