DIY Custom Coasters

I've been working on a bunch of coasters lately. Not really anything original or new, but lot's of fun to make and very practical to have around.  When I first started making these I realized there was going to be some trial and error to get them just right. Some of the problems I ran into were: too many wrinkles in the finished product and some real sticking problems after the coasters was completed.  I tried clear spray and polyurethane but the coasters still were sticky.  I finally tried Polycrylic and it worked perfectly.



Here is what I used:
1. 4" X 4" white tiles.  Plain, cheap tile .17 cents each at Home Depot.
2. Mod Podge-matte finish works best. (found that out the hard way). The gloss dries and remained too sticky.

3. Polycrylic by Minwax This is a must for coasters.  All the other finishing products do not prevent the Mod Podge from remaining sticky. So, if you stack the coasters, they stick together or if you place a hot drink on them, the cup sticks to the coaster.  The Polycrylic works perfect.  No more sticky Mod Podge.  I have always found that to be a problem when using Mod Podge. I also helps to allow them a few days to cure.

4. felt buttons for the bottoms of your coasters.  You can use cork too but for me, it was too much work.
5. Acrylic paints if you want to add some embellishments.
6. Decorative tissue.  I used tissue napkins for these, but you can also use decorative papers.

Here is the tricky part.  Getting that paper napkin onto the tile without a lot of wrinkles left on the tile.  How to do this? Applying the napkin a little at a time.....

Start at the bottom of the tile.  Apply a line (about 1") of Mod Podge and place your napkin onto the tile. Carefully (and I mean carefully with patience) smooth out the wrinkles with your clean, dry finger.  Continue up the tile.  Add one section at time until your tile is covered with the tissue. 

You only have a small window of opportunity to smooth out the wrinkles.  You won't be able to get them all out either, but it gives the tile character.
If the tissue was larger than your tile, don't worry, let it dry and use sandpaper to remove the excess tissue from the sides.

I landed up painting the sides with a coordinating paint.  Sometimes I added some hand painting to the coaster.

Apply two coats of matte Mod Podge on each of the coasters.

Let the tiles dry overnight and then apply 2 coats of the polycrylic. A small can of Polycrylic costs about $10.00.  Seems like a lot, but the can I purchased lasted a very long time. These coasters make great gifts.  They can be custom made for just about anyone that has an interest as you can see from the pictures.
 Here are a few that I just finished:


People seem to love the sports themed coasters. Just about anything goes!

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What is Shabby Chic decorating exactly? According to Wikipedia, Shabby chic is a form of interior design where furniture and furnishings are either chosen for their age and signs of wear and tear or new items are distressed to achieve the appearance of an antique. Accessible, affordable, comfortable and eclectic, this popular style features white painted furniture, painted motifs, colors, slipcovers and vintage fabrics.

And, yes I do love the look of Shabby Chic.

I've also noticed that other people love it as well. Let's face it, the vintage, eclectic look is back.  Granny's furniture is now looking very, very good. We no longer look to match everything exactly.  It's a free for all with decorating these days, and that bodes well for all of us!  Thrifty finds, garage sale treasures and furniture that can be converted into WHAT WE WANT, not what some furniture company wants us to buy. Lucky for us, right?
Here are some great examples.  These pieces of furniture probably looked a lot different at one time.

courtesy of: midwestcottage.blogspot.com

courtesy of:a1egyp.egptgiftshops.com

courtesy of: chippycharm.com




I've decided to make myself some Shabby Chic style, framed chalkboards. There was some trial and error involved....as usual, but I finally got a finished product that I liked.


Supplies Needed:
*1 (any size you like) wood frame.  I got mine at the Goodwill for $2.00.
*Spray paint.  Color is your choice. White, cream and robin's egg blue work nice with this style.
*wood cut-outs or embellishments.  Found mine at Michael's Craft store. 2 for $2.00
*black glaze.  Got mine at Lowes.  Valspar black glaze-$18.00.  Not cheap, but lasts a long time.
*large piece of chalkboard found at Home Depot. Measures 2' X 4' for $9.95.  Much more cost effective than buying the chalkboard paint!  I got four chalkboards out of mine.



Directions:

 1. Remove pictures and or glass from your frame.  lightly sand your wood frame.  Don't worry about dings and scratches-it's suppose to look old.

2. Glue on your wood cut outs.  Use a clamp to hold them.  Let dry.

3.  Spray paint your frame with the color you wanted. Let it dry over night. Here is one of the frames (the picture is sideways....ugh), but it has the wood cut outs added to the corners and it's spray painted blue.




Below is a closer view of the wood cut out.



4. Brush on the black glaze liberally.  Immediately wipe off with a rag.



Above is the frame with the addition of the glaze before it's wiped off.

5. Cut your chalkboard to the dimensions you need. I used a jigsaw to cut mine.  The chalkboard cuts very easily.  Sand the sides and then place into your frame. You can use staples or small nails to hold the chalkboard in place.  I my case, the stable were already in the frame.

Hopefully you already have a hook on the back, if not, just add one.

Your done!
Finished product shown below.
This one has the blue undercoat.

This one below has the white undercoat.

 And below......some little stained glass angels I made for our Christmas tree.

Cute, right?

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Thrift Store Find


I simple little project.  I found this "key" box in a local thrift store.  It was painted white and cost about $4.00.

I started by giving it a light sanding.  I do this so the new coat of paint will adhere.  It only needed one coat of ivory to get the look I wanted.

My next step was to use white and brown acrylic paint that I randomly applied to the front.

After the paint dried, I sanded just where I placed the white and brown paint for a distressed look.

The grand finale included a simple hand painted design on the front.  When you close the door, the design meets.

Now we have a place to store the keys!

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