How to Personalize a Dog Bowl

Add a little personalization and decor to your dog’s food bowl with this easy DIY project. Creating a personalized dog food bowl is a great project for a vinyl crafting beginner!

I am a member of the StyleTech Craft Design Team. I was provided product from StyleTech Craft for this post. This post may contain affiliate links.  See my full disclosure and privacy policy HERE. All opinions are my own.

After literally years of saying “no” to my family’s never ending request to get a dog, I finally gave in. It’s true, we are now the owners of this little lovely animal……..her name is Kesed. It’s Hebrew for “love, kindness, loyalty”. While my life was perfectly fine without a pet, she is pretty cute and I know my family loves her.

When my husband came home with all the must haves for a new puppy, I decided her food and water bowls needed some personalization. May as well make her feel welcome, right?

Over the years, I have used a lot of StyleTech Craft Vinyl. One that is always a good, reliable type is the Adhesive Glossy Vinyl. It cuts so well, weeds like a dream, is very durable, and comes in SO many colors. To add a little extra fun to this project, I also used the Color Change Vinyl in Sun Blue!

Supplies for Personalized Dog Bowls

• Food Bowls with a Smooth Surface
• Silhouette Cameo or Vinyl Cutting Machine
• StyleTech Craft Gloss Vinyl and Color Change Vinyl
• Weeding Tools
• Transfer Tape

Using a bowl with a smooth surface will allow the vinyl to easily adhere, and stay, on your surface. You do not want a rough or textured surface if possible.

How to Make a Personalized Dog Bowl

First, clean the surface of your bowls with rubbing alcohol and set aside. This takes off all the small dust particles that can get in the way of your vinyl adhering to the surface.

Second, set up your cut file in your software. For this project, I added a bit of a curve to my text. Since we are adhering it to a round surface, adding a little bit of curve to it lets it go on smoother and it “fits” better on your bowl.

Lay the vinyl, color side up, on the cutting mat. Using the cut setting for Glossy Vinyl for both types, send it through to cut. When it is finished, gently remove it from the cutting mat.

Next, weed the excess vinyl. I start with the large, outside piece and weed that off the backing. Then, I weed any smaller, inside pieces of letters or shapes. Using your weeding hook, dig the tip of your hook into a section of the vinyl that is NOT your design, and gently pull up.

Place a piece of transfer tape over your design, and gently smooth over it so it is sticking well to the design. Turn it over, and gently peel off the backing of the vinyl.

Finally, place the decal in the center of the bowl. Starting with the middle of the design, gently smooth it out to the sides as you apply it to the surface. Smooth over it firmly with your fingers, or a burnishing tool. Starting at the corner, at an angle, gently peel back the transfer tape.

Repeat this process on the second bowl.

That’s it! When creating a decal for an indoor/outdoor project, it’s important to use a sturdy vinyl. That is why I chose the basic, glossy vinyl from StyleTech Craft, and the Sun Vinyl. It needs to be durable, and survive getting wet or being moved around when she goes outside for the afternoon. The Sun Vinyl is UV reactive, and changes color right in the sun.

How cute are those bowls? They are very, very easy to make. And, it’s a nice way to spruce up your area where your pet eats.