DIY: Coasters
I am completely obsessed with this next idea, and actually, just might go make these adorable coasters myself to have in our office! Also love the idea of making each bundle different, with modern graphic prints. GREAT way to add a pop to your decor.
Here is the play by play…
From the crafter…I think these favors are appropriate for our current economic situation. With each set of four coasters costing about one dollar (mine were a little less), I think it would be difficult to find favors for this price.
I was first inspired by glass coasters that Martha Stewart featured on her website. When I investigated these, however, each piece of glass was going to cost almost $7. I tried lots of ways to achieve the look without the cost, though this this was my final idea. Enjoy!
Materials
Home Improvement Store:
-Square ceramic tiles (mine were 16 cents each and 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″, although you may find variations in sizes between stores)
Craft Store (Don’t forget about the 40/50% off coupons! S ign up for the email list!)
-Decoupage glue, I used Mod Podge (or craft glue to dilute with water at a 1:1 ratio)
-Paper- can be scrapbook, cardstock, leftover invitations, monogrammed napkins, copies of love letters or song -Foam brushes
-Felt for backing coasters. You can use rolls of thin cork board, which will increase your cost slightly. Cork does make it easier to achieve a clean, professional look.
-Paper cutter
-Heavy-duty glue
-Ribbon or raffia for tying, or small appropriately-sized boxes. Even paper cut into thin strips and glued.
-Waterproof acrylic sealer, in a spray or paint can
A note about what paper you choose:
You can order extra paper from your invitation supplier to make sure that your coasters coordinate. This way, they are clearly associated with your wedding. You can also stamp any logo you may be using onto your paper in waterproof ink. I kept mine black and white so they would match with most people’s home decor, but there are so many amazing patterns available! Scrapbook paper comes in large packs that are all pre-coordinated, which takes the guesswork out of which papers to choose. Finally, you can choose to stamp directly onto your tile with an ink like Staz-On, which you can color with ceramic or glass paints and then cure. This would work especially well if you had a custom stamp made for your wedding.
Instructions
1. Clean the tiles with alcohol to remove smudges/fingerprints. Be sure you’re working on a non-stick surface like plastic or vinyl. The decoupage glue WILL stick to newspaper or cardstock! (That’s it’s intended purpose.)
Optional: The grooves on the sides of each tile can be sanded down. I like the way they look, though. They can be painted, or sponged with waterproof ink before adding your paper. They can be gold-leafed or covered in ribbon at the end of the process.
2. Cut your paper into squares 1/4″ smaller than your tile. Have a stack of these cut to expedite the process.
3. Brush the tile with decoupage glue. Use a generous coat, since you want all parts of your paper to bond permanently. You must work quickly, as it begins drying immediately. Decoupage glue is NOT very forgiving!
4. Center your paper on the tile. Press the paper to the tile firmly, beginning in the middle and working your way outwards, eliminating air bubbles. Pay extra attention to the edges. These must adhere well, otherwise the paper will peel. Allow this layer to dry, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Apply a layer of decoupage glue to the top of the paper. Make sure your brushstrokes are uniform and run in only one direction, as you will be able to see them (lightly) when the glue dries. Allow this layer to dry 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Brush another layer of decoupage glue over the coaster. You can make your brushstrokes in the same direction or the opposite direction (horizontally). The latter will produce a hatchmark effect.
7. Continue adding layers of decoupage glue until you are satisfied with the look. I used three. Then repeat the process of sealing with waterproof acrylic sealer, brushing on a layer and allowing it to dry. If using spray sealant, follow directions on the can. With either, make sure you are in a well ventilated area and you follow the precautions on the product! I wait at least one day before adding the sealer to make sure that my coasters are thoroughly dry. Each sealer has a different curing time; check yours for the appropriate number of hours/days it will take to dry.
8. When the coasters are completely sealed and dry, cut the felt to the appropriate size to match your tiles. Use the heavy-duty glue to affix the felt square to the bottom of the tile. Most heavy-duty glues require adequate ventilation! Again, be sure to follow manufacturer’s directions and precautions. The same process applies to the use of rolled cork board. Wait a few days before packaging to make sure that the adhesive no longer has an odor.
