{DIY} Father's Day Mugs

Alright, I know we are only a few days away from Father's Day but I just had to share what I am doing with my preschoolers. Every year I do a really cute poem with their feet prints in a picture frame, but after, I don't know, five years, I need something new. So... after some Pinterest research I sort of morphed a few ideas into one. 

I decided that they'd paint these stoneware mugs I found at Walmart for. $1.75. 

I also made sure (per my research) to use enamel acrylic paint (also from Walmart). It is made for this type of project and even has directions for baking. Additionally, I bought these two Sharpie brand oil-based paint markers from Michael's using a 40% off coupon totaling a little less than $7 for the pair. Next, I purchased rectangle foam stickers from Walmart.

Okay, so here's what I did. I took a foam rectangle and traced one of their hand-prints on it. Then, I cut it out...very carefully. You want to make sure there is separation between the fingers. Originally,  I was going to use TWO hand-prints but realized that their little two year old hands aren't as small as I thought so I opted for ONE.

Since I didn't have any foam heart stickers I traced hearts onto the foam and cut them out. If you want to buy foam shapes or already have them, just use them instead as long as they are the sticker kind. Next I wiped the mugs down with alcohol to hopefully remove any oils or residue. 

Then, I peeled the back of the hand-prints and placed them thumb side up on whichever side the hand it was. So if it was their right hand I put it on the right side of the cup so it sort of looked like they were holding it. 

Next, I peeled the back off the heart and stuck it in the center on the opposite side. 

Finally, I put a little paint in three separate little cups with a separate brush for each color. This way they know not to mix. The paints still mix together a little but with these colors it's ok.

After they finished painting, I went over them with a brush to smooth out any areas where they gooped a lot of paint together. Carefully peel off the stickers and use a wipe or wet paper towel or a damp q-tip to fix any errors where the sticker came loose or scrape off any of the foam that stayed on the mug. You can see in the photos below what I'm talking about. 

Use the pens to write in the heart, "Best Dad", and in the hand-prints write, "Hands Down"

Inside I wrote the little note "Love (in the shape of a heart) Their Name"

Place the cups inside a COLD oven, close the door and turn it to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the cup in there while the oven cools. This will take at least an hour. You don't want any extreme changes in temperature. The paint directions say the mug will be top rack safe or hand-wash safe, but I'd stick with hand-washing to be sure. Voila! Adorable personalized mugs! Love it!