How to make a Personalized Tumbler for a $1

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My husband's Birthday is today and for his Birthday I made him a personalized Tumbler. No this is not the only gift I'm giving him, I bought him Insanity Beachbody Workout but he got that early so he could go ahead and use it. Since I gave him his main gift early, I decided I would get together some of his favorite things and make a mini gift basket for his classroom minus the alcohol. This way he will have some snacks and drinks on hand if he ever gets hungry at work.


Check out the saying I paired with a bottle of Jim Beam for Father's Day one year.

My husband was talking about how he brought red solo cups to school to get the tea they provide since they no longer will be providing cups. Then he made a comment about how he thought about getting the school Tumbler if it wasn't so much money. I agreed that $15 for a tiny Tumbler that has the word Mustangs on it is kind of ridiculous so I decided I was going to try to make my own.

I spent a whole $1 on the personalized Tumbler and I'm hoping he likes it. I figured if he likes it and actually uses it then we can look into getting/making a nicer one eventually but if he doesn't use it then we didn't waste much money.

Supplies:



  • Clear Plastic Tumbler - I bought this one at the Dollar Tree for a $1. I was looking for a red one because it is his school color but they were out. They were also out of clear and blue so I was stuck choosing from green and orange.
  • Paint & thin paint brush OR Paint Pen - I used acrylic paint because I already had it but if you are buying paint, try to find something that is made to go on plastic. Use any color you prefer.
  • Clear Gloss Spray or Mod Podge- I used this to seal the paint so it won't come off when washed.
  • Pen & Paper OR Printed Words 
  • Masking Tape 

How To:

1. First you need to wash your Tumbler to try to get all the oil off so the paint will stick better.  I hand washed mine and let it dry.

2. While the Tumbler is drying, find a font you want to use. You can print this off, trace it or write your own.

3. Cut out your words and tape it to the inside of the Tumbler. This will show through as long as you have a clear Tumbler.

I used masking tape because it comes off easy and won't leave the inside sticky but if you don't have any you can use another type of tape.

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4. Paint over your letters and let dry. Make sure you paint a thick coat so you can't see the plastic through the paint. 

Make sure your paint is thick and dry because if it isn't, the spray gloss will thin it and you will see the plastic through the paint. I made this mistake and had to apply a second layer of paint and gloss because parts of my M and A thinned out.

5. Once your paint is completely dry, take it outside and spray the paint with a thin layer of clear gloss or whatever you choose to waterproof it with and let dry 15-20 minutes (the time should be on the can).

Make sure you hold the spray at least a foot away or it will be to heavy. I made this mistake at the top of mine and it doesn't come off.

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Once everything dried, I hand washed my Tumbler again to make sure the paint would hold and it did. I don't know how long it will last but it works for now. I don't think the paint will withstand the heat from a dishwasher so I would continue to hand wash your Tumbler and I probably wouldn't scrub the paint super hard just incase.

I filled the Tumbler with some drink mix packets and put it in his gift basket. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. This Personalized Tumbler was very easy to make and only cost me $1 because I had the rest of the supplies at home. If I make more in the future I will probably use a paint pen instead of paint but it all worked out. My Tumbler is plain but I was making it for my husband and I don't think he would like a girly looking one with polka dots all over it. Let me know how your Personalized Tumblers turned out in the comments below.


UPDATE: The tumbler lasted about two years. It was washed in the dishwasher a few times and the paint held up for the most part. The only reason we had to throw the Tumbler away was because my husband dropped it, cracking the top so the insert part kept falling out. Even so, I think we got our money's worth. 
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