9. Stack and package your coasters. Add a tag with a printed message, or place a larger poster-style message on the table where these will be displayed inviting guests to take a set. “Next drink’s on us!” or some variant of “Coasting through marriage.” A cute or humorous set of instructions would also work.
Alternate ideas/Additional Considerations:
*These look beautiful when they are placed in a grid arrangement next to each other, especially when arranged in the pattern of the original paper. These can be used as a part of your table centerpieces if they are placed under a flower or other arrangement. They would look amazing used as a runner down the center of a long table. You can leave a note for guests instructing them to help themselves to their favorite four if you choose to display them this way.
* Each set doesn’t have to be identical! It actually looks even cuter if you mix and match!
* Consider making each coaster one letter of a four letter word, like LOVE or LIFE. You can use die cuts or stickers over paper.
* Tiles are available in larger and smaller sizes, as is paper. I saw 16″, 12″, 8″ and 6″ square tiles. The same process can be used to personalize these, which can be incorporated into other areas of your wedding.
* Consider punching paper with various punches to create an eyelet or papel picado look. Some scrapbook paper is cut to look like lace.
* Many craft stores sell rub-on images and letters that can be applied to the tiles and then sealed.
* Don’t forget the elements that personalize the coasters. Use monogrammed initials, stickers, etc. to ensure that they are a coordinating part of your day.
* If you don’t love the unfinished edges, the paper or fabric can be cut long enough to cover the edges. Just fold the paper/fabric over the edges and tuck under the bottom side of the tile. The felt or cork will cover the rough edges.
297 Comments about “DIY: Coasters”
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These are incredible! What a great idea!
this is the BEST idea! they look so professional!
I love this idea, I am going to have to give it a try!
Genius! This would make a great gift, too. You could even print a monogram on the paper.
VOTE
Vote!
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vote! This is awesome! I already bookmarked this page for my wedding someday... a few years off. : /
Vote
vote!
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VOTE. How clever, what a great idea!!!
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Love it! VOTE
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vote.
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vote
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Vote!! These are beautiful (I am completely not crafty enough to do this, but I can dream...)
VOTE!
vote
Hey! I linked to you on the Threadbanger blog cause I loved this craft so much! Great work: http://www.threadbanger.com/post/11738/diy-graphic-coasters-style-me-pretty
Vote!
VOTE
Vote! Fantastic idea and love that it's an economical choice for favors!
i would love to see one more pretty picture of the finished product all wrapped up or tied up or however they are to be handed out, though i kind of like the idea of saying just pick your favorites from the display. really great instructions. i would def do this at least for myself!
nevermind... i just scrolled my screen up and got exactly what i wanted, sorry about that. oh well, one more chance to say i like them! lol
Vote!
I am in no way crafty at all, but I would love to try this project!
VOTE
VOTE!
wonderful idea- vote.
Wow..these are amazing!! I absolutely love it. You've got my vote for sure!!! VOTE
Vote
I love em!! you've got mine: VOTE
VOTE! This project is simple, wonderful, pretty and creative all at the same time. I just love it!! :)
vote:)
VOTE
MY FAVORITE! VOTE!!
SO CUTE!! VOTE!
VOTE, LOVE THESE!!
Vote. Love these!
Awesome coasters! VOTE!
These are great! VOTE.
I love them so much I am voting for them twice! VOTE!
I think I am going to steal this idea for my special day! VOTE!
VOTE!
Vote
vote!
VOTE!!
VOTE!!!
Vote
Vote for these!!!
I've made coasters like these but painted on them with chalkboard paint. Could be a fun interactive favor for your guests!
This is amazing! VOTE!
Again, I say VOTE!
BEAUTIFUL! I will recommend this to my friends.
How pretty!
WOW! I need these for my 25th wedding anniversary. They are beautiful.
vote
Vote!
Vote!!
VOTE!!
VOTE!!
