The Full Lowdown on Writing on Mugs with Sharpies!

OK all you PINTERESTers! I have been reading all the PINS about writing on mugs with sharpie markers and heating them in the oven... so I pulled out all of my markers and experimented.

First try was to use a regular black sharpie, let it dry, then following all the PINTEREST post instructions I heated it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Although it looked wonderful going in and coming out... if you used a scrubby sponge to wash it, the writing came off.

Next I grabbed an OIL BASED SHARPIE marker (purchased at Michael's)... and wrote on the mug. The ink flowed easily, the pen a dream to hold. Mistakes could be removed with a dab of nail polish remover on a paper towel. I let the mug dry over night and even though the writing stayed put when I scrubbed it... I baked it in the oven for extra insurance.

Lastly I tried a DecoArt Glass Marker (also available at Michael's) which are specifically designed to write on glass, porcelain, and ceramics. The directions read to let it dry for at least 8 hours then put in a cold oven, heat up to 375 degrees, bake for 45 minutes, turn oven off and let sit until cool... Then remove it. BTW I followed the same directions for the Oil Based Sharpie mug above. The paint seemed to drag as I used the pen and wasn't near as smooth as the Oil Based Sharpie. Although the finished project had a bit of a raised surface. The writing is permanent and didn't budge when I tried to scrub it off. I didn't try to remove mistakes so I am not sure the nail polish remover trick works with this, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't.

So... bottom line??? In the future I would recommend the Sharpie Oil Based Marker. I felt the ink flowed smoothly and gave a darker and thicker line.

GOOD LUCK! Let me know if you make anything with this technique... or if you have any other 'helpful hints'.

Necklace on a budget

I was in desperate need of a 'statement' piece to wear to a fancy party (for more info on that... go to www.debhathaway.com). With a very limited budget and only 24 hours... I was able to throw together a 'knock 'em dead' necklace for a total cost of $14!!!

Here's how...

First stop... Charming Charlie's. If you haven't been to one of their stores yet... I urge you to track one down in your area and go check it out. They have inexpensive costume jewelry and more... all color co-ordinated!!!

I found a bracelet for $10 that I thought would make a great necklace. So I bought it... then headed to Michael's Arts and Crafts and purchased extra chain for $3.99. Grabbing a pair of needle nose pliers... I combined the two.

Using the pliers I simply disconnected the excess chain on either end of the bracelet... setting aside the clasp. 

Next, using a tape measure, decide how long you need your necklace to be. Subtract the length of the beading. Cut new chain to the resulting measurement... then cut that into two equal lengths.

Attach a piece of new chain to each side of beads. Reuse the clasp... and attach to one end. Use one of the larger links from the original chain and attach to other end. Ta-Dah!!! A brand new fabulous necklace for the price of a bracelet!!!