DIY Customized Cat Food Bowl

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In our home our pets are part of the family.  That is why we were eager to create this DIY Customized Cat Food Bowl for my daughter’s cat.  Using colorful paint pens and some glitter, we matched the bowl with her room decor.  Now Hermione has a customized food bowl with her first initial on it.

How to Make a Customized Cat Food Bowl

Supplies

• White Porcelain Food Bowl
• Sharpie Oil Based Paint Pens
• Stencil – optional, you may prefer to free-hand draw

Make sure that you use the oil based paint markers.  You can use regular Sharpie markers but they may fade or wash off.  I was able to pick up a solid white food bowl at Walmart for $0.88 which made this craft inexpensive.

I used a stencil for her initial.  To help hold the stencil in place I used scotch tape on both sides.  Since I was only tracing the letter H, it didn’t take very long so the stencil did not have to be perfectly secure.

After removing the stencil I went back over the H again to add a second coat of paint.

I thought it would be cute to paint a design on the inside of the bowl.  Now when Hermione is out of food my daughter will see a little message.

Once you are done painting your bowl, place it on a cookie sheet to go in the oven.  Turn your oven on 350 degrees while the bowl is already inside.  You want the bowl to heat slowly with the oven to prevent it from breaking.  Bake for 30 minutes.  This will seal the paint into the bowl.  Let the bowl completely cool inside the oven before removing.

After the bowl had cooled back to room temperature I decided to add some sparkle to the outside.

Supplies

• Mod Podge Dishwasher Safe Gloss
• Glitter – your choice of color
• Sponge brush
• Tape

Use your tape to mark off the area you want to apply glitter.  Make sure while taping your cat food bowl that you keep the lines straight.  This can be tricky when wrapping a round object.  You can also mark off an area in a design or shape of your choice.  It does not have to be a straight line of glitter.

Once you have firmly pressed down your tape it is time to add the Mod Podge.  I did mine in sections.

Sprinkle the glitter heavily on the Mod Podge.  As it dries you may see small areas where the glitter did not stick, simply add more Mod Podge and more glitter.

I dusted the excess glitter off onto a piece of paper and poured back into my bottle to save.

Once the glitter is completely dry, add a coat of Mod Podge on top.  Since you are using the dishwasher safe gloss, it will seal the glitter in and make your bowl washable without ruining the glitter.  You may need to add several coats to lock in all the glitter.  Let each coat dry for at least an hour between layers.  The Mod Podge will dry clear, although it goes on white.

Once it is dry, remove the tape.  Before adding cat food, wash the bowl with dish soap.

While shopping at Walmart for my supplies I picked up some IAMS™ Proactive Healthy Adult Dry Cat Food with Chicken to go inside her new customized food bowl.

New reformulation allows cat lovers to customize their cat’s nutrition through a well balanced lifestyle with IAMS™ dry & wet cat food and cat treats.

I just love how Hermione’s bowl turned out.  When the IAMS™ dry cat food is inside the bowl, the message is hidden.

We decided to grab several items to put together an Easter basket for Hermione.  Who says stuffed Easter baskets are only for kids?

IAMS™ now offers functional treats by targeting specific dietary needs—Hairball Care, Digestive Health, and Oral Care.  We picked up a couple of bags for Hermione’s basket.

I poured a bag of the IAMS™ Oral Care cat treats into a mason jar to place inside the Easter basket.  We also bought some toys with bells and balls that she loves.  My favorite are the little mice shaped balls.

Which IAMS™ products will you treat your cat to this spring? 

Share your feline stories and photos with IAMS™ by using hashtag #IAMSCat on social media.