I thought I was ahead of the game. I thought I had it all figured out. I found an easy craft on Pinterest, and I’d combo that with something small store bought, and I would have the perfect holiday gifts for teacher. But that’s why Jessica, Wendy, Megan, and I do these Adventures in Pinterest because not everything on Pinterest can turn out perfect. Sometimes you end up with a Pinterest Fail.
Have you see the overwhelming number of pins that claim you can use a Sharpie to draw on Dollar Store plates, bake them in the oven, and the marker will stay on through regular eating or cleaning? If you search Pinterest for “Sharpie Plates“, you’ll find a kerbillion of them.
So I went to the Dollar Store, and I bought five white, plain coffee mugs. I ran them through the dish washer, and then I handed them to my kiddos with a rainbow of Sharpies and told them to get creative. I thought I’d be able to put a pretty bag of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa into each of the kid-designed mugs to give their teachers as a holiday gift. It would be useful, unique, and lovingly handmade by these two.
And the mugs were super cute. Colorful, one-of-a-kind. Julia was drawing flowers and pictures of her holding hands with her teacher. Max was tracing his hand and picking lots of really bold and boyish colors. I was marveling at their focus and creativity while trying to to cringe at the permanent marker they had smeared up their wrists. When the kids were finished, I put their mugs on a baking sheet in the 350* oven for 30 minutes, as the pin suggested.
Here are some of how the mugs looked before they went in the oven.
I baked them for 30 minutes, and left them in the oven until the oven cooled too. And when I pulled them out, they still looked great, bold, and perfect. I popped them in the dishwasher, patted myself on the back, and started thinking that maybe I could make grandparent gifts the same way too. Or maybe I could personalize a whole set of dishes for us to use. I was planning.
And then I unloaded the dishwasher.
Can you hear my disappointment from there? So much of the marker washed right off on the top shelf of my dishwasher. And what didn’t wash off, I could scrape off with my fingernail. These weren’t the kind of cups I’d want to give to anyone to drink out of, and really they weren’t even pretty enough to give as pencil holders.
Ever the optimist, I tried again. This time I only had Julia color her two mugs while I decorated one for myself. I thought that maybe I didn’t bake them long enough. Maybe they were handled too much. Maybe there was something else to figure out. So the next three mugs, I baked at 450 for 45 minutes. And these warmed as the oven preheated and cooled as the oven cooled. I will say that the color stuck to the second round of mugs much better. But the color was faded out of the dishwasher and I can still scrape some of the marker off with a fingernail.
In short, I’m declaring the Sharpie on Plate or Coffee Mug a Pinterest Fail. But they can’t all be winners, right?
You’re turn! Share your Pinterest Adventure.
Did you make the Pecan Pie recipe you found on Pinterest? Try out a new way to make a wreath for your front door? Show us! You can link up your projects from this month right here. And if you don’t blog, feel free t0 e-mail me with a picture of the original pin and your finished project with a quickie description, and I’ll share it.
I tried the same Pinterest project too! After my hubby placed the dish in the dishwasher, I realized it was an absolute fail. lol. My daughter was disappointed because she worked so hard on her Father’s Day project.
I dug deeper to find that there is a sealer that should be sprayed on top of it. It’s by Krylon, I think? Anyway, that’s supposed to prevent it from washing out. I have it… I just haven’t tested it out yet.
Oh Frida. A sealer makes PERFECT sense. I just wonder why all those people on Pinterest leave off what happens in the dishwasher. I mean, that’s an important step, right? And you have a pressie for next year’s Father’s Day all lined up. 😉
Be very careful: most sprays are not food safe. Your best bet is to use oil based paint Sharpies and stick to the edges of a plate and avoid the rim of a mug. Let the mug or plate warm up along with the oven, bake for 30 min at 350 and allow to cool down with the oven. Bewarned some colors might change slightly. Good luck!
Thanks for this tip, Natalie! I am going to look for the oil-based Sharpies the next time I’m at the craft store.
What if you just hand washed them? I know, GASP! Who has time for that? I wonder why the steam of the dishwasher dulls it out. Perhaps the sealant is a good idea. They are cute, though!
wendy recently posted..Adventures in Pinterest: Library Books
You’re probably on to something with your steam theory, Wendy. If I try again, I’ll let you know. I love the idea of one-of-a-kind dishes. I mean, who wouldn’t want to come over for dinner?
Did you use Oil Based Sharpie Markers? Regular Sharpie markers will not work 🙁
Lori Who Needs A Cape? recently posted..Heart-shaped Suet Cakes
I didn’t Lori. But now I know better. This is one of those project I REALLY want to work.
Angie says
Actually, if you use the oil-based Sharpies (which are pretty much like paint-pens in function), I find that everything stays in place pretty much. I won’t say forever since I’ve only been using my mug and washing it in the dishwasher for about a month but there’s been no noticeable fading or disappearing. You still use the 30 minutes @ 350 formula, too!
Such great advice, Angie. Thank you so much! But I’m so glad to have your first-hand experience with the Oil-based Sharpies. I will try again!