Okay, so I saw this cute idea online about making tea cups with little hearts on them, and I just had to try it. I mean, who doesn’t love a cute, personalized mug?
First, I gathered my materials. I already had some plain white ceramic tea cups that I got ages ago, thinking I’d do something crafty with them eventually. That “eventually” finally arrived! I also grabbed some:
- Oil-based paint markers (I went with red, of course, for the hearts)
- Rubbing alcohol
- Cotton swabs
- A pencil (for sketching, just in case)
Getting Started
Before doing anything fancy, I cleaned the tea cups really well with soap and water, then wiped them down with rubbing alcohol. This is super important, apparently, to get rid of any oils or residue that might mess up the paint. Gotta make sure those hearts stick!
Next, I practiced drawing some hearts on a piece of paper. It may seem silly, but freehanding on a ceramic surface is harder than it looks. It’s not something you can easily correct. I tried out a few different sizes and styles until I found one I liked. It’s a good thing I did, because my first few attempts were… questionable. I used a pencil to lightly sketch the outlines.
Painting the Hearts
This is where the magic happens. I carefully drew the hearts onto the tea cups with the red paint marker. The oil-based markers are supposed to be permanent, but you still have to be careful not to smudge them while they’re wet.
I made a few mistakes, of course, a bit of a shaky line. But it is what it is. No biggie! I just dipped a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and gently erased the boo-boos. Good as new!
I decided to do a mix of big and small hearts, scattered randomly around the cup. I think it looks more… organic that way? Less perfect, more charming, you know?
The Final Touches
Once I was happy with the heart placement, I let the paint dry completely. This took longer than I expected. I guess I was just impatient to use my new cute cups!
And my cute cups were ready for display and usage!
And that’s it! Super easy, super cute, and now I have a set of personalized tea cups that make me smile every time I use them. Definitely worth the effort!
