Mugs and Coasters for Father's Day

Here are two simple projects that make nice Father's Day gifts, and even go together. I purchased white mugs at the Dollar Tree. I needed 60, so I ordered them online and they were delivered to the store of my choice. Pretty convenient. I tried painting on the mugs with the type of acrylic paint that they suggested at my local craft store. I was a little dubious since acrylics are a type of plastic and I wasn't convinced that the paint would not peel off. The mugs need to bake in the oven after painting, and as I had suspected, the paint rubbed off with my fingernail. I opted instead to use oil-based markers. They went on smoothly, dried quickly and passed my test of washing them by hand. I haven't tried them in the dishwasher yet. The children found that the pens are a bit hard to control on the slippery surface, but they didn't seems the least bit frustrated and some of the children are only three! Before they started we discussed how the drawing should extend all the way around the mug. They did tend to become fixated on one small area.

 

The coasters are travertine tiles that I found at Home Depot. Since they are a natural material, some of them are quite pitted or have broken corners or actual holes. I think it lends character to them, but wasn't sure how the children would react to the imperfections. They were not at all bothered. They stamped on the tiles using a permanent ink pad and also stamped a gift tag. We put little "feet" on the bottom with the type of craft foam that has a sticking backing.