DIY Ceramic Tile Coasters

Yesterday, I made a super simple craft at my Mothers of Preschoolers group -- DIY Coasters. Although I didn't design this particular craft, it is pretty similar in theory to the Hand-Painted Trivets that I shared at Life as MOM over the holidays. Like the trivets, these coasters are a kid-friendly craft too.

These DIY Coasters really are fast to make and can really be customized for the recipient. They'd be great as a housewarming, hostess, teacher, or even wedding gift.

At MOPS, we used scrapbook paper as the decoration, but you could get creative with another type of paper. You could try using:

• artwork from your kids
• family photographs
• maps of places you've lived or places you've visited
• printout of your favorite sports team's mascot or logo

A couple thoughts about paper and ink:

• A thicker paper will work better than a thin one. When you use Modge Podge, thin papers can tend to get a bit wrinkly when they're glued down and coated. A more cardstock type paper will hold up much better.
• If you print something from the computer, a laser print is a better choice than ink jet. Since ink jet uses a liquid ink, it may smear a bit when you coat it with Modge Podge. If you don't have a laser printer, print it or color-copy it at the photocopy store.
• If you're using original artwork made with markers, you might want to make a laser or color-copy for the above reason.

How to Make Custom Ceramic Tile Coasters

Supplies:

• 4.25" square ceramic tiles from the home improvement store 
• small circular felt pads 
• scrapbook paper
• pen or pencil
• scissors
• Modge Podge 
• foam brush

Directions:
Flip the tile over and place a felt pad near each corner on the bottom side of the tile. These pads will help protect your table surface from the scratchy underside of the tile.

Use scissors to cut the decoration out of your scrapbook paper. You can use a smaller square (as I did -- mine measured 3.75" square) to leave a bit of a tile border around the edge. At MOPS, the craft team made square templates for us to trace onto our paper. That made it very easy to trace a particular portion of the scrapbook paper for my coaster. But, you don't have to use a square -- trace shapes out of your scrapbook paper if you want to. Get creative!

Use the foam brush to brush some Modge Podge on the back of your scrapbook paper square or decoration. Affix it to the top of the tile. Press firmly to ensure that you don't have any air bubbles underneath. Double-check that the edges of the paper are firmly adhered to the tile.

Coat the entire top of the tile with Modge Podge. Allow to dry completely. (If needed, you can speed up the process with a hair dryer.)

Give the tile another coat of Modge Podge. If you wish, you can brush in the opposite direction to give a sort of "canvas" like brushstroke pattern. Allow to dry.