How to Make Your Own Personalized Mug

Last Updated: January 21, 2022

Whether you want to make a special mug for a friend’s birthday or give as a gift around the holidays, nothing says “special gift” like a personalized mug made with love from you. Design your mug using special porcelain paints and a personalized design in mind.

Steps

1
Purchase/find a coffee mug. Make sure the mug has no writing or design on it. White is preferable to use as your “canvas.”
- Repurpose one from home. Use a special mug your friend or family member loves from home as long as it is plain and has no design. You will also want to make sure it’s in decent shape--you don't want to personalize a mug that’s on its last legs.
- Purchase one from a craft store. Many craft stores sell a variety of plain, white mugs in a variety of sizes for a low price.
- Wash and dry the mug before personalizing. Even if it's a mug from home, make sure it’s been thoroughly washed and dried before you being your craft.
2
Create your mug design. On one hand you could do your best Jackson Pollock design on the mug (and splash paint it), however if you intend to put a name or specific shape on the mug you’ll need to map it out and perhaps even create a design template to use as your guide.
- Search online for designs you like. Print the design and create a template using tracing paper. Look for a design with bold lines that will fit nicely on a mug. Avoid complicated designs as painting/transferring it to the mug may be difficult or too time consuming.
- Purchase letter stencils that will fit the mug. Personalization means that you may want to put a name on the mug or even a cute “inside” saying. Find lettering that will compliment your design so your overall mug flows.
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3
Paint the background first. You may want to “layer” your personalized mug by first painting the background unless you want the white background.
- Select a color that will compliment and not conflict with your overall design. You should choose something neutral but soothing to cover your mug.
- Consider only painting one side of the mug or go for a two-tone mug. Depending on how you plan to design the mug you could just paint one side or you could select two colors for either side. Make sure the colors work well together-for example, you could select school colors from the recipient’s university for the dual colored mug.
- Wait for the background to completely dry before painting the main design. Otherwise, paint could combine and create a messy look.
4
Transfer your design directly to the mug. Use a wax-pencil to transfer the design to the mug by tracing or just following the printed design.
- Consider using thin masking tape to block off certain areas of your design to help keep paint lines clean.
- Cut out the design so you can paint around it. In the event you will be creating more of a graphic type design comprised of circles and shapes, you could cut out your shapes and lightly tape (using tape rings on the back of the paper) the shapes to your mug. Then you could paint over or around the shapes to create a “reverse” effect.
5
Add your message. Wait until the mug is completely dry and then add the recipient’s name or message.
- Consider using a paint pen instead of a brush. Unless you are working with wide-set lettering, try a paint pen for more control over the letters. Make sure the paint is made for ceramic application.
- Include a few special personal touches inside the mug such as an insider saying or even a few handmade hearts or stars. Nothing like a little unexpected surprise says, “personalized” so add an intimate saying or joke between the two of you inside or underneath the mug.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I use regular paint - like the paint with which I paint walls?

Community Answer

No. If you put the mug in the dishwasher, there is a high probability the paint will come off.

Warnings

Make sure to follow the paint label safety directions. Most decorative paint directions will state a minimum distance between the cup rim and where to start painting.

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Remind the recipient to hand wash mug and to not use abrasive cleaners or to place mug in the dishwater (as it could ruin your design).

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