DIY Coasters

I was trying to figure out what to get my little sister (from Salem) as a wedding gift. I had purchased wine glasses off her registry but wanted something else. I stumbled upon an idea on Pinterest and decided to try it out. Seemed simple enough, and just what I was looking for.

I loved a few things about this project. First, the tiles were SUPER cheap ($0.33 cents each from Lowes), as was the felt backing ($0.99 from Michael's). Also, the gloss and ink were a little pricey, but now that I have them, it makes the next one even more cost-effective. The stamp I chose was a 4x4, which can be a little expensive as well but it was in the clearance bin. Win-win.

I started by cleaning off the tiles with a Clorox wipe, just to erase dust and grainy texture. My first attempt at the stamp went horribly wrong, as only half of it transferred. I anticipated this and had bought a few extra tiles, but I decided to try a Clorox wipe. LIFESAVER! It cleaned the ink right off! So nearly each tile had more than one attempt.

This is what they looked like when I was done. I liked that they were all a little different, and imperfect. I like the character it gives them, instead of being uniform. Once they were inked I let them dry a LONG time to make extra sure they didn't run. After they were dry, I took them outside and sprayed a coat of the gloss to seal the ink. I did three thin coats all together, letting them dry completely between coats.

You can see here that they have a little bit of shine to them. Perfect!

After they were good and dry, I cut the felt squares to add to the back (to make them more table friendly). Later I found the round felt "feet" (circles) and would love some of those for next time, but this stuff worked just fine.

Couldn't be simpler, just cut to fit, peel backing, slap on the bottom of the coaster. Voila!

I was really happy with the finished product, and they were a big hit at the shower on Saturday. Seems like a great housewarming or hostess gift as well when paired with a bottle of wine!