Valentine’s Day is almost here, but these playful travel mugs are a quick, stylish way to celebrate—or to brighten someone’s day any time of year. These DIY designs use adhesive vinyl and a cutting machine for crisp, long-lasting typography and shapes. They’re simple to make, customizable in color, and perfect for gifts or personal use. Below are the materials and step-by-step instructions to create both the “This Is Why I’m Hot” mug and the kisses-pattern mug.
Supplies:
- Travel mug (ceramic travel mugs work well)
- Adhesive vinyl in your chosen colors (metallics and pastels give a polished look)
- Transfer tape (optional but helpful for aligning lettering and shapes)
- Cricut Explore or a similar cutting machine with a cutting mat (instructions include an alternative if you don’t own a cutter)
Make the “This Is Why I’m Hot” Mug
- Open the project file in your cutting machine’s design software. Position vinyl on the cutting mat and set the material type to vinyl. Cut the phrase.
- Weed away excess vinyl, leaving only the letters. Apply transfer tape over the phrase following the transfer tape instructions, then align and transfer the wording onto your mug. Smooth out any bubbles and remove the transfer tape slowly for best adhesion.
Make the Kisses Mug
- Open the kisses project in your design software. Place vinyl on the mat and set the machine to cut vinyl. Cut the kiss shapes.
- Weed excess vinyl so you have only the kiss shapes. Use transfer tape to move each kiss onto the mug, arranging them as you like. Repeat until the pattern is complete.
If you don’t own a cutting machine: use the Print then Cut workaround to create a printable template you can trace and cut by hand. Steps: select the project’s “Make It Now” or template, choose “Customize,” select all images and flatten them, then print the flattened image. Use the printed template to trace the shapes onto vinyl and cut them out manually. This method requires extra hand cutting but lets you reproduce the design without a cutter.
All photos by Studio DIY
Make a few mugs, personalize the colors, and enjoy giving or using a handmade, charming travel mug. These designs are playful and work well for gifts, classroom treats, or a fun craft session. Happy crafting!
This post was created in partnership with Cricut. All content and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that keep Studio DIY going.