Meet the Teacher Gift: Chalkboard Mug

Tomorrow, Ethan and I head on over to his school for Kindergarten orientation. I have held it together pretty well so far. But tomorrow? I think that’s gonna be another story. When I see his name on a desk and a cubby and see where is going to spend most of his time now, I think it will hit me. And hit me hard.

But let’s not think about that right now.

I used to work for the school district that Ethan will be attending so I pretty much know most of the teachers. And his teacher? I  am so glad he got her! He will have a fantastic year with her. Teacher’s work so hard all through out the year {yes, summers too, I have seen that first hand} that I thought it would be nice to bring her a little something on our “Meet the Teacher” day.

One thing I know about teachers is that they love their coffee {and tea}. I mean, who doesn’t? I knew I wanted to do a simple coffee mug but how could I make it special. Two words: chalkboard paint.

I have been meaning to jump on the chalkboard paint bandwagon for a while now but it just never happened. Now was the perfect time to try it out. I would be starting on a smaller scale so I couldn’t mess it up, right?

I gathered my supplies and set off for a quiet naptime afternoon of crafting.

Supplies: DecoArt Chalkboard paint, Dollar Store mug, paint brushes, coffee filters, painter’s tape {optional}

I grabbed a mug from the Dollar Store because hey, you are just going to paint over it! And coffee filters? I use those for everything! From lining the popcorn bowl to using as table saver, they are perfect for everything. Since springing for the Keurig, I have so many lying around because I don’t have a need for them anymore! I placed the mug on the coffee filter when it was drying and it worked  perfectly! Even where there was paint, it didn’t stick!

The one thing I didn’t know about using chalkboard paint were all the steps and the drying time between each one. I am really impatient with those things but I was a good girl and followed the directions. Two coats vertical {with an hour drying time in between} and one coat vertical. After your last coat, you have to let the paint cure for 24 hours! That’s a long time when all you want to do is draw all over your mug!

But I waited. And it was worth it!

I can’t wait for him to bring this to his teacher tomorrow. I think it will help break the ice for him {he’s a tad bit shy, I have no idea where he got that from!} and help start the school year off on the right foot!

Disclosure: As a DecoArt blogger, I received product to get my craft on!