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Hands Occupied

Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

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How-to: Stenciled Leaf Mug

November 11, 2013 6 Comments

Stenciled Leaf Mug DIY | Hands Occupied

Metallics are so huge for autumn and Thanksgiving decor this year, and I’m into it. Leaves seem to be particularly hot too (even more than usual for fall). My take on these trends is this sweet mug that I’ve been super excited to sip tea from at least once a day. This time of year I basically don’t drink water – a nice cup of tea is my preferred method of hydration and my favorite way to stay warm when I’m strapped to my computer all day.

Supplies

glass paint in copper and pewter
paint daubers
paint brush
self-adhesive leaf stencils
scraper/razor blade (optional – for fixing mess ups)
plain mug
craft mat/waxed paper 

Stenciled Leaf Mug DIY | Hands Occupied

Directions

Clean and dry your mug to start. Then, place your leaf stencil(s) on the mug, smoothing down all edges.

Stenciled Leaf Mug DIY | Hands Occupied

Squirt a bit of each color of your glass paint onto a crafting mat or some waxed paper. Dip a paint dauber into the paint, and dab it onto a dry spot on your craft mat to remove excess paint. Once the excess paint is removed, carefully apply the paint to a leaf stencil.

Stenciled Leaf Mug DIY | Hands Occupied

I alternated colors and stencils creating a checkerboard pattern all over my mug. I made all of my maple leaves copper and all of my other leaves pewter (I have no idea what species the other leaf stencil is).

Stenciled Leaf Mug DIY | Hands Occupied

Some tips for stenciling success:

  • Dab your daub… Dab off excess paint from your dauber before applying it to the stencil. Too much paint is going to make successfully stenciling harder.
  • Don’t forget the nooks and crannies… If necessary, use a paint brush or smaller dauber to cover every nook and cranny with paint.
  • You messed up, so what? A razor blade, used carefully of course, can easily slice off one of your stenciled leaves if you’re not happy with the placement of your leaf.
  • Keep your stencils clean… If you’re alternating just a couple stencils like I did, the paint will build up every few applications. Wash off your stencils, scraping away excess paint, when that happens. Your leaves will turn into misshapen blobs if the paint builds up within the stencil.
  • Don’t let the paint dry before removing the stencil. No really – the paint I used tended to stick to the stencil, pulling off the whole leaf design in a sheet. Pull off that stencil when the paint is still a little damp before reusing it to stencil your next leaf.

Stenciled Leaf Mug DIY | Hands Occupied When your whole mug is stenciled, you’ll need to cure it to make the paint permanent, dish washerable, etc. The paints I used can be left out to air cure for 21 days or oven baked following these instructions.

Stenciled Leaf Mug DIY | Hands Occupied

All of the supplies I used happen to be from the Martha Stewart line of glass paints, tools & stencils, but this isn’t a sponsored post. 

And, in case you want to save this for later, here’s a pin-friendly image for you:

Stenciled Leaf Mug DIY | Hands Occupied

Filed Under: How-to, Thanksgiving Tagged With: autumn, copper, craft, craft paint, crafts, diy, fall mug, glass paint, leaf mug, martha stewart, mug craft, pewter, stenciled mug

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

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Comments

  1. Rachel | 52 Weeks Project

    November 11, 2013 at 6:41 pm

    You are a trooper! I feel like I would have given up after the first two leaves. Looks great :)

    Reply
    • Heidi

      November 12, 2013 at 9:19 am

      Thanks! I watched 1.5 movies while working on it ;)

      Reply
  2. Sivonne

    November 12, 2013 at 8:59 pm

    This is fantastic – so worth the effort!

    Makes me want to make one with summery things on it.

    Reply
  3. Kathleen

    November 13, 2013 at 8:22 pm

    The other leaf you have stenciled is an oak leaf, which I am particularly fond of :)

    Reply
  4. Leanne Porter

    November 18, 2016 at 5:19 pm

    I love the look of leaves. I have a several leaf cookie cutters to be able too use with clay & other materials that I can use to make these ornaments/

    Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

Professionally I’m most known for: advanced intarsia knitting design & modern latch hook design.

