Don't Throw Away A Broken Mug. Turn It Into A One Of A Kind Picture Frame Instead

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For the avid mug collector, few events disappoint quite as much as one of the cups in your collection meeting its untimely demise. If it's a small chip or break, glue can mend it. And for the really crafty at heart, even if the mug is broken into a million pieces, some form of adhesive can still mend it. Or at least, they can help repurpose it by transforming it into something else, such as a unique mosaic picture frame. Such a repurpose is a way to keep the keepsake out of the trash bin and near the rest of the prized mug collection.

This artsy mosaic DIY project starts with the broken mug. Gather up all of the pieces and put them into a plastic ziploc bag until you're ready to work with the mug. You'll need a hammer and a large piece of cloth to wrap the pottery in. The soon-to-be mosaic pattern can build its foundation on a 2-inch by 3-inch wooden picture frame from Dollar Tree. Or you can pick a larger size or reuse a frame you already have.

Thankfully, you won't need all the king's horses and all the king's men to put your scrambled muggy back together again. Instead, this project simply calls for a tube of E6000 craft glue, some grout (like this mosaic grout for crafts from WANJAO), a big sponge, and a bucket of water. The DIY also calls for a large sheet of used cardboard or an old shower curtain, as well as a pair of goggles and latex gloves. These items protect your eyes and hands and keep your work table grout-free as you craft this one-of-a-kind picture frame.

If the broken mug has been sitting around for a while and gathered dust, wash the pieces, being careful not to cut your fingers. Although the inspiration for this project is your old, broken mug, you can use any kind of broken pottery that you've stashed away for this purpose. It's safest to work with one piece of pottery at a time as you crush it up. Cover it with the old cloth and smash the heap with the hammer. If you're concerned about the shards flying everywhere, consider putting them inside an old cloth bag instead, or an abandoned pillowcase. You can try to isolate the patterns or pictures on the pottery that look interesting, if you'd like them to be featured in the mosaic pattern. A manual tile cutter can help here.

Disassemble the picture frame, removing the glass in front and the panel at the back. This allows you to work with just the frame without marring the rest of the piece. Arrange the pieces onto the frame, but don't glue them down yet. You may find that you need to arrange and rearrange them a couple of times before you settle on a pattern you like. Once you do, glue each piece down with some dollops of the E6000 glue. Once the adhesive dries, cover the tiles with the grout. Let it dry, and then dip the sponge in water and scrub over the broken ceramic pieces to wipe away the extra grout. Finally, reassemble the repurposed Dollar Tree frame and place your favorite photo inside.

Although this project provides you with an easy way to preserve your broken mug, you're not limited to that as far as materials go. You may want to add some embellishments, and there are a couple of options you could go for. If you have an old beaded necklace or bracelet or even a single earring, those pieces can be glued into the frame to personalize the DIY even more. If the broken mug and the jewelry belong to the same person, it's a thoughtful way to preserve memories for the person in question.

Another option you have is to highlight certain colors or themes in the broken ceramics. For example, say the mug embraced a surfing theme with lots of blue, adding a handful of flat blue floral marbles from Dollar Tree to the design will make the blues in the ceramic pop even more. Or you could really make the colors stand out by gluing some floral marbles in complementary colors onto the piece. 

Finally, if you have lots of tiles left over and are feeling inspired, why not create a series of mosaic frames to help you organize your family photos into a photo gallery? Add a decorative mirror or two to the DIY mosaic series for good measure. When it comes time to put the set together on a wall or display table, these cheap mirrored candle bases can work along with more frames from Dollar Tree for this DIY.