Saturday, February 25, 2012

Start the Day Off Right With a Personalized Mug

Good morning (or afternoon, or evening).  I love how we are all connected through the world wide web!  I can picture it now: I am sitting here on this side of the computer, drinking my morning coffee.  At the same time, you may be sitting halfway across the world, reading this blog, and enjoying a nice cup of coffee with your dessert.  It’s funny how we can be so connected, isn’t it?  In my opinion, nothing bonds two people like a cup of coffee.  So today I am going to show you how to spruce up a boring old coffee mug to make it personally YOU!

You Will Need:
- Blank coffee mug (The Dollar Tree has ceramic mugs for $1 each)
-Vinyl
-Transfer paper/tape
-Silhouette











STEP ONE:
Choose a design from the Silhouette Store or create your own.  Cut it out.

My fiancĂ© always jokes about how much I love trees/leaves.  Anytime we are out, I stop to admire a pillow, wall hanging or anything else that has greenery on it!  So what better design to put on my coffee mug than a tree?  I may have an addiction…











I used “trista tree” from the Silhouette Store.


STEP TWO:
When I did this project, I thought I could do it without using transfer tape.  Do NOT follow my lead, even if it looks like a simple enough pattern.

To use the transfer paper, line up your vinyl the way you want it to appear, put the transfer tape over it so it sticks.  Then place the whole thing over your coffee mug, press down on the vinyl, and remove the paper.
HINT: My mom likes to use GLAD Press & Seal in lieu of the tape but I’ve heard from others that it does not work for them.  If you already have some around, you may want to give it a try for a cheaper alternative.
I attempted to attach the vinyl by hand and because of that, I felt the outline was not as crisp as it could have been. The more you move the vinyl, the more likely it is to come off of the mug.


STEP THREE:
Finish the design, making sure all spots are firmly attached to the mug.

I put 2 designs on mine- one on each side.


Finished Product:




I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and are excited to make your own personalized mug! 

See you next time!  I’ll be here crafting, blogging and drinking a nice hot cup of coffee.