State of the Sharpie Mugs & Painted Rug

Hello one and all!  My fingers are flying at the keys to bring you the first of a series of posts I want to continue with the title “State of the…”  There are lots of projects and painting, sewing and scheming that go on around here and I want to make sure that I not only give you all the details on how things are done, but occasional check-ups on how they’ve held up.  Hopefully all report cards will read A+ but some projects, like one that I’m about to open back up, don’t hold in their marbles as well as I would’ve liked them to.  So, without further chitting and chatting…

>>> The Sharpie Mug Planters <<<

I wrote in the original post that the coral, fine-tip sharpie seemed to scratch off a little more easily than the thicker-tipped sharpies.  Well, it wasn’t a little easier, it was a lot easier.  So much so that I scrubbed the whole mug clean last week and redid it using the same type of sharpie I used on the other two mugs but in silver.  Here’s what the sad mug was looking like:IMG_4451

And here’s what it looks like now after I rewrote the words (sans spaces) of our wedding song (When God Made You by Newsong) on it and stuck it in the oven:
IMG_4458

I also grabbed some small mint, cilantro, and basil plants and stuck them right in as my seedlings from last year disappointed in the growth department.

IMG_4456As you can see, the other two mugs have held up great!  I’d still take note of the sharpie art tips in the post, but I’d say they’re winning!

>>> The Stamped & Spray-Painted Rug <<<

PicMonkey Collage

blue
[Original posts:  The striped side & the stamped side.]

From the pictures you can tell that the paint on the rug has lightened up a little.  Mind you, I’ve washed this rug at least four times since I’ve painted it so I’d say it’s holding up pretty well.  If I could go back, I’d have washed the rug before painting since washing it ‘fluffs’ it up, revealing all the unpainted areas that were previously hidden from any paint because the rug was so matted.  Make sense?  The final verdict though is that you CAN paint a flat-woven rug and it will hold up, even when washed.  Good thing because I’ve got another one coming down the assembly line for the entry way.  Stay tuned for that.

.           .           .

In other news, we’re going to start potty-training the girls this Thursday using this 3-Day Potty Training method.  I grammed this a few weeks ago after I had all the prep work done and ready to go.  After the tots are nice and tucked into their clean sheets each night in their snazzy toddler panties, I might hop on and give an update on the blog here just to vent.  If you care to read about crap, you should stop by.  Just make sure it’s not during your sit-down breakfast break, lunch break, or dinnersnackdrivethru because, well, it’s potty-training people. 

7 comments

  1. I love the sharpie mugs as herb pots! That is such a cute way to store them! I'm planning on getting some fresh herbs for our window this summer, and I'm really liking how you made it into decor as well…

    And let us know how the potty training goes! All ears/eyes for tips! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's so helpful to see how these things are holding up! I've been curious about painted rugs forEVER, so this is great.

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love reading recaps like this to see how things really hold up. And I'm actually looking forward to the potty training series—I have no littles of my own yet but I'm storing up all the knowledge I can get! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like reading recaps too and I think everyone should write them about past projects!

      I bought an ebook (3 Day Potty Training) so I can't go into much detail (even though I really want to) because of copyright but I'll let you know for sure how it works (and if it works)!!

      Delete
  4. Hello! I love this rug idea and am thinking about doing one myself! I was wondering where you bought your rug from?

    Thanks for the inspiration,
    Megan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Megan! We got the rug at Ikea but I heard from the grapevine that they no longer carry this rug. Boo. The only other plain flatwoven rug option I've found is at Target - they have printed kitchen rugs that are plain white on the bottom side. However, they're pretty small and you'd have to sew a few together or attach them another way to get a larger rug. Sometimes Old Time Pottery has some plain rugs too but I they're usually low pile and not flatwoven. I painted one of those for our entry way and it turned out great. :) Good luck! If you end up making a rug, I'd love to see pics!

      Sheena

      Delete