In honour of our daughter’s first birthday today, I’m going to share with you a sweet DIY project as a 1-year-old birthday gift idea! This little mug is plastic (so it can be thrown and banged around without breaking), and it’s totally simple (and cheap!) to make.
I decided to make this for the following reasons:
- It’s inexpensive, and that’s helpful for us, and
- She always wants to get in on our coffee time in the morning before the day gets going. So, here’s my way of including her! She doesn’t need to know that we actually have something inside of our mugs; for now, I think an empty one will suit her just fine. 😉
Here’s what you’re going to need to make this:
- A white or light coloured plastic mug
- Permanent markers, in the colours of your choice
- Scissors
- Painters tape or masking tape
- A little creativity… Although this part is easy, since 1-year-olds love everything new and interesting, even if it’s a cardboard box. So be brave! You can do it. And it’s extra special if you made it, so remember that.
Note: Although I’ve linked all of the items above on Amazon, I’ll just mention that there’s a very good chance you can get all of it at your local dollar store– that’s what I did! I do really like the mug set linked up there though; means there’s enough to share with friends for future tea parties. Pretty sure I might need to think about getting some of those.
As you can see, I started with the writing on the mug. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do that or not, but I decided that personalizing it with her name (Faith) might make it extra special in the years ahead. I just used a regular black sharpie for this part.
Here’s the front:
…And here’s the back!
Next, I used painters tape to make a border line along the top and bottom. I could have free-handed this part, but I didn’t really feel like trusting myself to make a straight line. So, instead, I just marked it top and bottom with tape and then recklessly coloured it in with marker afterward. Beautiful.
Next, I doodled! I just alternated colours until I felt like it looked full enough to call finished. Here was the finished product!
Then finally, to finish it off, I signed the bottom of it. If she keeps this for any length of time, I’m hoping she will enjoy its sentimental value.
The only thing that remains to be seen about this project is how well it will last. Honestly, I’m not too worried about that – If the marker fades over time, so be it. This is a project meant to bring her some joy in her baby days, and as much as I’d like to last forever… I also think it’s ok if she outgrows it and learns to declutter her life a little bit. 😉
I hope you enjoyed this mini tutorial of something special that I made for my girl. It was fun for me, and I hope it will provide some inspiration for a 1 year old birthday gift idea for you!
Side note: I’m thankful to have these pictures. They, at least, will out-last the mug.
Bye for now!
Naomi
