DIY coasters

Every Christmas, I make tons of gifts for our family and friends. We still buy a few gifts, but making most of them by hand allows us to give more presents to our loved ones. Plus, handmade gifts make people feel special in a way storebought ones can't. I started seeing DIY coasters on Pinterest  months ago and had been dying to make some. They are easy to make and don't require a lot of materials. When Brian and I came across a huge box of 4in tiles at an estate sale I knew I would be making these babies for Christmas presents. Here's what you need:

4in square tiles

scrapbook paper

decoupage glue

foam brush

clear glaze

felt, cut into small squares

craft glue

Measure your tile and cut the scrapbook paper a little bit smaller than the tile. My tiles were 4 1/4 inches, so I cut the paper to 4 inches.

Brush decoupage glue onto your tile. Cover the tile with a nice thick, even coat. Then center your paper square on the tile. Gently smooth the paper from the center out to the edges. Work pretty quickly because it will dry fast!

 Brush another coat on top of the paper, in one direction, and let dry. Repeat. I did a total of three coats letting each coat dry about 10 minutes before applying the next.

Let tiles dry overnight. Take your tiles outside and lay them on a clean surface. Spray them with the clear glaze. (You may have to do a couple of coats of the glaze, just make sure it fully dries between coats.) Dry overnight.

The last step is to apply the felt squares to the bottom of the tile with a heavy duty craft glue. (Sorry, no picture here. I just bought a stiff piece of felt, cut it into small squares and glued one onto each corner.) Make sure you let this step DRY COMPLETELY before you stack your coasters or they will stick together! ....I speak from experience.

I probably made 20 sets of coasters.  I spent 4 evenings working on this project, doing one step each night. It was fun, inexpensive, and everyone LOVES their coasters!

You can find the tutorial I used here.