Porcelain Graffiti

With Christmas coming up, I've been on the lookout for gifting ideas.....and I wanted to give porcelain painting a little try.  While I was in the thrift shops......I picked up a few things to play with.  I figured that the plain white diner mugs at 50 cents a piece were an inexpensive way to give this porcelain painting a try.  Worst case......I've only wasted a dollar.  And quite honestly, I would have a difficult time painting up china of any real value.  I washed them up...good as new... and wiped down the painting area with rubbing alcohol to remove any grease that might stop the paint from sticking.

And then..............

• I went to my computer and printed out some words in a font I liked in a size appropriate for the mugs......
• Then I cut out the words with a 1/2 inch border around then.....
• scribbled soft lead pencil over the back side of the lettering and taped the wording where I wanted it centered on each mug......
• And finally traced around each letter with a ball point pen to transfer the pencil lead onto the mugs.  
• Then, I painted in the lettering with ceramic paint. (I used Deco Art Americana Gloss Enamels) although my preference would have been Pebeo 150....but it is more difficult for me to get.
• After letting the painted item sit for 48 hours.... it needs to be placed into a cool oven...let the oven heat with the item in it to 325F and bake for 30 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the item cool in the oven.

Soon we shall see how well the paint adheres to the mug.....and I'll let yo know. Coming up with things to write....seems to be the most challenging part.  Let me know if you have any good ideas.  If you'd like to purchase ready painted china go and have a look at Vandalized Vintage on Etsy...Be warned, that her brand of humor will most certainly be offensive to some, as many of her personalizations are rude, but are meant to be humorous. Keep in mind that porcelain paints should only be used on surfaces not meant to come in contact with food.