Play: DIY Photo Coasters
I made these for Mother’s Day, but I didn’t get it up here in time for you this year. But you can do it for next year, or for a birthday, or Father’s Day, you name it. These are totally customizable and especially great for people who are hard to shop for.
Oh, and before I begin, I want to give a shout out to Bethany for inspiring me to do this. (Great presentation, by the way!)
So, let’s make some coasters!
First, you’ll need to gather your supplies.
Tiles
Scrapbook paper
Photos
Paint
Mod Podge or Elmer’s Glue-All and water
Spray Sealant
Felt
Foam brush
I made a set (actually several sets) of six coasters. Four of the tiles had pictures of my boys, and the other two had a handprint of each one. I got the tiles(4.25 in by 4.25 in) at Home Depot for $.16 a piece.
You can use the name brand Mod Podge stuff, or you can make your own with a 1:1 mixture of Elmer’s Glue-All and water. They say that both the glue or the mod podge is water resistant, but it will take a while (like a month) to cure. So, since I didn’t plan a month in advance, I gave the tiles a few coats of a spray sealant (just make sure you get full coverage coats). You could also paint polyurethane on the coasters after the mod podge dries.
For the photos, I got them printed at my local CVS. I got them in 4 by 6 size for about $.15 a piece. You can find better prices than this, but I needed the photos right away. I was told you need laser printed photos because inkjet will just smear when you paint over it.
After you’ve gotten your supplies, you need to back the tiles with felt. You can do a big square across the whole back, or you can do four little squares at the corners. You can glue it down with mod podge or you can use tacky glue like I did.
Next, you need to cut out your scrapbook paper and photos to fit the tiles. If you are painting handprints, do that now so that they have time to dry before you attach them to the tiles. And can I just say, getting a nearly four month old to open his hands to get a decent handprint that doesn’t involve a lot of smearing and paint in places you don’t want is HARD! So, for those of you that got one of these sets as a gift, appreciate it. 🙂
Then, you need to prepare the tile fronts by wiping them clean with a wet paper towel or rag.
Now, you are ready to start. Paint a thin layer of mod podge on the tile.
Then place the picture in the center of the tile and press firmly to smooth and get rid of any air bubbles. Let dry completely.
Then paint a coat of mod podge on top of everything. Let dry completely. Repeat one or two more times.
Once it is all dry, spray with a sealant at least two coats.
Then use them!
I love how they turned out, and even though I don’t really need coasters, I made a set for myself just because it’s a neat way to preserve photos. I can’t wait to look back at these in a few years.
I love these ideas! I'll have to try them out 🙂
Hello, Could you be more specific regarding the sealer? Also, are these heat proof? Thank you!
Cheryl
Hi Cheryl! The stuff I used was the one you can find on the following link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RMPT0C/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000RMPT0C&linkCode=as2&tag=pleagr-20&linkId=TQQB3DBL4VYPA2L3 I have to say that despite it being almost a year since I made these, I still have hardly tested them since I just like looking at the pictures rather than covering them with a glass. So I can't personally attest to how heatproof/waterproof these are. But, from what I found on the internet in my research before making this product, they should be. But if you are really worried, you can do a coat of polyurethane instead of the spray sealant. I haven't worked with it personally, but from what I understand, that should be a pretty serious barrier. Good luck!