VOTE !!!
Fabulous! Vote!
Look out Martha! VOTE!
Great idea! VOTE!
Beautiful Iwill definately make these-you have my vote!
I vote again! Love these.
I'm SO making these! Vote.
Again, vote!!
These are awesome-Vote!!
Vote
These are sooo cute!! Vote
Vote
Great idea, Vote!
Vote!!
I love these--Vote!!
Vote!!
These are great-Vote
Vote!!
Very cute and creative!-Vote
Very affordable as well--awesome--Vote
Wow! VOTE
LOVE the aclectic prints! VOTE!
Very nice! VOTE
i love the idea of walking into someones home and seeing that they are using something from our wedding... so sweet! VOTE, please! really great project... really great instructions. good job!
Beautiful idea, awesome instructions, and nice presentation!
VOTE
Vote! It's a great gift. I will pass it on to my granddaughters.
Vote! Unique idea for a wedding rememberance.
Nice work! VOTE!
They look very professional! VOTE!
A perfect idea at a very low price. VOTE!
These coasters are too cute! VOTE!
This is such a cute idea. Great job. you've got my vote!
VOTE!!!
Vote!
Vote!!
VOTE! i'm making this my spring break project
VOTE!!
VOTE!! pretty project, very interesting
VOTE!
VOTE!!
Love these. Vote!
I'm definitely going to keep these in mind for my own wedding.
Vote.
VOTE! so creative!
vote vote vote
vote
go vote!
These are gorgeous - you have my vote!
Yes I vote for these- you have excellent taste!
What a great idea!!!!!!
Too Cute! I love this! VOTE!!
VOTE
Vote!!
beeeeeetch - VOTE!
Really cute- Vote!!!!
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VOTE!
Vote !!!!
Great idea- Vote
VOTE!
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Vote
VOTE!!!
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V O T E !!!!!!
Very nice - Vote
I will give you my vote! Vote
VOTE!!!!!!!!!
vote :)
Here is my VOTE!
This is a great idea for my daughter's wedding in August. Vote
too cute vote
These are great, and the directions are so clear. Vote.
VOTE!
I love it
I am going to make a few of these just to try it out. Vote.
Vote.
Nice work... pretty ingenious!
VOTE
Vote. I love the ideas about personalizing them for your own event. So easy but beautiful!
I love this idea. It's simple and easy with so many possibilities. Love the low cost!
~ Cathy
Vote... I love it
Vote
Vote
These coasters are a super idea for wedding favors. YOU ROCK!!
These are the cat's pyjamas!
vote
Super.
VOTE!
VOTE!
These are really neat!! Vote!
Very creative VOTE!
These are sooo cute-VOTE!
Definitely try these!-VOTE
Beautiful-VOTE
Very creative=VOTE
Cool idea-VOTE!!
My fiance will love these-VOTE!
I love this idea--Vote!!
The best part is you can choose any color and design you want--awesome-VOtE
Simple and sophisticated--VOTE!!
VOTE!
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Very nice!
VOTE
I'd like to try this...perhaps Christmas presents?
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Amanda you are the best!!!!!!!!!! I vote for your lovely tiles.
I vote for these tiles!!!!!
I vote for this beautiful tile.
This is the best i have even seen!!!
i vote for this one it is beautiful!!!
It is beautiful! I vote for this!!!
I vote for this! It is beautiful!
I LOVE THIS IT IS BEAUTIFUL! I vote for this one it is the best!
I love this!! I vote for this one!!!!
You have my vote.
I do not like it.....I love it!!!!!!! U have my vote.
u hav my vote!!
Love these. Vote!
These are beautiful and practical.
Vote.
Vote.
Vote. Wish we would've had these at our wedding!
Vote!
Vote again!
Vote.
One more vote.
The crafter really has hit on her hands. Her cute little brown hands. I just love it! Love it, love it, love it!!!!
These are just wonderful. Dear crafter, if you ever need a job I know where to get a lotta money for you!!!
You've go my vote.
