This Christmas, I made some custom coasters for my boyfriend's parents.
It's a pretty easy project, the hardest part is that you have to get it done early so that they are completely dry before you give them as a gift.
Supplies:
-Square tiles (4" x 4")
-Cork
-Spray enamel (I used Rustoleum clear glaze)
-Pictures
Step 1:
Cut the cork to fit on the back of the coasters. The cork that I used was already sticky, so I didn't need to glue it!
Here's a picture of the cork- I found it at Home Depot with the shelf liner and contact paper.
Step 2:
Print and cut out the pictures that you want to put on the coasters.
Step 3:
Use a glue stick to lightly stick the pictures to the tiles. Make sure they are lying flat on the tile and they don't have any edges sticking up, otherwise they won't look as clean.
Step 4:
Spray the coasters with a thick coat of spray enamel. Let dry. Repeat. And then repeat again. And again.
I think I sprayed them 4 or 5 times of the course of two days.
Make sure that you don't let any hairs or pieces of dust get stuck in the wet enamel- if you do, use a toothpick to get it out right away!
Step 5:
Let them dry for a very, very, very long time.
I finished mine on a Tuesday and on Friday I had to wrap them in tissue paper and bring them across the country. They felt dry to the touch, but the acrylic hadn't completely set. When we opened them up again, they had imprints from the tissue paper in the acrylic. I would recommend giving them AT LEAST a week to dry.
And the finished product...
You can make a coaster like this using pretty much anything!
I have used paint chips on a set (which we still use after almost two years!) and I made a set using dried flowers from a wedding bouquet.
These Jayhawk coasters turned out pretty well though!
