I’m a last-minute mama, so it’s less than a week before Christmas and I’m getting around to handmaking some gifts for the grandparents with my boys. No time like the present to get started, right?
Because I’m a believer that you really can’t have too many mugs, here’s an easy DIY project your kids can help with: chalkboard mugs. These make great gifts for grandparents, teachers, bus drivers, or anyone else you want to give a little thank you to.
The whole hands-on process takes less than an hour, but they do need 24 hours of drying time before you can bake them and finish them. Once they’re baked, just grab your chalk and go to town writing, drawing and making an erasable masterpiece. Then add a bag of coffee or a packet of hot chocolate, a candy cane and a couple pieces of chalk (so your recipient can get creative later!), and you are set to go.
To keep this project inexpensive, I bought mugs from the dollar store. I chose white for a classic look, but I think you could use any color mug you like, as long as you are willing to paint enough layers of the chalk paint to cover it. (Two coats worked great on white.)
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Easy DIY Chalkboard Mugs
Supplies
- Mugs of choice (I vote for the dollar store)
- ScotchBlue painters tape
- Decorative edge paper shears or other scissors (I love the Fiskars scalloped edge for this project)
- Pebeo Porcelaine 150 China Paint in Chalkboard Black
- 1-inch foam paintbrush or stiff-bristle paintbrush
- X-Acto craft knife
Instructions
Wash and dry your mugs thoroughly.
Using decorative edge scissors, cut a decorative edge onto a piece of blue painter’s tap and apply the tape, decorative edge toward the bottom of the mug, leaving about 1 inch from the rim.
Tape off the rest of the top of the mug if desired, to prevent paint from getting outside the tape border.
Tape off the handle of the mug to prevent painting.
Stir the Porcelaine 150 China Paint thoroughly before applying first coat to bottom of mug (all un-taped surfaces).
Apply paint thickly but smoothly with a foam paintbrush (worked best) or stiff-bristle paintbrush (harder to avoid brushstrokes). Avoid over-painting; otherwise, the brush will pull the paint away from the mug instead.
Allow first coat to dry to touch for 15-20 minutes.
Apply second coat of paint to cover all exposed surfaces of the mug thoroughly. Allow second coat to dry.
When desired paint coverage is achieved, allow mug to dry for 24 hours. (Depending on your mug or brush, a third coat or small touch-up may be required. My mugs needed two coats only).
After 24 hours of drying time, remove all blue painter’s tape from the mug.
Use X-Acto knife to clean up edges and gently scrape off any paint that went outside the tape border.
Bake on a cookie sheet in 300 degree oven for 15 minutes.
Cool completely and then wash mug in soapy water. It’s ready to decorate with chalk, fill, and gift (or use!)
If paint is allowed to dry 24 hours and then baked according to directions, mugs are dishwasher-safe. Hand-washing may prolong the life of the chalkboard finish, however.
Easton and I had fun painting the mugs together, although the paint is messy. (Make sure your helpers wear a smock or old clothes!) But we had even more fun decorating our mugs afterward with chalk, erasing it, and decorating it again.
I hope you enjoy making these simple gifts as much as we did! Share your best chalk art with #NeverDoneWithFun on social media (clearly mine could use some help!)
