daddy's juice

add facial hair ... and I have never
seen my husband in a bow tie

Everyone needs a little special in their life.

Sometimes you just need to hear how important you are to someone, a small token of affection, a gentle reminder that you are special.

Or maybe you need a special beer mug all of your own.

Well the beer mug is what my husband got for his birthday, from me and the minions.  And of course, we did it on the cheap -- not because daddy-o doesn't deserve better but because he ain't Daddy Warbucks (though he has about the same amount of hair).

This project involved the Meatball, me, a dollar store beer mug, failure and then success.

Start off with the mug, bought for $1.

Aiming for a $20 maximum total cost I also grabbed up $1 roll of contact paper to use as a stencil.  Total project cost thus far = $2 plus tax.  Doing good, $18 under budget so far.

Went to Hobby Lobby and looked at my options for glass etching.  Hand held dremel like machines that scream danger and failure at me from within the packaging?  Naw, don't think so.  Etching cream bottle that I apply with a popsicle stick for $9.99?  Sounds good ... oh but wait ... here is a can of spray paint that looks like etched glass and is only $7.99!  With my 40% off coupon this is a good deal!

Feeling pretty good about meself I take the spray paint version figuring it will work just as well and now the Meatball can totally do this on his own, I just set up.  Sweet, right?

Wrong! Wrong! WRONG!

Now the project is at roughly $7 in cost, and as I am still wanting to purchase a six pack of a decent beer (not the economical stuff we usually get) to give with it I am thinking I will be right around that $20 goal.

 I used my Cricut machine to make my stencil, it says "daddy's juice" and has a surfboard on it.  All were from the Going to the Beach cartridge and chosen by the Meatball.

Got the stencil on there for him straight and realized that since it is spray pain we gotta cover the whole thing except for the letters, so we wrap it up good and tight.  Then spray, dry, remove stencil.  All is going well.

But the glass smells funny, duh.  Like spray paint.  Double duh.  Well who wants to drink that?!  So I wash it by hand.  I had accepted this would never be a dishwasher mug anyway, but big deal.  Gently washing it after it has been dry for more than 24 full hours and ... well crap.  Half the letters are gone.  That whole schpeal on the bottle about how its durable is now officially bullshat.

Back to the drawing board, the boys and I fly back to the store, purchase that $9.99 bottle of etching cream that is now sitting on the shelf laughing at me.  Scrub the mug clean, re-make and apply the stencil.

Put gloves on the Meatball and explain how etching cream works so he is appropriately scared and cautious.

He applies cream with me hovering like a vulture.  Wait as long as the directions state, rinse in a bucket of water.

Remove stencil while holding our breath ...

Perfect!

Stick the bad boy in the dishwasher because 1.) I can! and 2.) It stinks like etching cream which is much worse than spray paint.  Once clean and dry put it in the freezer so it is chilled and the new design is hidden.

Go buy beer, end up over the $20 budget completely ... but we do have a very successful present that was very much appreciated.  Win!