Perfectly Simple Snowman Mugs

I’m sure, if you’re on Pinterest, you’ve seen these Snowman Mugs about a hundred times.  Here’s what’s different about these…I did not use Sharpies.  I’ve tried and tried using Sharpies on dishes…following all the tips…let cure overnight, put in a cold oven, heat to 400 degrees and leave them for 40 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave them in there until cool.  Nothing has ever made them truly washing-proof.  And I mean hand-washing.  The dishwasher?  Fuhgeddaboutit.

But I love snowmen/women/people, and really wanted a set of mugs for all of us, instead of the pairs we have. So I bought some dollar mugs and a set of paint pens. They weren’t that expensive, either…less than Sharpies, I think. But they stay on through washing!  I still can’t brave the dishwasher with them, though. Maybe someday.

Mugs-ChaosServedDaily

I made bowties for the boys and hairbows for the girls, and personalized the ones for the hooligans. It’s so nice that they think the Tinkertoy writing I learned as a high school cheerleader is impressively artsy!  I left the other 3 mugs blank as far as personalization.

As you can probably see, I used orange, black, red, and purple paint pens…the fine tipped ones.  I let them dry overnight, then put them in a cold oven and heated it to 350 degrees. After leaving them for 30 minutes, I turned off the oven and let them cool in it. Then I resisted temptation for another day and didn’t immediately try washing them. When I did wash them, 24 hours later, everything stayed right where I painted it.  Wahoo!

I’m going to give these to the kids on Christmas Eve, along with new PJ’s, so we can have hot cocoa, popcorn, and watch “The Polar Express” for the umpteenth time. Wouldn’t these be a fun party favor for a cookie swap, with a few cocoa or coffee packets inside?  Or if you’re having guests for the holidays, they’ll think you’re the bomb when they have a personalized mug at the breakfast table! Just don’t give them to your kids’ teachers…as a child of teachers, I know they have WAAAAY too many coffee mugs already!

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About Megan

My various hats: mom to three crazy teens and one quirky dog, wife of 27 years to my retired GI Joe, and high school math teacher. After my husband's retirement from the Army, we've settled in the Pacific Northwest. Crafting, cooking, photography, and reading keep me sane (that's a relative term!) and I hope you'll enjoy following along as I navigate the chaos of life!
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4 Responses to Perfectly Simple Snowman Mugs

  1. Lisa Sedlock says:

    I’m gonna do this Megan!!

  2. Sarah says:

    These are fantastic. Totally copied!!! Used them as gift card holders too 🙂

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