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Nail Polish Mugs {An Easy Craft Project}

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Nail polish mugs are an easy and quick craft project! Make them for yourself and your own home, or make a batch to give as gifts! 

As the weather gets cooler, a great cup of coffee is my fairly constant companion throughout the day. It warms me, energizes me, and helps me tackle my to-do list. In short, it helps me live a Life Well-Crafted.

Another essential aspect of a Well-Crafted Life, for me, is crafting! Looking through my collection of cute, but non-coordinating mugs, I decided an easy mug craft needed to move to the top of my to-do list, so I tried my hand at the DIY mug trend…with nail polish! Nail polish crafts are so trendy these days, so I was excited to try one myself.

Nail Polish Mugs

I’ve seen nail polish marbling done before, and I’ve always loved the organic and free form feel of the end result.

Before we get to the how-to, though, let me re-introduce you to my favorite thing to put inside of one of these marbled cuties…

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I recently switched up my morning routine, subbing in NESCAFÉ® Taster’s Choice® for my usual cup of coffee, and I honestly am so happy with the result. I’ve been crushing on the Hazelnut blend, and adding a bit of whipped cream, ground cinnamon, and a cinnamon stick for a bit of decadence and fall flavor.

NESCAFÉ® Taster’s Choice® knows all about the importance of a good cup of coffee to a Well-Crafted Life. They use only responsibly-sourced beans, then they roast, brew, and flash-freeze their coffee to lock in freshness. Simply add hot water for a well-crafted cup of coffee made simple. You can choose between a glass jar and stick packs (my preference), as well as six flavors (I LOVE the Hazelnut!) and roasts to get the perfect cup each time.

NESCAFÉ® Taster’s Choice® recently upgraded its 7oz containers from plastic to glass jars. The glass jars not only lock in freshness better but also showcase the instant coffee granules inside. Now it looks as good as it tastes!

Want to learn to make your own nail polish mugs? Let’s get started…

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Materials:

  • Nail Polish
  • Plain White Mugs (Washed and Dried)
  • Disposable Tub
  • Skewer or Toothpick
  • Dishwasher Safe Mod Podge (optional)
  • Parchment Paper

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The best tips I can give you for marbling with nail polish is 1) use hot water, and, 2) work quickly. The nail polish is going to want to harden pretty quickly upon hitting the surface of the water, and hot water will delay this process a bit.

Fill your tub (use one that you don’t mind throwing away afterwards) with hot water, and carefully drip your nail polish onto the surface of the water. Pour as close to the surface as you can, as this will keep the nail polish from sinking down into your water.

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If desired, use your toothpick or skewer to swirl the polish around so that it covers the surface of the water. Immediately dip your mug into the water, and let it sit for a second or two to help the polish adhere to the mug. Remove mug, and place upside down on parchment paper to dry.

Switch out water between mugs, and repeat!

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Once you begin, you’ll be amazed at how quickly the process goes. I marbled all five of these mugs in less than 10 minutes.

If desired, you can seal with a couple of coats of Dishwasher Safe Mod Podge. I’m not sure if I’d necessarily stick them in the dishwasher, but it’ll give them a bit more protection from day-to-day hand washing.

Quick note: You will want to be careful not to get any nail polish near the top of the mugs (where your mouth would touch). As I said above, I’d recommend hand washing only.

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Nail Polish Mugs 8

 

Want more coffee inspiration? These “but first, coffee” printables are perfect to add to your kitchen or coffee bar.

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Thanks for reading all about my marbled nail polish mugs! Have a crafty day!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. these would make a great Christmas Gift. Paint the persons name in the middle with the nail polish, fill with candies and there you go! A beautiful had crafted cup.

    Reply

  3. Such a cute idea for a handmade Christmas gift. My family always s exchanges hand made inexpensive items as part of our Christmas Eve gatherings. Thanks for the how to!

    Reply

  5. It is a wonderful gift to receive knowing that someone made it especially for you, in your favorite colors, with possibly words of inspiration, name or special date, etc & functional. And it brings great satisfaction to the person giving it.

