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Monday, December 7, 2009

DIY Monogram Coasters from Tiles

It's Week 4 of the Dare to DIY party over at Newlywoodwards. This week our challenge was to create a homemade gift.


We usually try to give handmade gifts whenever we have ideas for making something ourselves. All of Lover's siblings are grown and married, and my brothers are quickly reaching the point where they're able to simply buy whatever they want for themselves. It makes Christmas shopping a little difficult, so we try to give handmade things that will at least have some sentimental value. Of course, we make sure that they're something useful, so we're not cluttering up their home with junk like I mentioned in this post.

Last Christmas I bookmarked this idea of DIY coasters from tiles. The original idea I found actually decoupaged photos to tiles for displaying them in your home. I've also seen many variations of using the tiles as coasters, and I decided to do my own take.


I liked the idea of painting a simple monogram onto the tile and then adding some felt feet to make them coasters.


I found boxes of 4"x4" travertine tiles at Lowe's. They're a really light neutral tan color, which I thought would be pretty in everybody's home. The boxes were about $5 for 9 tiles, so the projects was shaping up to be very inexpensive.


I wiped each tile off with a damp cloth to remove the tile dust. Then I printed out the first letter of the siblings names onto computer paper, and cut out each letter. I traced around the letter onto the tile, using the paper as a sort of reverse stencil.

If you have really steady hands you could handpaint the letter in. I don't, and I wanted to keep things simple, so I used a paint pen in a deep brown to color in the letters. I've always enjoyed coloring, so this part was really fun. :-)

When the paint was completely dry, I took all the tiles down to the basement. I flipped them all onto their backs and sprayed them with a light coat of acrylic sealer (also from Lowes) I let that dry for about half an hour, then flipped them back over and sprayed the fronts. The sealer makes the tile waterproof, protects the painted monogram, and keeps the tile from getting its dust all over everything.

I let them air out down in the basement for about two days, until they didn't stink like sealer anymore. :0) The last step was to take miniature felt circles and stick one to each corner. This protects each tile from the other, and also your fab table!


Pretty packaging is just as important as the gift itself. I tied each set of four coasters together with a pretty ribbon, and placed each set into tins that I found that were the perfect size. The total cost of the project was about$15 for four sets of coasters and about two hours total. Not bad!




Be sure to check out all the other fabulous projects this week at Kim's!

Linked to DIY Day @ A Soft Place to Land

19 comments:

Kim @ NewlyWoodwards December 7, 2009 at 6:02 AM  

So cute! I did something similar this year, although mine aren't done. I used a stamp on mine, but for .32/coaster, it's a very inexpensive, personalized gift. I'm sure everyone will love them.

I love how big your monogram is. I'm always scared to try painting, but I could probably handle a stencil.

Kim @ NewlyWoodwards December 7, 2009 at 6:02 AM  

PS - Thanks for joining in again, you are so crafty.

Rosie@Journey to Charm December 7, 2009 at 6:10 AM  

Sweet! I hadn't seen that idea before. Thanks for sharing. One can make them for different seasons, themes, etc. Then you'd have some for all occasions and get togethers. I have a bunch of old small leftover tiles just gathering dust. Thank you again. Rosie

Emily December 7, 2009 at 6:19 AM  

These are awesome - I love that you went with the paint pen, I don't have a steady hand, either. And the packaging is fabulous - you're just so together!

KatherineAnne December 7, 2009 at 7:00 AM  

These coasters are so cute! I am so impressed that you used a paint pen! Wow. Good job! Thank you for sharing :) Happy Monday!

ashley morgan December 7, 2009 at 8:06 AM  

Great idea. I need new coasters and it never even dawned on me to make them. And I always love a monogram!

Laurel @ Ducks in a Row December 7, 2009 at 12:18 PM  

I totally love how you package these! So cute.

nannykim December 7, 2009 at 2:03 PM  

A wonderful idea. I have some slate ones that are similar. What I need is some unbreakable kind now for when my grandbabies visit. I always have to remove my slate and ceramic ones.!! But I love your idea.

Mrs. 5C December 7, 2009 at 2:43 PM  

SO cute! And so something I can do! Thank you! :)

the fourth door December 8, 2009 at 5:07 AM  

Adorable! I love them!

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions December 8, 2009 at 8:49 AM  

I love this idea! I'd really like to make a set or two of these myself as gifts, but I better get a move on. I like your idea for getting the monogram on the tiles as I am not a steady hand either.

myrepurposedlife.blogspot.com December 8, 2009 at 4:28 PM  

I love how you did these! They will make wonderful gifts!
gail

Oonafey December 9, 2009 at 3:05 AM  

So great! This is perfect for my SIL and my cousin!

Emily December 9, 2009 at 4:14 AM  

I was planning to try this this year. So simple and pretty!

design_aholic December 13, 2009 at 11:08 AM  

I love the travertine tiles! I wanted to make some of these for coworkers, so thanks for the tutorial!

Glenda Reynolds October 22, 2013 at 11:03 AM  

If I wanted to use a paper picture on the tiles do you think the acrylic sealer would still work? What would you suggest using to attach the paper to the tile? I've never done this type of crafting before. Thanks!

Jennifer October 22, 2013 at 11:39 AM  

Glenda,
I wouldn't use the sealer for a paper photo. I would use Mod Podge. Have you heard of it? It's a glue like substance that dries clear and waterproof. You can buy it at any craft store or Walmart. Brush a thin layer onto the tile, lay your photo on top, and once it's dried, cover the photo with more Mod Podge. If you have trouble with the ink running, try using a laser printed photo.

wanda bingham October 8, 2014 at 6:49 PM  

I was wondering what kind of paint to use on this project?

Jennifer October 10, 2014 at 12:38 PM  

I just used an Elmers Paint pen. They're available at walmart and any craft store. They give you a lot of control and come in tons of different colors.

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