Muggin' Out

Posted by Valerie, Senior Editor

For my birthday a couple of months ago, my friends Lola and Don made these adorable hand-painted mugs featuring two of my current animal obsessions, a family of meerkats and a pair of love-struck alpacas (in memory of my recent trip to Peru).

 

They used Pebeo Porcelaine 150 Paint Markers, available at art-supply stores, to draw (freehand!) on plain ceramic mugs, then baked the pieces in a regular oven for 30 minutes at 300F. (Once set, the paint is dishwasher-friendly but not food safe, so only use it on the outside of any dishware you'll eat or drink from.) Artwork not your strong point? Lola and Don offer similar mug-and-saucer sets in their Etsy shop -- although their first batch sold out almost immediately. For even more no-assembly-required ways to spice up your place settings, check out the The Guide to Setting the Table in our November/December issue, on newsstands now.

Comments

[dolamakes]

Hi Val,
Thanks so much for mentioning and linking our blog & online shop! We're
busy making more sets for our shop and several custom orders. We'll be
posting them on our etsy site (link above) very, very soon.

FYI: The Pebeo paints we use are water-based and made with only certified non-toxic materials, which actually are food safe. They contain no lead or cadmium.
No health hazard is posed from the paint itself via contact with food or drinks.
The only recommendation/warning is that one should refrain from using sharp utensils on the painted areas. In addition to protecting the integrity of the artwork, it will also avoid surface breaks where bacteria can form. For these reasons we recommend that our plates be used as serving-ware only (i.e cake, cookies, candy) and not as utilitarian dinnerware. After all, their beauty comes first! The mugs can, of course, be filled with whatever delicious drink, hot or cold, that you desire!

Thanks again for the mention!

best to you and Blueprint,

dolamakes

[dana willard]

That is just so cute and stylish. I have to have one too! Please tell me there's more!

[beth maher]

Super cute! What a great gift idea! I'm always stockpiling homemade gift ideas around this time of year. I think homemade gifts are just so wonderful to give and recieve. Giving gift cards and plastic knick-knacks just starts to feel tacky when you could be giving something truly from your heart that's been custom made for it's recipient.