Make your own coasters.

I made these a really long time ago, but people seemed to like them so I thought I would make a little tutorial for them. It's actually very easy to do and doesn't take a ton of supplies (most of the supplies are cheap anyways.) This is a really fun way to use your kid's art..or your own!

I've seen people do this with photos as well, but make sure you are using actual photos or laserjet printouts. Preferably not inkjet copies. Otherwise the ink will smear quite a bit. If you must use inkjet printouts, spray them first with a polyurethane or a clear acrylic sealant a few times and let it dry. That should keep the ink from running. HERE is a great introduction to using mod podge.

Read more for tutorial!




Materials:

Small tiles, white or black. (mine were 19 cents each at Home Depot) Wipe clean with wet paper towel!
Cork board. Either a sheet or already cut to tile size. OR you can use felt. I think cork board looks cool.
Rubber cement or strong glue
Mod Podge (I used the Outdoor Mod Podge)
Art work, cut to tile size.
Clear acrylic spray sealant like THIS

I apologize that I don't have pictures of each step. I never planned on making this tutorial at the time!

1) Make sure that the cork board and art work is cut to the size of the tiles.

2) Apply rubber cement to bottom of the tiles and stick on the cork board pieces. Let that dry for however long it says on the rubber cement bottle. I can't remember right now.

3) Apply a thin layer of mod podge to the surface of a tile. (I would work with them one at a time.) Carefully place your artwork on top of the mod podge and smooth out the bubbles. I didn't have bubbles because I used really thick watercolor paper. Thicker paper is easier to work with. It might be wise to cut the artwork just barely smaller than the surface of the tiles so that there is no overhang and you have a really smooth seal. Let that dry for about an hour or until it isn't moving around.

4) Apply a thin layer of mod podge on top of your artwork. Please do a thin layer. If it's too thick the mod podge will never cure correctly.  Let it dry for about 15-20 minutes in between layers.

I did one layer of MP on top of Gemma's painting and then added my clipart. I think that the best way to add clipart like I did is to apply a thin layer on the back of the clipart and then stick it on (and smooth it out.) Apply another layer of MP for good measure, being sure to let it dry out enough between layers.

5) Wait at least two days. I've found the outdoor mod podge to be a little tacky, so give it a few days to dry. Some people even wait a month to let the mod podge fully cure. If after a few days, it still feels tacky, I would store them in a dry place and check them every few days. Then to finish them off, I highly suggest you add a few layers of clear acrylic sealant. Outdoor mod podge is great stuff, but it isn't 100% water proof. Since you will probably be placing sweating drinks on these babies, the sealant is a good idea.

6) Let them DRY.

Here are some close-ups of each one. Start now and give them as Christmas gifts!