Are you looking for a gift for a family member, friend or teacher? You know they love their caffeine throughout the day, so what about a personalized mug? With their favorite character or something they love? Well this is definitely the place for you. This article is going to give you the basics for making that perfect gift, with just a little planning and the right tools you’ll be giving the best gift they’ve ever had. Now on to what you’ll need for this project.
You need this and what?
So to get this gift going you’re going to need a pile of items to get you going. Most of these you’ll need to plan out in advance and others could be done the day of. Whatever your preparations, here’s your list of items you will need:
- Cricut Mug Press
- Sublimation Mug
- Heat Resistant Tape
- Sublimation Paper
- Sublimation Printer
- Sublimation design
- Butcher Paper (optional)
- Heat Resistant Gloves
- Heat Press Mat
- Lint Roller
Okay so that’s pretty much everything you will need, give or take a few things – all depending on your taste and preference. Now to even start your project you will need the Cricut Mug Press or any mug press really. The Cricut Mug Press is pretty cool since it does the thinking for you on how long a mug should take. It’s also pretty easy to use and the pricing for it is pretty affordable. If you’re in the market for a mug press this is definitely a top contender.
You’ll need a sublimation mug to create your work of art and you have to make sure it is specifically for that. Cricut has its brand of mugs that were made for the Mug press and are great to use. You can also find mugs on Amazon or sublimation sellers online. When searching for these mugs you also need to make sure in the description that it specifically says the mugs are sublimation mugs otherwise the end results will be pretty sad.
The rest of your supplies can be found through Amazon or any craft supplier. The heat resistant gloves, mat and tape are really important for securing and handling the mug and the butcher paper is used to protect the cup from any scorching. You’ll need a lint roller to help make sure there are no little lint pieces on your mug, if there happen to be any they might impact your design and create slight imperfections.
So let’s get down to business… Making that Mug
Okay so to start off you’re going to want to pick out your design for your mug. You can find many premade designs or you can create your own with the Cricut Design Space or whatever other program you have. For this example we have the Zodiac Crescent Moon design. What’s nice about making this mug is that you can really use any image or design that you have and you can make it as generic or personal as you want it. Let your creativity soar. You have so many choices for your designs. If you want something personal but simple you can make 2 designs on either side of the mug or a design on one side and then personalize it with a name on the other. You can also use the full wrap design which starts from one end to the other. These are great to do as well, especially if you want to do a full body design or maybe use your favorite wallpaper as your design. You really have so many choices to make a truly magnificent gift.
Once you have your design picked out you are going to want to lint roll your mug to make sure you get any stray hairs or dust. Once you’ve rolled it over the mug a few times you can start placing your design on the mug. Once you know where you want to place it, you will want to use the heat resistant tape to secure the design. Make sure the paper lays smooth on the cup and taped as tight as you can. By doing this you help prevent any ghosting or errors in the press.
Once your design is secure you’ll want to prep your heat press and wait for it to be ready. You’ll get a beep letting you know it’s ready. You’ll slide your mug in when ready making sure your designs are all within the heat plates so that when you close the press all the designs will be pressed. Before you start the press you want to make sure that you place a piece of butcher paper around the mug. Once you set it you can then press down the lever and begin your press.
Once your press is done the machine will beep to let you know it’s time to pull your mug out. Using your heat resistant gloves pull out the mug and place it on the heat press mat. Now you’ll probably be super excited to see your design as soon as you have pulled it from the press but make sure you don’t. You’ll want the mug to cool at least 30 min, so that way the mug will be cool and the design set. Nce it is cool you’ll want to unwrap that baby and enjoy the fruit of your labor.
The perfect gift!
So there you have it! A perfect custom mug as the perfect gift for your family and friends. Like stated before, you have so many designs and options, you can use anything to spark your inspirations. Now you can also make this the perfect gift for yourself as well. Maybe you love a certain show or fandom and have the hardest time finding anything with it. This is the best way to have your fandom and drink from it too! All in all it really is a simple and great gift idea that you can use for everyone. Who doesn’t love a personalized mug?
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