Bestie Mugs

When I moved, I left behind my daughter's Godmother and one of my best friends. I've really been missing her lately. I've had this little gift idea in my head for a while and figured what better time than Valentine's day to send it to her! And in case you're wondering I kept the AZ mug for myself and sent the WV one to her. I apologize in advance for my lack of pictures.

What you need

• 2 microwave and oven safe mugs, any color
• Ceramic pen
• Rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover (to erase mistakes)
• Outline of states
• Tape
• Sealer/Sealant

*Please note that using a Sharpie will not work. You can bake it at any temperature for any amount of time and it will still come off. If you want to decorate a dish for decor purposes only, a Sharpie will work great! If you actually want to use your decorated dish you need a ceramic marker.

1. Print and cut state outlines. Tape to mugs.
2. Trace around states with marker.
3. Peel off paper states and mark city with a heart.
4. Write out verse (below). This step is optional.
5. I added a few extra touches to the handles and base of the mug. This is also optional. Let your creativity run free!
6. Finish off with sealant to keep the ink from wiping off. (At least, that's what the craft store employee told me)

Let me just say that I searched for a good ceramic pen, but I couldn't find one. When I asked a store employee I was led to a package of white markers with colored caps that looked like the cheap markers you let your kid play with. And they were cheap. I also bought the sealant I was told about to make sure that the ink wouldn't come off. Since I had already decorated the mugs with Sharpie (even baked it on) I tested the 'ceramic marker' on the bottom of the mug before starting my decorating from scratch. It wrote horribly and smeared. I even put the sealer on  it and it made it worse! To top it off, there were no directions on the marker case or sealant bottle that said how to make this permanent. Do I bake it? I still don't know. So, I left my baked Sharpie art on the mugs, put the sealant over that, and let it air dry. Just to be on the safe side I made sure I didn't decorate and seal anywhere on the mug that would come in contact with my mouth because I also couldn't find any label on the products that said 'toxic' or 'non-toxic'. I'm hoping this helps keep the decoration on the mug longer, but only time will tell! Make sure you hand-wash this to make it last as long as possible. Again, I'm so sorry for my lack of pictures and product knowledge. But I just thought this was too great of an idea not to share!