Only a few more days of school, then summer vacation begins. I’m never quite sure who is more excited—the students or the teachers! Show your teacher some appreciation with an end of the year gift. This one is so easy the kids can do it themselves.

I decorated a basic white coffee mug ($.50 at Goodwill) with permanent, oil-based markers and filled it with sharpened pencils.

First you need to make a stencil. Print out the teacher’s initial on plain paper. Choose a font that’s not too busy, but has good lines. It should be big enough to fit the mug. Cut it out with a scissors and a craft knife.

Attach the letter to the mug with a washable glue stick. Position it on the front or side. You can use any permanent markers, but the oil-based ones last longer. 

Instead of creating a letter by filling it in with color, I decided to do the opposite using the pointillism technique. Like the artist Georges Seurat, you outline the letter with little, tiny dots. You can use one color, but two or more add depth and dimension.

Remove the paper stencil and gently wipe off any excess glue with a cotton swab. Bake the mug in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. It should be dishwasher safe, but I recommend hand washing. Fill your mug with pencils, pens or the teacher’s favorite candy. Teachers love gifts they can actually use!