My favorite thing about handmade crafts is that they can be used for so many different purposes. Middle and I came up with this DIY gift mug as the giveaway for her ice skating birthday party. It would also make a great little gift for a neighbor, teacher, nurse, or a pick-me-up for someone on the mend.
Using your cutting machine software, you can design an image or name to place on the mug. You can also check out my free design at the end of this post!
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DIY Gift Mug Supplies
- Mug (I bought this one from Target)
- Adhesive Craft Vinyl (I prefer Siser or Expressions Vinyl)
- Transfer Tape
- Scarf or fleece to make a scarf
- Hot chocolate packet
Cutting and Placing the Vinyl
Check out my free pattern at the end of this file if you need a design for your mug. We used a skate with a 7 on it, because it was Middle’s 7th birthday. On the opposite side of the mug, we put the guest’s name. You can put anything that fits your theme.
Middle decided she wanted purple vinyl. A word about vinyl: You get what you pay for. I recommend using a quality brand like Siser or Oracal. There are others, but these are my favorites. If you find a super cheap vinyl, chances are it won’t give you the results you want. You might just want to visit your local craft store and buy a few 12×12 sheets to get started.
Once you cut your designs out, you will use your transfer tape to put them on the mug. Placing vinyl on a curved surface is a little bit trickier than a flat surface, but it’s not hard. The key is t start at the center and go slowly, working your way out to the edges.
Making a Scarf
This part was easy enough that Middle was able to do it herself. Go to your local craft store and find some fleece fabrics you like. (check out the clearance bin, because they often have smaller scraps and bits that will work great for a project like this.)
Cut strips about the size of a scarf. We don’t measure very often here at Lazy Crafting, but our scarf was about 5 feet long and approximately 6 inches wide. The beauty of fleece is that the edges don’t fray, so there is no stitching required. It is the ultimate lazy fabric!
Once you have the scarf, cut some fringe at each end. This means simply cutting about 2 inches into the fabric at the end. If you want lots of fringe, make your cuts close together. For larger fringe make the cuts farther apart. If you don’t want any fringe, you don’t need to cut it at all!
Filling Your Gift Mug
Put your giveaway goodies in the mug. We used hot chocolate packets with the scarf, but you could put anything that works with your theme. Candy, trinkets, gift cards, etc.
Then watch faces light up when they see their new personalized mugs full of goodies.
If you make a gift mug, please share a photo or video of it with me by emailing me at hello@lazycrafting.com.
Happy (lazy) crafting!
