Hello, Happy Sunday! And Happy Mothers Day to those in the UK. I was greeted at sunrise with a BIG cuddle and this gorgeous drawing; it’s funny (and very lovely) to know I am perceived. Whilst my thigh gap hasn’t got any smaller in this picture, I am coveting the dress (less so the green tights; I’m not quite so fashion-forward).

I’ve had a little more time this week for crafting, so I did something I’ve wanted to do for ages and had a go at ceramic transfers, and made a surprise for Harry’s cereal bowl. I got a bit carried away and worked my way through our china cupboard, leaving little messages hidden at the bottom of a range of bowls and mugs…

I found a script-like font (the lovely Helena, which you can download for free here) and made up some messages which I printed onto Lazertran paper. There are various makes of transfer paper which will work with ceramics, in slightly different ways; ask your local craftshop what they have. With the Lazertran paper, you print in reverse (choose ‘mirror image’ when printing), then dry the paper in a low oven to ensure the ink is properly fused to the paper. Once the ink had dried, I cut around the words, soaked the paper in a shallow dish of water to release the transfer film and placed one in the base of each bowl, face down.

Sponge gently to release any air bubbles, and place in the oven on a low heat for about 15 minutes. When the 15 mins are up, gradually increase the temperature over the course of 90mins until it reaches about 200 degrees C / 350 F; at that point the text will fuse completely to the ceramic and take on a glazed appearance like in the pictures above. Leave to cool and you’re ready to go!

Flushed with success, I found these quotes on Pinterest and used them to create messages-in-a-mug; they look lovely when used with fruit teas, where the message can shine through the berry or lime colours of the tea. They’d look equally good on the outside of the mugs too…

Of course you can transfer images too, which would also look lovely – a child’s drawing perhaps, or a photograph… but I do quite like my secret messages.

Have fun exploring this if you decide to give it a go (try on something inexpensive first whilst you master the subtleties of transfering and baking)…and let me know how you get on!

Have a great rest of the weekend, wherever you are and whatever you have planned…