Sooooo... do you remember the first thing that I ever posted about? I finally stained and finished the calendar journal box! Here it is - two coats of a new color from Minwax (I think it's called Classic Gray) and two coats of poly!
I technically finished this in August and am now just getting around to posting about it. I know, aren't I horrible? Well to be fair to myself, I've had a lot going on since graduation in May. A 40 hour a week internship from May to August, a wedding that invaded all of Labor Day weekend, a new full-time position at 40 hours a week, and studying for the Fundamental of Engineering exam (which I spend 8 hours taking tomorrow... fun stuff). All of that is also why I've been so horrible at posting often - I'm supposed to be posting every week but... You know how it goes. Life. It's crazy. But I'm here for you! Promise, I won't forget about you!
After the design was burned, all it took was a couple coats of stain and couple coats of poly. And voila! I went for a weathered and uneven look, so that's why the color isn't evenly distributed. I think it turned out well. And congratulate me, I have been keeping up on the journal all year. :)
So on to the DIY project that I've got for you!
It's another gift that I like to give fairly often. Though my favorite is to paint ceramic before it is fired, like you can do at some of those shops (we used to have a local one called Artsy Fartsy, loved that place). You can customize any mugs or ceramic that you can find in the stores, like Target, with ease!
I have done two of these gifts in the past three months.
The instructions are a lot like the hand-painted glassware tutorial.
Oh and for any of you who think that you should try the Sharpie method you've seen on Pinterest - Keep in mind that though that method is quick and easy, it isn't dishwasher safe and even with hand washing it will eventually wear away. It's not permanent. This method is much more permanent (but as with even mugs you buy in stores, chips and cracks and wear do happen over time). Even though this method is meant to be more enduring than the Sharpie method, it is still recommended (by me) that any hand-painted mugs be hand washed to ensure longevity.
:)
- Buy a ceramic piece. I love mugs. I bought a couple of plain, white, square coffee mugs at Target at very reasonable prices for a wedding gift. I also was able to find a great cappuccino mug at JCPenney for $4. Pretty nice, if I don't say so myself.
- Wash your piece and remove all price stickers.
- Dry completely.
- Paint!! I used Folkart's ceramic Enamel (shown below), which I bought at Hobby Lobby. I tried Micheal's first but they were in the middle of phasing out all other ceramic paints and phasing in the Martha Stewart collection paints. So Hobby Lobby got my business. They were $2-3 per paint and I've got plenty left after two projects to paint a lot more!!
- Follow the instructions to set the paint. My instructions were to let dry completely, then set in a cool oven. Set oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 30 min. Allow to cool in oven.
- In my experience of painting a few sets of mugs, I have found that the paint still has a tendency to chip pretty early on in its lifetime. To help prevent/mitigate this, I have started putting a clear coat glaze for glass and ceramic over the top of the set ceramic paint. The product I use is the same as the one that I used for the hand-painted high ball glass. (Updated: 12/13/2012).
It's quick and easy and has a ton of possibilities for personalizing! Here are the two projects that I did: a pair of mugs for a wedding and a mug for a birthday. :)
Have you ever painted unfinished ceramic? Where do you like to go to get it done?
Happy crafting! Talk to ya on the flip side!
Stay excellent!
- Jenny -
