With some porcelain paint, paintbrushes, and Kate Aspen's gorgeous ceramic travel mugs, we dreamed up a fun and easy way to say thank you with lots of love to your wedding day besties. So grab those mugs and your fave caffeine, and let's get painting!
How to Make Anthropologie-Inspired Painted Travel Mugs
Difficulty Level: Easy
Color Inspiration: Green, teal blue, and gold
PROJECT MATERIALS
• Blank ceramic travel mugs from Kate Aspen
• Porcelain paint (in Metallic Gold, Petrol, and Mint)
• Paintbrushes of various sizes
• Scrap paper for painting practice
• Wax paper
NOTES ABOUT PORCELAIN PAINT
Made in Germany, we use a high quality paint brand called Marabu, and the best part about this kind of porcelain paint is that it doesn't need to be fired or cured once painted. Literally just paint, let it dry, and it's done! After 3 days of drying, the paint is also dishwasher safe and non-toxic which also means it's food safe grade. Basically easiest art project turned wedding gift ever!
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Set out all of your materials and thoroughly wash your travel mugs from Kate Aspen to clean your painting surfaces. Completely dry your mugs and lay down 2 sheets of wax paper to protect your surfaces and to use as a paint palette.
2. Find some painting design inspiration for reference and keep it nearby. If you are not experienced with painting, that's okay! You are creating abstract textures on your mugs for your wedding party, not the very intricate Mona Lisa! Do practice strokes on your scrap paper before painting on your mugs to decide on your design.
PAINTING TIPS:
If you're new to painting, there are a lot of beautiful ways to use a paintbrush! Consider the amount of pressure you give to your surface. This can give you different textures and darknesses on your travel mug. To make lighter/thinner colors, wipe off your paintbrush on your scrap paper until there's only a little paint left on your brush. Water cannot be mixed with porcelain paint (or it'll ruin the chemistry), so you have to get creative with the paint as it is!
3. Stir (don't shake) your porcelain paint and pour a tiny amount onto your wax paper. With various sized brushes, create your design on the outside of your mug. If painting in layers, allow each layer to dry before adding. Paint is completely dry to the touch after about 30 minutes.
HELPFUL TIPS:
It's recommended to avoid painting the drinking rim of your travel mug since teeth can damage your design over time. It's food safe paint, but if you're painting a non-abstract design, it's something to consider. Also, to help avoid touching your wet paint, put your hand inside of your mug and rotate. Insta-clean surface!
4. Allow for your mugs to dry for 3 days before dishwashing and gifting!
FUN FACT: Did you know Kate Aspen has a bunch of gorgeous blank products for you to create special DIY gifts? From these travel mugs to glass coasters to petite square favor jars, there are so many ways to get creative for your wedding day and inspiration abounds. We're especially obsessed with the gold bottle openers for adding to gift bags!
Curate a Lovely Hygge-Inspired Wedding Party Gift
To create a super cozy handmade gift experience for your bridesmaids or groomsmen, consider pairing your travel mugs with other thoughtful goodies. Personalize to what your BFFs would prefer!
Some of our favorite gift ideas to include with your travel mugs:
• "With Love" goodie bags from Kate Aspen
• Tea
• Coffee pods
• Honey sticks
• Hot chocolate packets
• Chic knitted mug cozy
• Macarons for tea
• Biscotti for coffee
• Gourmet marshmallows for hot chocolate
• Thank you card
To help everything look professionally cohesive, go with a gift wrapping color theme that matches the mug's paint colors or your wedding colors. Ribbon and reusable gift bags always make things lovely!
TUTORIAL CREDITS
Tutorial Photography & Styling: Chelsea LaVere | DIY Blank Travel Mugs: Kate Aspen | Inspiration Photo: Anthropologie
Many thanks to Kate Aspen for partnering with Tidewater and Tulle for this DIY tutorial feature! And while the disclaimer is that we were compensated to write and design this, the words and our loyal love for the Cricut brand are all our own. Some of the above product links are affiliate-linked and purchasing through these links helps support our wonderful sponsors and Tidewater and Tulle! You can find our full affiliate disclosure policy here on Tidewater and Tulle.