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  8. Thank you for posting this idea. Money is running low this year and these will enable me to give gifts to everyone that doesn’t look cheap. They can be personalized to each person’s favorite color scheme and filled with favorite candy, coffee samples or just little odds and ends!

    Reply

  13. What a cute idea and they would also make nice gifts. I will be trying this. A great cup of Hazelnut coffee would be awesome as well.

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  15. I’d love to try the Hazelnut & vanilla flavors. I love tye-dye, & that’s just what this looks like. I do tye-dye tees, & used to do tye-dye nails yrs ago; this made me think of it. Really nice idea; Love it! Great gift idea.

    Reply

  17. I already use the sricks, don’t even use my K coffee pot, only for company. Can only seem to get the Classic here in Littleton, CO at the Family Dollar ,so I will ordered every flavor in the boxes. Was just telling a friend yesterday, I need to get the glass jar and have more on hand . And want to try the Café Con Leche. Yum.

    Reply

  19. I absoloutley LOVE this idea , so simple but so easy to personalise to your own taste and style. I’m going to make everyone in their family personalised hot chocolate mugs for Christmas Day and may try this on wine glasses!

    Reply

  22. I just got the dishes to do this for 3 grandkids getting married this next year, I’m matching their wedding colors. I fell in love with this the first time I saw it, thanks for the tips. I’m so excited about it!

    Reply

  23. Wonder if this will work on wine glasses too…can’t see why not…?? Definitely would need to use the mod podge on them… thoughts?

    Reply

  24. Hi and thank you for the clever way to make such pretty coffee mugs. My husband has been drinking Nescafe Taster’s Choice for a very long time. I never knew that there were flavored versions. In Pittsburgh it is sometimes a two or three day search to find Nescafe Decaf for him. Now that I know there are flavors, I’m joining the group of coffee drinkers. I would really enjoy having vanilla flavored coffee. But. . . will they make it available here. Please let me know. Thank you.

    Reply

  25. Love these mugs! Hubby tells me I am picky because I won’t drink my coffee out of a plain mug. I look for pretty ones and once I find a favorite I am very possessive of it. NOBODY is allowed to use MY mug under threat of death (maybe just a kick in the butt). These mugs would certainly dress up some plain mugs that we have so that they can be used too! Thanks for the inspiration! I am going to go and enjoy a cup of Nescafe Taster’s Choice French Roast coffee now!

    Reply

    • HI Sydney! Yes! I have tried multiple colors. Just add both colors to the same bowl of hot water (remembering to work quickly!) Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!

      Reply

  31. Thanks! This looks like clean-up would be quite easier than the same process which is done with spray paint. (That is a messy project and can go wrong with bubbles between glass and paint.) I’m going to try this with my daughter, she will love it!

    Reply

  38. Oh how clever! I’m going to try this with my kids next week. We’re always looking for fun & easy project to make for friends & family! I figure we’ll add spoons with ribbons, coffee & peppermint sticks to make this an awesome homemade gift!

    Reply

  39. My grandson and I will be making these mugs this weekend. They are so coll. Thanks for sharing this.

    Hugs and Merry Christmas!!!!.

    Reply

  42. I am thinking of trying this with the children I do crafts with in the summer at my church. It’s something different that I’m sure they’ll like.

    Reply

  44. Wow! these are so easy to do and can be made either elegant or whimsy. Would make a beautiful gift for a tea, coffee or cocoa drinker. thanks for sharing. Looking for gifting ideas.

    Reply

  47. Looks like a new idea for Christmas gifts for the Seniors at church.
    Just wondering if you could use a ceramic sealer on it.
    Thank you

    Reply

  55. Great way to dress up garage sale or thrift store finds. I like the idea of different mugs with the marbelizing to tie the together. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply

  61. Lovely and easy and inexpensive! What more could you ask for? I like to put air plants in pretty cups o dishes. They grow slowly and are easy and look great, like this project! 😊

    Reply

  62. I’m so impressed with this project! The first thing I’m going to do is surprise my sister with my new talent.

    Reply

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