For this year's Ladies Valentine's Day Tea craft we made marbled coffee mugs using nail polish. This is a super easy DIY that is also incredibly inexpensive. I found these mugs at the Dollar Tree making for one of the simplest but wow worthy craft projects that I have done with a large group.
For this project you will need ceramic white coffee mugs, nail polish, and a deep enough bowl to drop the coffee mugs in (and perhaps one you don't mind ruining with nail polish).
The night before I did a little trial run on a soap dish so I could get the hang of it.
The day of the party I set up a little station for our project. To start, fill the bowl with warm water. You can have toothpicks on hand to swirl the nail polish in the water but we actually found that the toothpicks were sometimes unnecessary. It is up to you and what you want to try.
You then dip a few drops of nail polish into the bowl. You can use as many colors as you would like but you have to move fast as the nail polish quickly hardens in the water.
We found a swirl technique produced a nice design (versus mixing it with a toothpick).
It is hard to tell but when using the toothpick the nail polish started sticking together versus swirling.
And then you dip! As you will see in the mugs, you can dip the mug in differently to get a variety of looks. If you get a little nail polish on the inside of the mug, once dry you can remove it with nail polish remover and then wash before using.
While I love crafting with others, I always get jealous of everyone else's creations! I tried using a toothpick to even out some of the goopiness that I picked up.
When done dipping, turn upside down to dry on a paper towel.
And if you are a crazy perfectionist like me, when all else fails, clean it off with nail polish remover and start again!
Here are the finished product. I love how beautiful and unique each one is!
The blue (above) and pink (below) only used one nail polish color. The simplicity in color is quite beautiful in my opinion.
We even got a little crazy and tried taping hearts onto the mug before dipping. Unfortunately the tape did not stick well so only one little heart worked. Still quite adorable though...
This one got dipped multiple times. If you want to add more layers of color, dry in between coats and then dip again. You do not need it to completely dry but just long enough to adhere to the mug so water does not creep underneath. This one was dipped three times in about a twenty minute period.
Each one is it's own little work of art. Seeing them all together is so pretty to my eyes.
My love for art and teaching seem to collide when crafting with others. My heart literally feels like it explodes when I see other people make beautiful things.
Once dry, these mugs are good to go! They are not microwave or dishwasher safe but are great to drink out of or corral some pens on a desk!