VOTE VOTE VOTE
I just can't get enough. I had to come back to this site. I'm headed to Michael's as I type this. I don't even need a reason to make this nifty little diddy. I'm on my way. This is offically the week of D.Y.O.C. Do Ya Own Coasters.
I gotta
VOTE VOTE VOTE
Wow, those coasters are HOT! VOTE!
Can you make me some? VOTE!
VOTE!
Put me down for another VOTE!
VERY cute idea, I want to try it! VOTE
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VOTE1
VOTE!
VOTE! Cool website, too.
VOTE! Thanks for this great idea! Can't wait to get started on them! Nothing more enjoyable to do on Saturday than craft! Cheers!
VOTE! Seriously, though, these have changed my life. And great, easy-to-follow directions! Thanks, again!
Vote! These are superb!
VOTE! Thanks! I'm gonna totally use them for my upcoming adoption shower!
Vote!!! Love em!
Vote!
Vote!!!!
VOTE!!!
Easy, breezy, beautiful - vote!
Vote!
Vote!!
vote!
Vote!
Vote. I will share these with my friend who is getting married soon!
Vote #2.
VOTE!
vote!
votes =]
voteee
vote [=
*votes* :)
vote
you need to "teach" me how to make these! VOTE!
Vote. Love them.
Vote!
It's still not midnight in California. Vote. Vote. Vote.
Vote again!
VOTE
Where did you get the paper that's in the biggest photo/center of top photo? Do you happen to remember the brand? I LOVE it. Reminds me of peacock feathers without actually being peacock feathers. :)
Amazing and so customizable!!!
VOTE!!
Kim
Lilly Wedding
http://lillylynnevents.blogspot.com
these is such a great idea that i am using them for my wedding too. I'm half way done, but I tested them by putting a hot mug on them and they stick. any suggestions?
Hi Recia. If you read this, you need to wait for the tiles to completely dry/cure. I think I read somewhere that this could be up to two weeks. Hope this helps!
Loved this idea, started the project, and they are fantastic :)
I have a question -- Where can I get the ceramic tiles for that cheap? I'm seeing them on the HomeDepot site for about $1.12 each, and that looks like the cheapest square tile they have... Help!!!
Chelsea--I looked online at Home Depot and only saw that price as well, but went to the store and they were 16 cents each!
I just found the tiles today at Lowe's for 14 cents each! I'm using the felt that already has a sticky side, instead of gluing.
I'm excited about how it will give my wedding a personal touch!
This is the BEST idea!!!! I am SO excited to start!!! THANK YOU!
The tiles I bought have grooves on the bottom (I got them from Lowe's) - is this going to make it super difficult to attach the felt or cork?
Waahhhhh... I inherited a huge lot of old New Yorker covers, which I have been so excited to use, and this project seems perfect! I followed the instructions as given, although more slowly - over days. Anyhow, I completed the last step of gluing on cork bottoms this weekend. After they were good and dry, I stacked the coasters and moved on. Today I was SO sad to discover that the coasters (not the top one, but those stacked underneath) had "sweated" somehow, and the paper under all those layers of mod podge and polyacrylic seemed wet and faded. (I can see through to the back side of the page - like wet paper).
Has this happened to anyone else? The only source of moisture I can think of is the glue - I used an Aileens tacky glue kind of thing. I'd really love to figure out what went wrong before I invest the time into making more...Any advice would be so welcomed!
Thanks:)
These are just fabulous and will really be a perfect touch to my wedding...especially since I'm also ordering koozies for the bar! Can you possibly tell me where the peacock feather paper is from???
I love this idea! My step-brother made a variation of these as Father's Day gifts last year. However, instead of using patterned paper, he used phtographs of the grandchildren on his tles and they were wonderful. The family loved them and they are in great shape over a year later.
My husband's father treated himself, my husband, and his other son to their dream trip this past summer: a two week water rafting trip down the Grand Canyon. The pictures are breathtaking, so I plan tomorrow to make a set of coasters for each one of them that feature pictures from their trip. We are using a more expensive tile (travertine from Italy-almost $6 a tile but gorgeous), but it truly suits the look of nature/The Grand Canyon and will be well worth it to us.
