This post is about making a brush holder out of… a mug! I got the idea watching Pursebuzz‘s video on a cute, pink, over-sized cup with attached saucer made out of iron. It was very big though, so she had to put a smaller cup in the middle with the actual brushes in it. It looks like it’s an outside decor item but it’s very creative to use it that way!
So I came up with an idea that would be perfect to add to the two gifts I was giving to my sister and boyfriend’s sister (who’s birthdays were coming up). I had bought my bf’s sister a bunch of Real Technique brushes (love them!) and my sister brushes/makeup I knew she would like (Milani Liquify Eyeliner, Covergirl Lash Blast original mascara (her fav), Ecotools brushes, ELF brushes, and a few other things I can’t remember).
I decided to head to the Dollar Tree to see if they had a glass or mug that I could decoupage. I have decoupaged other items as gifts and had tons of different colored tissue paper left over. I was looking for something that would be tall enough for long brushes but not too tall to fit the smaller travel sized/eye brushes. It also had to have a large enough rim but again, not TOO large like one of those big round cappuccino cups. This was probably the most challenging part of the whole project.
I finally narrowed my choice down to a shorter ceramic mug or a brandy type glass. In the end I chose the mug because I liked that it had a handle and grooves along the side.
Dollar Tree mug!
Here are all the supplies I used and where I got them.
Mod Podge mixed with some water in a plastic cup
- mod podge and sponge came in a pack at AC Moore – I used a mixture of the mod podge with water in a plastic cup.
- A stack of tissue paper which I got from AC Moore for pretty cheap as well a while back.
- Two ribbons (a yellow and a silver) at AC Moore on sale for 50 cents each!
- Mug and main tissue paper for the outside I got from the Dollar Tree.
- I used a sparkly white tissue paper I received in one of my Birchboxes mixed with black on the inside.
- Glue gun I bought at Walmart for around $10.
I decided the theme I would go for was yellow and gray. I think the combination is very classy/elegant and would match any bathroom/vanity/decor. At first I pictured making the mug gray and with yellow trim, but I found the perfect tissue paper at the dollar store that was the exact style I was going for!
I started with the inside of the mug. I originally wanted it to be gray inside (after finding this cute paper for the outside) but did not have gray tissue paper and could not find it at the store. So, I tried to put black paper first and then the sparkly white. It didn’t come out gray but I liked the effect anyway.
One layer of black and one layer of white (still wet):
Mugs with black tissue paper and then the shiny/glittery white tissue paper on top
After a few more layers of white, the finished inside:
After letting them dry completely (you can use a hairdryer in between layers), I started on the outside. For the outside I chose a pastel yellow (rather than a bright yellow) to go underneath the patterned tissue paper. I was afraid the bright one would show through too much and I’m glad I did the pastel because it was just the subtle effect I was going for, came out perfect.
One layer of pastel yellow:
I then added one layer of the patterned tissue. This was really tricky because of the grooves and shape of the mug. The mismatching of the pattern isn’t too noticeable though in the end result.
I made sure to put the yellow and patterned paper all the way to the bottom to make sure you could not see any part of the mug when it’s placed down. Also, I made the yellow and patterned paper overlap the rim of the mug because I was planning to cover it up anyway.
After I let it dry a bit, I made sure to go over the inside and outside with the mod podge a few times to make sure it was sealed and shiny (if left in the bathroom I didn’t want it getting ruined with humidity or water).
I then began with the ribbon. I first hot glued the silver ribbon along the inner rim of the mug to cover up the seam of the inside and outside tissue paper.
I was originally going to leave it at that and then add the yellow ribbon in the middle of the silver, but I decided to add another layer of the silver right below the first one.
I then added the bright yellow ribbon in between the two silver ones.
I picked the bright yellow rather than a pastel because I thought it needed a pop of color! I let it dry for a day or two and this is the finished mug!
I forgot to mention that I left the handles without anything on them. My sister saw me making them before I was done so I asked her advice on it and she told me she would rather it be bare. I figured it was probably for the best because it would be handled a lot (lol see what I did there?) and I don’t know how good it would hold up.
I hope you guys have enjoyed this post! Let me know what else you’d like to see and, if you tried this out I’d love to see pictures. I’m sure you can add rhinestones or glitter, even tulle; anything that suits your style! I have a few more posts to come. 😀
TL;DR — Just follow the pictures!
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