I was recently at our local recycling centre shop and was amazed at the amount things that people throw out including lots and lots of coffee mugs. So I thought I would bring a coffee mug home and see if I could turn it into something useful.
A myriad of options sprung to mind, succulent planter, using the lip of the mug to hang earrings, or perhaps a vase to name a few, but I decided on a pen holder as the current one I use is too small.
Read on if you want to learn how to use decoupage to recycle an old mug and save it from the landfill.
from Coffee Mug to Pen Holder
What you need:
• Coffee mug
• Mod podge
• Paper to decoupage (if you would like some like mine, check it out here)
• Paint brush
• Plastic chopping board or something similar
• Oblong Dish or similar half filled with water
• Scissors
• Clear coat (optional)
Please read instructions through fully before starting.
Instructions:
There are two ways to tackle this, 1) tear your piece of paper into smaller pieces or 2) try and keep your paper in one piece. I went for the second option.
• To start, I wrapped the sheet of paper around the mug. making creases in the paper from the edges of the mug.
• Using the creases as your cutting guide, cut the paper including the piece under the handle. When I cut my paper, I cut it so it was just below the outside edge of the lip of the coffee mug to make a neat edge. If your mug is shaped similarly then it should look like this:
By Jenny, Uku Chic
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