Have you heard of the latest social media craze? Well, the latest craze for mostly women who enjoy cooking/baking/crafting?? It is called pinterest, and if you enjoy any of the previously mentioned things, you should probably be on it. Essentially, pinterest can teach you how to do things you never knew you wanted to be able to do.
I learned about pinterest shortly before Christmas and it helped me remember that I enjoy making things. One of the very first things I found was a tutorial on how to make picture coasters. In fact, I decided that coasters with Ian and my disastrous photo shoot would be perfect for Ian's apartment, and therefore a perfect Christmas gift for him! I was also fairly confident that they were going to be AWESOME and that everyone would want some...so I decided to make some for my mom (and by some, I mean she got like 16 because who doesn't need 16 coaster?! Really, her family is just too big...) and for friends (although I still owe some friends some coasters...two months after Christmas isn't too late to give a present, right?!).
Ok, so here is how to make your very own picture coasters:
Go to your local hardware store and purchase some plain tiles:
Cut out your pictures and then, using a pencil, trace around your tile on the picture so you can cut it to size.
Using modpodge (which you can purchase at most hobby or crafting stores...or maybe Walmart), paste the picture onto the tile. Put a small amount of modpodge on the the tile and CAREFULLY place the picture on the tile. You won't really be able to move the picture once it's there...so seriously, be careful. On the very first one I did, I tried to smooth out a wrinkle and ended up rubbing off the whole picture...not exactly what I was going for.
Let the modpodge dry, and then modpodge the top of the picture. You can use a heavy coat, it drys clear.
Do three layers of modpodge on your tiles, making sure to let each layer dry completely before you add the next layer. I wasn't so careful with this every time, and that lead to some of the modpodge bubbling up.
I was annoyed that the back and sides of the tiles had a different texture than the top, so I also tried to modpodge the sides and back. In retrospect, doing the sides wasn't the best idea because I just glued the tiles to my board...so that was a pain. The bottom would have been fine had I been more patient with letting the tops dry completely...but a couple of those also glued to the board. Whoops!
After your modpodge is completely dry, spray the tiles with clear acrylic paint to seal them. You probably should do this outside...but it was winter in Kansas, so I did it in my spare room. I didn't die...but it was still probably poor decision making on my part. I sprayed the tops and bottoms (again, let them dry completely).
After the spray paint is completely dry, attach some felt to the bottom. I purchased some pre-cut felt circles at Joanne's Fabrics, and they worked well! You could also just cover the whole bottom in felt.
Then just tie them up and give them away (or set them out and use them). I love how these coasters turned out, and I think everyone I gave them to really likes them too! Here is one bundle of the finished products:
I learned about pinterest shortly before Christmas and it helped me remember that I enjoy making things. One of the very first things I found was a tutorial on how to make picture coasters. In fact, I decided that coasters with Ian and my disastrous photo shoot would be perfect for Ian's apartment, and therefore a perfect Christmas gift for him! I was also fairly confident that they were going to be AWESOME and that everyone would want some...so I decided to make some for my mom (and by some, I mean she got like 16 because who doesn't need 16 coaster?! Really, her family is just too big...) and for friends (although I still owe some friends some coasters...two months after Christmas isn't too late to give a present, right?!).
Ok, so here is how to make your very own picture coasters:
Go to your local hardware store and purchase some plain tiles:
(please ignore the blurry picture)
Using double-sided tape, tape plain white tissue paper to regular printer paper. It is very important that you get the tissue paper on the printer paper as flat as possible! Trust me...there will be paper jams if it isn't taped properly! After you have the tissue paper on the printer paper, just print off your favorite pictures.
Cut out your pictures and then, using a pencil, trace around your tile on the picture so you can cut it to size.
Using modpodge (which you can purchase at most hobby or crafting stores...or maybe Walmart), paste the picture onto the tile. Put a small amount of modpodge on the the tile and CAREFULLY place the picture on the tile. You won't really be able to move the picture once it's there...so seriously, be careful. On the very first one I did, I tried to smooth out a wrinkle and ended up rubbing off the whole picture...not exactly what I was going for.
Let the modpodge dry, and then modpodge the top of the picture. You can use a heavy coat, it drys clear.
Do three layers of modpodge on your tiles, making sure to let each layer dry completely before you add the next layer. I wasn't so careful with this every time, and that lead to some of the modpodge bubbling up.
I was annoyed that the back and sides of the tiles had a different texture than the top, so I also tried to modpodge the sides and back. In retrospect, doing the sides wasn't the best idea because I just glued the tiles to my board...so that was a pain. The bottom would have been fine had I been more patient with letting the tops dry completely...but a couple of those also glued to the board. Whoops!
After your modpodge is completely dry, spray the tiles with clear acrylic paint to seal them. You probably should do this outside...but it was winter in Kansas, so I did it in my spare room. I didn't die...but it was still probably poor decision making on my part. I sprayed the tops and bottoms (again, let them dry completely).
After the spray paint is completely dry, attach some felt to the bottom. I purchased some pre-cut felt circles at Joanne's Fabrics, and they worked well! You could also just cover the whole bottom in felt.
Then just tie them up and give them away (or set them out and use them). I love how these coasters turned out, and I think everyone I gave them to really likes them too! Here is one bundle of the finished products:
Cute baby!!!
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