Sharpie Pens – Mummy To Twins Plus One

Decorate Handkerchiefs with Stained Sharpies

It is always nice to have gifts that are unique. A gift that has meaning, and of course is special to you and others.

Creating a gift that is a work of art is even better.

How about decorating a handkerchief for dad, mum, or anyone!

This gift idea is not only just for dads but can be for mum, grandparents, friends or even as a teacher gift.

Yes, this idea is easily adapted to whoever you wish to give it to. It just depends on your imagination.

This simple DIY gift is super easy to create and won’t cost the earth.

Equipment Need:

Handkerchiefs – You can purchase some or even make some if you are crafty at sewing. I purchased plain white ones. You can get different colours with patterns if you wish and incorporate this into your design.
A pack of Stained Sharpie Pens (Fabric Markers)
Cardboard or paper to put on desk to make sure that the pens don’t bleed onto the desk.

Before you get started with your design it is always advisable to think about what you would like to achieve.

Check out what I created below:

A Breakdown of my decorated handkerchief:

For my first attempt at decorating the handkerchief, I just stuck to patterns in one colour.
I alternated rows to give it a better visual effect.
As the handkerchief had a pattern on the border I decided to not decorate there and leave the pattern the way it was originally.
Once the patterns in the red colour were finished, I then added some text on one side of the handkerchief and did it on the other end, and it is upside down from each other. This was done on purpose to make sure the text can be read no matter which way you have the handkerchief.
I was going to iron the handkerchief afterwards to heat set but have read that this is not needed for the Sharpie pens.
One post that I read recommended leaving the decoration for an hour to set.

Lillian working on her masterpiece for daddy.

The twins have both decorated their own handkerchiefs for daddy and I think they look amazing.

If you need a quick gift I would give this a go. I’m sure he will not have anything like it and of course love the fact that it is such a personal gift.

Julia creating her own colourful handkerchief for daddy.

If you do create a handkerchief decorated with sharpies for Father’s Day it would be amazing if you could share your pictures on our Facebook Page. I am sure that we can gain inspiration from your creations.

My first attempt at using Stained Sharpie Pens to decorate a handkerchief for hubby.

Thanks for following another great craft idea from Mummy to Twins Plus One. Stay tuned for more on the blog soon.

Julia's finished artwork on a handkerchief for Father's Day. — Julia’s finished artwork on a handkerchief for Father’s Day.

Lillian's brightly coloured Sharpie coloured handkerchief for daddy. — Lillian’s brightly coloured Sharpie coloured handkerchief for daddy.

I hope you enjoyed this post.

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DIY: Get Creative with Sharpies

This post was originally created for a Father’s Day tutorial. However this could be applied for Christmas gifts, birthdays and anything at all. Use it to create some great presents for Christmas.

I do have something organised for hubby for Father’s Day. However I thought it might be nice for the twins to do something creative for daddy themselves. I have had some friends do things with sharpie pens and I have always been curious. Online I saw that you can decorate a mug/cup with sharpie pens, then bake it and all good to use. How amazing and interesting. Will it work? The only way is to give it a go.

So I got the kids some sharpie pens from the shop and a white mug each and then each child had to decorate them. I told them that they can do whatever design they wished to. One child was very expressive and creative and wanted to colour the whole mug in and the other was trying to draw and write more on the mug. Interesting the difference. It did not matter what they created, it was an expression of them to their daddy.

What do you need?

1. Sharpie Pens. I purchased mine individually as this worked out a little cheaper. You can get a pack of 12 for about $20. Packs I saw for less varied between $14 or more.

2. A cup or a mug to decorate. I choose to have white mugs as then the colours from the pens will show up more

3. An oven to bake the mugs in

Concentrating on her creation for daddy.

What is the process?

1. Once you have all your materials ready you can then start.

2. Decorate your mugs

3. Finalise your decoration and once happy you are ready to bake in the oven.

4. Bake in the oven for 30mins at 180°C or 356°F

Once baked you are good to use the cup. Might need to wait a bit and hand wash carefully to make sure it is all clean to use. As I have never done this before I am keen to see how they go. I would not put in the dishwasher.

Happy creating and this is a great cheap last minute gift for Father’s Day. Have fun!

Note: Some colours after it was baked have changed. The gold seems to have turned into brown. Maybe I need to get different sharpies next time.