DIY: Glittery Gold Coffee Mugs Craft

I myself don’t drink coffee except on the extremely rare occasion. Those occasions would include that I’m totally going to pass out while driving or onto my keyboard and facing a deadline. Now me and tea, that’s a totally different thing. Oh, and I can’t forget hot chocolate or apple cider. No matter what’s inside, I have to be holding a cute mug.

For years now I’ve used my pretty and dainty pink mugs that accompany an entire set of dishes. Yes, I’ve set out dinner parties with all pretty pink dishes and I loved it. But the kitchen decor has been moving more toward the primary colors (remember this fake Mondrian?) and now my pink dishes look terribly out of place. So I’ve boxed the pretty pinkies up and solid white dishware now reigns supreme.

But I just can’t do solid white mugs. Something in me screams for something more interesting. Since I love gold and I love glitter, what happened next was totally inevitable.

For this project you will need:

• Martha Stewart glitter glass paint
• Very soft-bristled brush
• Glass coffee mugs
• Rubbing alcohol

This is my Martha Stewart Glass Paint in Fine Glitter. There are lots of fun colors but, be sure it is GLASS paint you’re buying (it’s in a totally different section from everyday craft acrylic paints).

The mugs I used I found at Wal-Mart for 2 bucks apiece – nice!

Since my mugs were brand new and I had that awful sticker on the bottom that didn’t want to budge. I flipped my mugs over and let the stickers sit in a pool of alcohol for a few minutes. Then I was able to easily remove the sticker and all adhesive.

Next clean the entire area of the mug you’ll be painting (on the exterior).

If you want a smooth surface you’ll need a super soft paintbrush to apply the paint. A soft brush limits the number of brushstrokes that create texture. I purchase my super soft brushes in the fine art section. They’re pricey but take care of them and they’ll last you ages – the one above is brand-spankin’ new. The last time I went shopping for good brushes was about 3 years ago. Considering how much I craft and paint, that’s a lot of use and I totally got my money’s worth.

Now in real life, it’s super easy to tell what’s going down but in the pics not so much. Here you can see the paint a bit better with my hand inside of the mug…

I wanted a kind of random ombre glitter thing happening so I painted on 3 very light coats. The first I went up high, the next to the middle (or thereabouts), and the last all over the base and just a little bit above the bottom. I used uneven strokes to get the edgy look I was hoping for.

Keep them turned upside down and allow them to dry for 21 days. Since this is glitter paint there is no oven curing directions like on other glass paints. After 21 days these are supposed to be totally top-rack dishwasher safe.

Now I made mine and then took pics with hot coffee in it about a week later which is totally not 21 days but the coffee was only in there long enough to snap some pics.

Since it’s only been a week I can’t tell you if the paint is dishwasher safe but I gotta trust Martha on this one.

Overall the mugs look super great and with something dark inside they look even better! The glitter itself feels a bit coarse on your hands but it’s nothing uncomfortable.

So what do you think? Will your kitchen be rocking some glitter mugs?

Allison

A crafter since her earliest years, Allison spends a little time every day making something. She crafts, sews, paints, glues things onto other things, and is a firm believer that a life spent creating is a life worth living. Visit Allison’s blog, Dream {a Little} BIGGER.