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.