Tile coasters

My back went out this past week and I have been a little less mobile.  I have a bad back and every now and then it suddenly goes out.  Don't know why, but carrying around cute little babies tends to make it worse.  But they are worth it.

So instead of tackling the big project in the master bathroom this week, I needed to keep my sanity with a little craft project.  Making these coasters was fun, easy and kid friendly.  And cheap!  Because I used supplies on hand, my total cost was 80 cents.  I found this project, once again, on Pinterest.  (Yes...I spend some time on Pinterest.)  The project had very few instructions but seemed simple.  I did, however, learn a couple of tricks along the way.

I found my tiles (4.25 inch by 4.25 inch) at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore for 10 cents each.  They are smooth ceramic which I think helps the paper adhere smoothly.  I found some extra scrap paper around the house, and began cutting it to the exact dimensions of the tile.  If I try this project again, I am going to cut my paper about 1/4 inch smaller than the tile.  The edges were not as smooth as I had hoped.  I think the extra space during the glue stage would help a lot.

You will need Mod Podge adhesive and some kind of clear coat varnish/poly.  I already had this liquid varnish on hand and it worked great.  I think that the spray poly would be MUCH quicker since it drys so quickly.  But you will pay more.  It costs around $7 a can.

Put Mod Podge on the tile and place your paper evenly on top.  I used three different types of paper - foil backed scrapbook paper, card stock style, and card stock style with raised embellishments.  Which is best?  I think the busy leaf pattern was the best since it hid any bubbles from the Mod Podge.  Even if you were to take a little scraper to the top of the paper and try to smooth out the glue before it dries, the foil backed polka-dots showed everything.  Texture and pattern seem to be key.


After it dried, I put liquid varnish all over the front and backs of the tiles.  I did 2-3 coats on the top, hoping that cold wet drinks would not ruin the paper.  Right at this point, the big kids came home from school.  So I decided to let them have fun with some of the tiles.  Can I tell you, they LOVED this project?  Especially being able to pick different papers and punching out the dragonfly shape.  This is the only punch that I currently own.  I will be buying more!

Mod Podge was coated everywhere.  I also let them use some glitter paint to put letters on the tile.  I was curious how well it would work and graciously let them use their tiles as the test subjects.

The last step was adding felt footers to the coasters.  You could use cork as well.  Again, I used some furniture pads I had on hand and adhered them with a hot glue gun.  Even though they have a sticky back, I didn't want them to come off.

This was fun, easy and has endless possibilities.  This will be a Christmas gift for someone next year!  I can't wait to get to the craft store and find more fun paper.  I loved that the kids got into this project.  They insisted on using their coasters at dinner last night.  You can see Caleb's neat and orderly layout of the dragonflies:

Abby wanted to put as many as possible on her coaster.  I had to convince her that they couldn't stick off of the edge:

All in all, it was a perfect project for a rainy day.  And I didn't go crazy laying on the couch, waiting for my back to stop hurting.  Watch out grandparents, a few of these coasters are coming your way.