Hello 2013!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

    Lets hope I accomplish more this year than last! Though I shouldn't complain 2012 was an AWESOME year for Shantastic! It was our first full year of getting stuff going. Now to get organized and ready to go!

Time to make a list of goals I would like to accomplish. :)

1. Organize the Facebook with  Good Albums and Updates
2. Create a facebook group for other friends that sell goods so we can expand our circles 
3. Create at least 100 new products 
4. Keep the Shop updated AND the blog!
5. Ship more items to new places
6. Work on my PAINT THE STATES campaign and goals (More info soon!)
7. Organize my craft studio- and keep it NICE!
8. Organize the house - ALL the rooms so it looks like those pinterest dream homes - OR as close as I can :P
9.  Perform 10 live paintings , in at least 3 different locations
10. Help my Grams more , and go on more Grandma Shopping Dates! - There can never be enough!
11. Make at least 12 new friends, one for every month :) , These can be online or around town. I just think it's a good idea to meet new people!
12. Visit my Best friend  in Alabama.
    
    
    I may add more to this list , as the year goes as well but for now that's a pretty good start!
    
    
    
    What are your goals for 2013?
    
    Leave me some comments maybe I will join you. :)
       

Dishwasher Safe Ceramic Best Friend Mugs!

Dishwasher Safe Ceramic Best Friend Mugs!  So easy to MAKE yourself!

So my best friend moved from Maryland to Alabama a year or so ago. We still chat on the phone and plan visits for the holidays, so I of course had to come up with something clever to give her for Christmas. What better way to start out her day than with an I miss you bestie mug?

Alabama and Maryland Love <3

I made these for pretty cheap and they came out pretty decent for a first attempt. 

MATERIALS:Ceramic mugs
OIL BASED Paint pens
Pencil
Design or logo or saying which you want to put on mugs

 For the mugs I recommend a light color unless you have metallic Oil based paint pens.

The pens need to be oil based to cure properly to the mugs.

Here is what I did:

Step One: printed out map outlines of Alabama and Maryland
Step Two: Used pencil to darkly cover the back side of the design I needed
Step Three: trace outlines with pencil createing a graphic stencil on the mugs
Step Four: Use paint pens to go over graphite outline. 

On the back of each mug it says Miss you

Step Five : Place Mugs on a cookie sheet inside the oven.

DO THIS BEFORE YOU PRE-HEAT THE OVEN 

You want the mugs to heat up with the oven and cool down with the oven.
Step Six: Pre- heat the oven to 350 Degrees F.
Step Seven: Allow mugs to bake for twenty minutes.
Step Eight: Keep the mugs in the oven while it cools down to room temperature.





Once the oven is cooled down the mugs should be cool to the touch as well.

I added the Miss you to the back of each mug to remind her how much we miss her back home!

That is what I did with mine and I machine washed them once with no damage to the design. So hopefully they will stay that way.  :)

We grew up in Cumberland so I added  a little heart over her hometown too :)

Shes now in Tuscaloosa So I put a little heart where it would be on the map :)

This would be my bestie. Every Brunette needs a blonde best friend <3

To bad neither of us were smart enough to think to take a picture holding the mugs with our states like I just now thought of.... ahh maybe I can get her to bring them over before she leaves after the new year.  *Makes notes to do that*

This would be Cozmo her adorable little Fur baby that she brought from back home with her. He is such a cutie I had to share a picture of him :D

HAPPY CRAFTING!