See how easy it is to decorate a mug for Father’s Day with a Cricut machine. They are an easy way to create a personalized customized gift for the dad(s) in your life.
I have to say, I’m feeling pretty proud that I’ve gotten some Father’s Day crafting done and it’s not even June (let alone my standard night before!) After I crafted these DIY leather keychain Father’s Day gift ideas, I decided to make some Father’s Day mugs like I did for Mother’s Day.
DIY Father’s Day coffee mugs make a great gift to remind dad how much he is loved while he enjoys his morning (or evening) brew. They’re simple to make and with multiple design options, there is something for any of the dad(s) in your life!
I used a Cricut Joy with permanent vinyl to decorate these Father’s Day mugs, but you can obviously use a Cricut Explore Air 2 or Cricut Maker as well. If you’re a new Cricut Joy user or curious about how they work, you can find all of the details here (along with some fun project ideas!)
You can find a printable instruction card at the bottom of the post to keep handy while you craft up your DIY mugs for Dad.
How to Decorate a Mug for Father’s Day with a Cricut
Supplies
- Cricut Joy (or Maker or Explore Air 2)
- World’s Best Dad, i heart grandpa, or Awesome Dad cut files
- Permanent Smart Vinyl in Kelly Green, Light Blue, Tomato Red, and Lime Green
- Premium Permanent Vinyl in Stone Yellow and Purple
- Permanent Pearl Metallic Vinyl in Metallic Blue
- Transfer tape
- Strong Grip Transfer Tape
Directions
* You can find all of the different Father’s Day mug ideas, along with a Grandpa mug at the bottom of this post. I’m using the “World’s Best Dad” coffee mug as the example for this tutorial but the instructions apply to all of the designs.
Open the cut file for the mug you’d like to make and customize the colors and size to your liking. Did you know that Design Space has templates to use as a guide for sizing your designs? I love that feature!
Select your materials for each layer and cut each color of vinyl (the app will guide you through each step).
Weed the negative space from the designs and layer the colors onto transfer tape. If you haven’t layered vinyl with this method before you can find the detailed instructions here.
NOTE: When using Smart Vinyl, I highly recommend using Strong Grip Transfer Tape. The smart vinyl liners are very thick and not very flexible (so that they can cut without a mat) which makes the vinyl more difficult to peel away with the transfer tape.
To avoid any placement mistakes, position your design where you want it on the mug prior to removing the design from the layer and place a piece of tape vertically all the way down the middle of the design to keep it firmly in place.
Peel the liner away from the transfer tape on one side of the design until you reach the taped area. Cut that portion of the liner off with scissors and press the transfer tape onto the mug, smoothing from the inside out. Remove the tape and peel away the remainder of the liner from the transfer tape and smooth onto the mug.
Peel back the transfer tape and that’s it! Your personalized DIY Father’s Day mug is ready to gift!
DIY Father’s Day Mug Designs
World’s Best Dad Coffee Mug
For this design I used Permanent Smart Vinyl in Kelly Green and Light Blue and Permanent Pearl Metallic Vinyl in Metallic Blue.
Father’s Day Glass Mug
For this design I used Permanent Smart Vinyl in Light Blue and Tomato Red, and Lime Green and Permanent Pearl Metallic Vinyl in Metallic Blue.
I heart Grandpa Father’s Day Coffee Cup
For the Father’s Day mug for Grandpa I used Permanent Smart Vinyl in Light Blue, Tomato Red, and Lime Green, Premium Permanent Vinyl in Stone Yellow and Purple and Permanent Pearl Metallic Vinyl in Metallic Blue.
How to Decorate Father's Day Mug
Ingredients
- Cricut Joy or Maker or Explore Air 2
- World's Best Dad i heart grandpa, or Awesome Dad cut files
- Permanent Smart Vinyl in Kelly Green Light Blue, Tomato Red, and Lime Green
- Premium Permanent Vinyl in Stone Yellow and Purple
- Permanent Pearl Metallic Vinyl in Metallic Blue
- Transfer tape
- Strong Grip Transfer Tape
Instructions
- Open the cut file for the mug you'd like to make and customize the colors and size to your liking.
- Select your materials for each layer and cut each color of vinyl (the app will guide you through each step).
- Layer the colors onto transfer tape. If you haven't layered vinyl with this method before you can find the detailed instructions here.
- Once all elements are layered, cut another piece of transfer tape to cover the entire design and burnish around all elements.
- To avoid any placement mistakes, position your design where you want it on the mug prior to removing the design from the layer and place a piece of tape vertically all the way down the middle of the design to keep it firmly in place.
- Peel the liner away from the transfer tape on one side of the design until you reach the taped area. Cut that portion of the liner off with scissors and press the transfer tape onto the mug, smoothing from the inside out. Remove the tape and peel away the remainder of the liner from the transfer tape and smooth onto the mug.
- Peel back transfer tape.
Notes
Which of these designs do you think you’d like to try? Happy Father’s Day crafting! 🙂
Corey says
Hi there – I’m confused about the part where you say “Cut that portion of the liner off with scissors and press the transfer tape onto the mug, smoothing from the inside out.” When you say liner, you mean the vinyl? Does this mean the vinyl design gets cut in half? Super-beginner here so just trying to understand where/why the cutting comes in. Thanks!
Lydia says
Hi Corey, I’ve had some time off so I’m SOOOO sorry for the delay! By the liner I mean what the vinyl is laying on, so you would be cutting the vinyl lining, not the actual vinyl itself. Sorry again for the late reply!