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Craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. / #latchhookbook out now!
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knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
Happy Wrestlemania weekend, folks!!! 🎊 It’s c Happy Wrestlemania weekend, folks!!! 🎊 It’s coincidentally International Punch Needle Rug Hooking Day today, so I’d be remiss not to share a first look at this project finished JUST in time to wear while I watch some rasslin’ on a pirate ship in a football stadium in Tampa! 💪🏻 I’m excited to watch tonight’s women’s matches the most. Eee!
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Pictured: A blond woman in a denim dress and glasses wearing a giant belt made with punch needle. The belt is made with wool in primary colors and was inspired by the WWE Universal Championship title belt. 
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This is just a preview - after jab 2.0 tomorrow (feeling grateful 🙏🏼), I’ll be editing together a vlog about the design process for this wooly waist cover. Sometimes it’s hard to know how to make some of your wilder craft ideas come to life. Stuff you’ll never find a pattern for, you know? I’ll finish editing that ASAP, but I might take a few days to edit if I feel like trash from 💉 and only want to watch wrestling and wrestling YouTube for a day or two. 😂
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#ipnrhd #punchneedle #wwe #wrestling #championshipbelt #wool #yarn #handmade #universalchampionship #universalchampion #rugmaking #wrestlingfan #wrestlemania37 #wrestlemania
A look at the halo on the back of my wrestling-ins A look at the halo on the back of my wrestling-inspired punch needle project! It’s interesting to see how fuzzy the handspun beige yarn is compared with the primary color sections of @knit_picks Wool of the Andes Bulky. ❤️💛💙🤎 
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Pictured: The back of an in-progress punch needle project. A wooden punch needle tool sits on the work.
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#punchneedle #woolrug #rugmaking  #kpambassadorsapr21 #sponsored #griefproject #handsoccupied #wrestlingfan #universalchampion #yarn #yarncraft #wool #needlepunch
Happy Easter / One week til Wrestlemania! Finishin Happy Easter / One week til Wrestlemania! Finishing up the punch needling part of this crazy @wwe inspired project by tonight. 💪🏻🧶 Anybody else have crafty plans for this fine spring day? 
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Pictured: A blond woman sits, smiling and holding an in-progress punch needle project inspired by the Universal Championship belt. Houseplants are in the background and there’s lots of sun. 
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#punchneedle #griefproject #handsoccupied #heidigustad #wrestlingcrafts #wwe #universalchampion #universalchampionship #wool #wooloftheandes #primarycolors #oxfordpunchneedle
I'm finally starting to get some of my energy back I'm finally starting to get some of my energy back from the past few weeks, and as I dip my toe back into production mode, the long-promised seamed sweater knitting YouTube series is at the top of my list. I've got FOUR versions of a simple sweater I've been playing with since last JULY to feature as a free pattern for folks who want to knit along during the series. Pictured is the first prototype for the series, knit in 2 colors of @knit_picks Mighty Stitch yarn. I imagine this soon-to-be short sleeved number will come in handy as an emergency Waldo costume or Christmas sweater. 🌲 
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I've got my own list of topics I think folks would like to see in a series like this: things like tips for construction, working with vintage patterns, how to seam as invisibly as possible, and more, but as always, I'd love to hear from you: What scares you about knitting seamed sweaters? What would be helpful to cover, especially since we'll be doing more long form video content. I get so much positive feedback on my series of 20 minute+ intarsia tutorials, so I'm using those as a starting point as I produce this series. Seamed sweaters using vintage or self-improvised patterns are one of my favorite things on the planet, so I'm eager to share some seamed sweater skills with y'all super sweet folks. 😉 
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Pictured: A red and white striped, short sleeved sweater knit in pieces that have yet to be seamed. They are laid out on a yellow and orange colorblock background and one sleeve is yet to be bound off. 
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#handsoccupied #seamedsweater #kpambassadorsmar21 #sponsored #knitpicks #waldo #waldosweater #wip #yarncraft #yarn #knitting #knittersofinstagram #heidigustad #vintageknitting #sweaterknitting
Work continues this evening on my absurd punch nee Work continues this evening on my absurd punch needle pro wrestling inspired championship belt project. I’ve finished most of the front pretty quickly thanks to the @knit_picks Wool of the Andes Bulky yarn I’m using. For now, I’ve got a couple more weeks until Wrestlemania, & I’m on track to finish this in time! 
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The biggest question I have is what to do with the “plates” - the open circles in the picture. Should I try to closely replicate the Universal Championship belt or go rogue and make it wool themed? Please advise in the comments. ☺️🧶🙏🏻🐑 
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Pictured: The front of an in-progress punch needle project. A wooden punch needle tool with navy yarn running through it rests on top of the work. 
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#kpambassadorsmar21 #sponsored #knitpicks #punchneedle #rugmaking #primarycolors #punchneedlerughooking #punchneedlelove #wool #wip #yarncraft #yarn #yarnaddict
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