My Tile Coaster OBSESSION

It started with my need for something to prevent those dreaded condensation rings, and ended up with me making dozens and dozens of personalized tile coasters. 

Why did I get addicted? Because these at homemade coasters are cheap, easy to make, and they look awesome! I started by making a set to use at home, then I made a set for my mom, then one for my boyfriend's mom, then I made set for Halloween, then I made some for Christmas baskets, and then and then and then...you get the picture.

So here's what you'll need: 

Tiles: You can get plain white ones for $.16 at home depot! 
Mod Podge: Or the generic brand decoupage glue featured in my picture, it was $2 cheaper than the Mod at Michael's 
Scrapbook paper: or really any other type of paper product with a pattern you'd like to use
Felt: cut it into dime sized circles
Waterproof Spray: I used Mod Podge brand, but really any will work
Foam Brushes: or a medium sized paint brush
Scissors: to cut your paper, duh! 
Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
Also Pictured, but not essential: Lemon heads - I always get some when I'm at Michael's because nobody else sells them, and they're crazy delish. Diet Coke - because it's good to stay hydrated while crafting. Friday the 13th part 3 - because my boo and I needed something to watch, and what's better than Jason Vorhees in 3D? Having an adorable dog to invade all your pictures also adds to the experience!  

Now lets get started! 

• Pick out the paper you want to use for your coasters. If you're using scrapbook paper you may want to cover the entire tile, if so trace your tile on the paper, and cut it out to size. I also really liked using paint samples from the hardware store to make a mosaic, and for my holiday coasters I ended up using a variety of stickers and scrapbook paper. For the Christmas coasters I even ended up cutting out pieces with Christmas messages like Jingle Bells.

 

• Once you've got all the paper pieces you'll be using for your coaster, put a light layer of Podge on your tile, and apply your paper. If you are doing a background with a scene on it like the Winter Wonder Land coaster above you will want to apply the first piece of paper, and then do another light layer of Podge before applying your details.

• Work quickly! You've got about 45 seconds to get everything positioned correctly, so you will want to make sure that everything is ready to go once you podge, especially if you're planning to do a pattern or design on your coaster. Let your coasters dry for about a minute before moving on to the next step.  

• Once the podge has dried enough that your paper won't slide around, add another layer of podge over the top of your tile. For best results use a thin layer and make sure to use even strokes with your foam brush. After this step your tile will look something like this: 

• Let your coaster dry until the podge is completely clear. This should take about an hour, but I normally like to let mine dry over night.
• Once your coaster is dry enough, seal it using your waterproof spray. I like to take mine outside to spray as the fumes can get a little crazy. Make sure to follow the directions on the can! I like to do two or three layers of sealer, letting them dry for about 15 minutes in between layers. Let your sealer dry for at least an hour.
• Cut your sheet of felt into little circles.

• Using your hot glue gun, apply a felt circle in each corner on the underside of your coaster

• You're done! There are a ton of different things you can do to make your coasters, so feel free to get creative with it. Here are some of the ones that I did:

Made with one solid piece of scrapbook paper

 Scrapbook paper and mosaic made with paint samples

These are stickers, pieces of Halloween greeting cards, and random Halloween party favors

Happy Crafting!!