There are so many versitile options for the coasters here-love them!!
Did anyone ever find out where she got that "peacock feather" design paper??? I would really love to use these, as that's my theme for my summer wedding... thanks!
Hi Andrea. If you happen to check this out before your wedding, the peacock paper was from a company called SEI. I bought it as a paper stack over a year ago at Michaels. I know Michaels doesn't sell it anymore, at least in my area. Sorry I couldn't be anymore help.
~Amanda
If any one is planning on doing this the tiles are on sale at lowes for 12 cents each! :-)
I absolutely love this idea. Would patterned wrapping paper work as well as normal paper? Has anyone tried this? I would love to find out if wrapping paper would work as well.
Hey I've just been making these like mad, and after a lot of mess ups I've finally gotten a routine down.
Patty: yes you can do wrapping paper, I did that first cuz that's all I had and it works great, BUT be careful, since the paper is so thin and shiny (not like tissue paper that is porous and better for decopauge stuff) you have to watch out for bubbles and wrinkles. It does make pretty coasters though. Normal paper works great too, but I had a major issue with printing off my own photos of flowers I had taken, I have an ink jet printer and even after spraying them a few times with sealant they still BLED BAD!!! So needless to say a few of my coasters turned out the wrong color. Laser printing you prob won't have such a hard time if you print your own stuff. Best things I've found that works is craft paper (card stock) for scrap-booking. Sturdy, but you have to do a few more coats of mod podge and make sure with any paper to actually do three coats with the polycrylic, and no matter how much you want to touch the coasters or try to use them 24 hours or even three days after thinking they are dry -- DON'T!!!! lol, My advice, if you do these, and you actually want them to be useful instead of just pretty, make sure you let them dry at least 2 weeks fully before packaging up and giving away or using for yourself. :) Tempting, but with all those coats of mod podge and varnish it just is still too soft under the final coat and will leave a coffee mug ring, even after a week :) Good luck!!!
I'm doing these for my wedding in November. It's a long, slow process, but they are too cute to pass up! Thanks for the great idea!
I saw someone selling these today, and immediately came home to learn how. Guess what all of my friends will be getting for Christmas??
If you have a Habitat for Humanity Restore near you, check them out for cheap tiles (and help out a great cause while you're crafting!)
Check the dollar store for little cork stickers...they are perfect for this project and so cheap!
Also, I used pictures of my boyfriend and me by the ocean in the ones I made. I added a little quote on white paper to each of them *e.g. some Elton John ones, "how wonderful life is while you're in the world," and "yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen"), which really popped against the blues in the pictures and the white edges of the tile that I left exposed around the pictures. They look homemade, yet very lovely and romantic. I know my boyfriend is going to LOVE them!
Would this work with printed pictures (on photo paper or on regular paper?) of wedding guests as thank you's instead of cardstock?
I love these! I made a set for myself and they work so well and are so pretty! My sisters have asked for some now too. Wonderful!
Hey! I've tried these and my paper peels off the tile (because it's slick). Any ideas?
Hi, Im getting ready to try this project. Can I use Semi gloss? Satin? clear gloss? gloss? Has anyone tried these? I need to know what to buy and not to buy. Thank you.
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Hi everyone! I just bought all the supplies to make these but I'm worried I got the wrong sealer. I got the Mod Podge Clear Acrylic Spray. Has anyone used this? Couldn't find any sealer that said "waterproof" and the polyurethane sealer (which was $16?!) said it was for wood, so I got confused. I don't want them to stick so I'll exchange my sealer if necessary. Thoughts??
Heya i am for the primary time here. I found this board and I find It truly helpful & it helped me out much. I am hoping to give something again and help others such as you helped me.
this is really a cool idea!
These are so fun to make! I made some for my blog last week! You can check mine out here and leave a comment for a chance to win a set!
http://www.paintsandpans.com/2012/01/23/diy-coasters/
Cheers!
Natalie