a little about A LOT: DIY {sharpie} Coffee Mug

I've seen these DIY Coffee Mugs floating around Pinterest for a while and I thought it was time to make one.

DIY Sharpie Coffee Mug | A little about a Lot

In case you didn't know, there are a TON of Pinterest Fails in regards to the sharpie "wiping right off", so I decided to ask a friend who makes them regularly. She told me that sharpies didn't work for her and to use Ceramic Paint Pens.

Now normally I would have run down to the craft store to by some paint pens BUT those who know me personally, know that I'm a MAJOR procrastinator. Unfortunately, I had planned to give this gift to my mom... who I was going to be seeing in a few hours... eeeckkk!

I thought... it only needs 30 min in the oven, I can do it the morning of... no such luck!

On to plan B!

I scoured the internet looking for Pinterest Success with regular Sharpies and luckily I found a bunch! Here are a few things I learned:

* The type of mug you purchase makes a difference. The cheaper the better. Why? Well it seems that cheaper mugs don't have as strong {or nice} of a glaze ---> which means the sharpie actually adheres to the mug better.
* Everything I read says "30 min at 350°" so most people would preheat oven, then put mug in - which is WRONG. You want to put your mug in the COLD oven and then turn it on to 450° and bake for 30min. Then let your mug cool completely before removing from oven {crack the oven door to help the speed up the cooling process}.
* The colors will change. So don't get upset when your red sharpie turns pink :)
* Handmade = HANDWASH. I thought this was kind of a given, but it's amazing how many people thought they'd be okay in the dishwasher... hand wash only
* Pure dumb luck - even if you do everything right - it still might turn out wrong.

Luckily my mug turned out perfectly - hahahahaha - except for my terrible penmanship, but heck, it give it character :)

I did a simple design ------> Madison + Riley = Happiness for Nana