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MAKE A COLOR-CHANGING MUG USING CRICUT
Amaze yourself (and your friends) with this cool color-changing mug! Just add hot water and watch as your design transforms! This project is actually very easy to make. It’s just a matter of painting your design with some special thermochromatic paint (available from Amazon). There are so many colors to choose from: black to pink, red to yellow, blue to green…. you name it!
When trying this project out I found that using a stencil to create the design was unfortunately not effective – as once the pigment had dried, removal of the stencil usually brought the underlying paint with it! Instead, painting free-hand on to white vinyl underneath (and mopping up the excess) worked well time and time again.
So without further ado, here is how to make your very own color-changing mug. Don’t forget to check out our video tutorial too!
This design comes with a personal and commercial license to use up to 250 made items, but please do not re-sell or re-distribute the files. To download the free Falling Leaves SVG click here
What you’ll need…
Materials
- A white mug (flat sides will make applying the vinyl much easier!)
- Falling Leaves SVG
- Black permanent vinyl
- White permanent vinyl
- Transfer tape
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Lint-free cloth
- Dishwasher safe Modge podge
- Thermochromatic paint – *note orders from other sellers may arrive as a powder. Mix your thermochromatic powder with Modge Podge to apply to your blank.
Tools
- Cutting machine (Cricut maker, Silhouette, Explore or Joy)
- A green standard grip mat
- Weeding tool
- A fine-point blade (for vinyl)
- A paintbrush
Instructions
- Upload my Fall Leaves Flourish design into design space. Resize your design to fit nicely onto your mug.
2. For the branches, you’ll want to use black permanent vinyl. For the orange leaves use white permanent vinyl. Cut out both designs with your Cricut using ‘vinyl’ as the base material.
3. Weed your designs and pop them to one side for now.
4. Clean your mug with isopropyl alcohol (90% or higher) and a lint paper towel. This will rid the mug of any dirt and allow the vinyl to stick better.
5. Use transfer paper to adhere the vinyl to the mug. Start with the black vinyl and then layer the white leaves on top in the position you see in the SVG design.
6. Use a paintbrush to hand paint the white vinyl leaves with your thermochromatic paint. You should do around 3 coats and allow to dry between each. Again, if your paint arrives as a powder, mix it with some Modge Podge to make a gloopy solution and then apply. Mop up any excess paint on the mug using a cotton bud dipped in isopropyl solution.
7. To protect the mug, use a clean paintbrush to apply dishwasher safe Modge Podge. Follow the instructions on the back of the container (2-3 coats, 1 hour to dry between each and leave a month to cure before washing)
8. Boil a kettle and try out your design!
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