Decorated Yeti Cup or Tumblers with Pictures, Mod Podge & Glitter!

Learn how to make a personalized decorated yeti cup or any other stainless steel tumbler by adding water slide decal pictures to them.

Hi Friends!  I have another glitter tumbler tutorial for you today but this time I tried something different - Mod Podge instead of epoxy! 

I wanted to see how a tumbler with mod podge would hold up since it is much cheaper and easier to make than the epoxy. 

I also wanted to show you how to make a decorated yeti cup or Ozark tumbler or any stainless steel mug using your own pictures. 

So you don't even need a cutting machine to make a personalized tumbler (but I still recommend getting one because they are SOOOO awesome!!  You can read all about all the amazing things you can make with a Cricut here).

Materials for Decorated Yeti Cup / Stainless Steel Mug

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links from Amazon. and/or Walmart. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link.

• Stainless Steel Mug of your choice - I like Ozark Tumblers or Mossy Oak
• Mod Podge - gloss
• Water slide paper - I use the inkjet one since that's what kind of printer I have!
• Crystal clear enamel - I got mine at Wal-mart
• Extra Fine glitter of  your choice - I used white so the pictures would show up better
• Wet Sand Paper

You can always browse my Amazon storefront with my complete DIY Tumbler supply list.

Painting a Tumbler Mug

The first thing you'll want to do is paint your tumbler.  Put a piece of painters tape around the top rim. (If you'd like to watch a video on how I apply tape to a tumbler click here.)

I tape off the top of my tumblers so my mouth doesn't touch the mod podge or glitter part.

I use spray paint (Rustoleum gloss protective enamel) instead of using 2 or 3 layers of glitter but that's a personal preference.  I just spray the upside-down tumbler as I walk around it about 4 times. 

If you'd like to see a video of how I paint a mug with a turntable click here.

Using Mod Podge on a Tumbler

Once it's dry, apply a smooth layer of mod podge and then start pouring on glitter all around the cup so that it's fully covered.

If you'd like to see a video of applying the mod podge glitter, go to my tutorial by clicking here.

Remove the tape and let the cup dry upside down.

Once it's dry, tap the cup to shake off any extra glitter and use a dry paintbrush to also remove the extra glitter by sliding it down the cup all the way around.

Apply tape again to the top rim and then apply a layer of gloss Mod Podge like you did before and let dry.

Remove the painter's tape so it doesn't dry with the glue on it, which makes it harder to come off. 

Once it's dry, sand it with wet sandpaper.  Spray the bottle with water and then gently sand it up and down to make smooth.  (I found the wet sandpaper in the automotive department of Wal-mart)

Prepare Pictures to Add on Tumbler

You can prepare your printed decals at any point during your drying times.  (Check out my post here on how to design water slide decals in CDS or google slides!)

Pick out whatever pictures you want, size them, then print them on the glossy side of water slide decal paper.  Or you can use a Cricut print then cut feature.

Let them dry and then spray a layer of crystal clear enamel over all the pictures.  Let them dry for 30 minutes or so and spray another layer. 

Repeat for the third layer and then let them completely dry and then cut them out.

It's super easy to attach the water slide decal paper to your decorated yeti cup.  Make sure to watch the video on the top or side to see it in action!

After I applied them I added another layer of the gloss mod podge to just the pictures.

On the other side, I added a shadow layer Monogram cut with my Cricut.  Check out my video tutorial here on how to make a shadow layer for text!

Once everything is dry you'll need to add another few layers of gloss mod podge about 30 minutes apart. 

Apply the tape a mm or two above your glitter line so that you seal the glitter edge. 

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I also added a layer of this gloss glaze spray to add extra gloss in between the layers of mod podge but this is an optional step.  Remove the tape before the final layer of mod podge dries.

There you have it!  A way to make a decorated Yeti cup or Ozark tumbler without having to use epoxy. 

As you can see from the pictures, it's not as smooth as epoxy but it still works and actually has a nice texture to it!

The photos are blurry in this picture because I was trying to get a good pic of the sparkles in the glitter!

Another way to add waterproof pictures to a tumbler is by sublimating a tumbler blank.

Make sure to check out my post here on how to epoxy glitter tumblers.  It's not as hard you might think! 

Also, if you want to see my complete guide to personalizing tumblers from beginner to advanced click here!

Thanks for stopping by and have a creative day,