DIY Sharpie Cup and Saucer

Hi there! Anyone feeling creative {and cheap}? A little DIY coming your way! A few of my closest friends and I exchange gifts each Christmas, kind of.  There's a little miscommunication each year about whether or not we will, but this year was an on year for me I guess, so I decided to get everyone a little something. 

2013 was a BIG year for these 4 ladies, let me tell ya. With new jobs, new babies, and new addresses, I just really wanted to do something special for all of them. However, this holiday season, like most holiday seasons, I was flat broke. Insert DIY gift. 

I had heard of this little Sharpie Mug idea, but never actually attempted it. You guys, it is just as easy as they say!

Step 1: Find the Supplies
You really just need whatever dish you want to write on and a sharpie. In doing some research, though, I found the cheaper the dish, the better {woo-hoo!}. A more expensive item has more lacquer on it, which would prevent the ink from attaching. I went to a store in NYC called Fishs Eddie, if you live in the area definitely check it out. It's a little shop full of unique kitchen supplies. In the back of the store, there are .99 cent items, so I picked up several cups and saucers for less than a dollar each! A mug from the dollar store or Wal-Mart is perfectly fine as well.

Step 2: Clean it
Just clean all of the dirt and oils from the dish. I hand washed mine, who has time for a dishwasher cycle when there are DIY projects to do! 

Step 3: Design
Since we all live in different states, I really liked the idea of drawing our identified state {with a little heart for our approximate home} and linking the two. Note: states are hard to draw. Why can't my friends live in Wyoming? I'm pretty sure several cities were sacrificed in this project. 

On the saucer I added the quote, "Side by side or far apart, friends are always close at heart.". 

Step 4: Bake 'em
I placed each item on a tray and set the oven to 400 degrees. Baked 'em for 20 minutes. Then turned off the oven. Don't remove the items when they're still warm, just let them cool right there in the oven. I actually left mine in overnight {with the oven OFF}, then took them out the next morning. 

After the baking, I found that the thicker sharpies worked a little bit better than the sharpie pen. The pen still worked very well, however the color lightened to a bit of a grey, versus the black that was used. Please disregard handwriting. I was cursed with the inability to write a decent capital "S".

Now you're all finished! I tested mine, timidly, washing them by hand in the sink. I started by lightly scrubbing, and then got a little more rigorous, and nothing came off. Supposedly, they can be put into the dishwasher, but I just told my friends it was up to them. 

I used excessive ribbon and bubble wrap to ensure nothing broke when packing it to Ohio - yes, these little guys survived a flight!

Cost: 4 cups and 4 saucers, all for less than $10!!

Time: Depending on your design, then add 20 min bake time and an hour or so cooling. 

Apologies for the late gift idea, and lateness in general, again. Apparently, my resolution this year should have had more to do with timing rather than adding projects to the list. Oops! Too late for that now. 

Did you do any DIY gifts this year? What were some things that you did to stay under budget for the holidays? 

Thanks for visiting!