everyday to extraordinary: make these tea cups for your next tea party

I recently visited the Children’s Museum of The Arts New York as a guest of American Express to learn about the new Amex EveryDay Credit Card (which I am an ambassador for). The current exhibit was all about the artful collection of everyday objects, and it reminded me that it’s possible to turn everyday things into extraordinary, perfect moments.

We love tea parties at our house. It’s one of those perfect things that Birdie and I both enjoy together: mommy-daughter time at it’s finest. But I’m not talking about pretend tea parties, though I’m sure they’re sweet too. Nope. We go all out. We have little snacks, lots of milk in our (caffeine-free) tea, and I even allow a little bit of sugar! The only problem is that I’m afraid most kids tea sets aren’t really food safe. I decided it was time to take matters into our own hands.

So, let’s take an everyday espresso set and make it something special. It’s such a quick project, and the results made Birdie’s face light up. Isn’t that what every mom wants to see?

What you’ll need:

• Espresso cups and saucers, like this Demitasse Set.
• Paint markers – I’ve heard DecoArt Glass Markers are the best, and the black marker I used glided on super smoothly.
• Gallery Glass Window Color paint for the cheeks.

What you’ll do:

1. Use a regular pencil to draw your faces onto the cups, and the feet on the saucers. If you make a mistake, it wipes right off with a fingertip.
2. Draw the faces and feet on with your black glass marker.
3. Add some of the pink window color paint to a scrap of paper, and use a brush to lightly add pink cheeks to your faces.
4. Follow the instructions on the marker packs – baking the cups and saucers in the oven to cure the paint.
5. You’re all done! Though I’ve heard this paint holds up in the dishwasher, I’d recommend hand-washing to preserve your hard work. Also, the paints themselves aren’t actually food safe, so keep them on the outside of the cups, and not near the rims!

Enjoy your future tea parties. We love using the Republic of Tea’s Strawberry Vanilla Tea, if you’re looking for something tasty to get you started! I’d love to know, what do you do to make your everyday items more extraordinary?

This post is a sponsored post. I am an American Express Card Member and an ambassador, chosen for the EveryDay Mom Blogger Program”. All opinions, as always, are my own.