How To Paint a Dollar Store Mug That Look Like a "Master" Piece

Start with a base sealer and apply to entire cup.  Place a pre-printed template of your design choice within the cup.  Apply glass or acrylic paints as you wish.  My design turned out very different from the template above, but gave me a guide to work from.  The final coat sealer (center) will be applied when you are finished painting the cup.

 I painted the grapes with a lavender paint first then embellished them with purple and outlined and highlighted the with black curly cues. The same process was applied to the green leaves.  I also applied a copper brown and copper metallic paint on the leaves.

Apply grape vines with a black or brown Sharpie pin.

Choose your desired shade of green scrapbook paper and stamp cut leaves from the paper.  Have raffia ribbon and wire ready to finish the wrapping of your cups.

Insert white tissue paper into cup so that the design will be easily seen,  Insert cup, that has had final sealer coat applied and dried (for ten days) into a cellophane bag.  I added Hershey Bliss chocolates wrapped in purple foil on top.  Secure the bag with raffia ribbon. Poke a whole in the green leafs with the wire and tie the wire around the secured bag. Insert two leaves, one on each side of the wire and curl the wire over a paint brush or pencil end to achieve a viney look.

Several of these were made as Leadership End-Of-Year gifts.  It is an inexpensive way to give many an artistic gift that carries much more value than its Dollar Store origin.  Everyone who received them seem to be delighted with them.

Jesus said, "I am the Vine, you are the branches."  John 15:5 was our scripture verse for the year.  It was written on the bottom of the cup and sealed so all of the women could have a sweet memory of our 30-week study of John.