Saturday, April 7, 2012

Coaster Crafts & Photo Editing


well hello there! It's been a while, how ya doing? I've become so addicted to Pinterest lately that my blogging has taken a real backseat. I have so many updates on my life to do but right now I'm taking the time ti finally post about some recent craft-successes.

Also - I'm probably the last one onto this particular bandwagon since it's closing soon - but I discovered Picnik. Seriously, where has this site been all my blogging-life? Suddenly I have such easy access to cute filters, fonts and editing software without needing to proper knowledge of Photoshop.

The bestest and I have started a weekly craft/Pilates night in order for us to finally do some of our Pinterest pins, stay in shape and have some much-needed girl time. There's some major changes going on in both our lives so this is definitely a much needed night!



These coasters were last week's craft - and our first success. We've done 3 crafts now, 2 failures (her picks) and 1 success (my pick) - not that I'm keeping track or anything. *smiles*

These are the easiest, cheapest and cutest coasters in the world. The cost per coaster is something ridiculous like $0.75 and you can use any image you want. We used scrapbook paper, but monograms or images would work just as well.

Materials Needed:

  • The tiles are 4x4 ceramics from Home Depot - purchased for the low cost of $0.38 a piece. 
  • Regular Mod Podge (mine is matte but a glossy finish would work too) - on hand
  • Acrylic Sealer - on hand
  • Sponge brushes - 6/$1 at Dollarama 
  • Self-Adhesive felt pads - 12/$1 at Dollarama 
  • Scrapbook paper - on hand 


Steps:

  • Cut your scrapbook paper just a little bit smaller than the tile shape 
  • Coat each tile with a coat of Mod Podge
  • Carefully lay on the paper, I'd do it slowly because the Mod Podge begins to stick automatically
  • Smooth out any bumps or wrinkles - this will really bother you in the final product if you don't 
  • Coat the coaster with a second coat of Mod Podge. Don't worry if it goes on white, I promise you that it will dry clear
  • Let your coasters dry - about 10 minutes 
  • Use 4 self-adhesive felt pads for the bottom - one on each corner 
  • Take your coasters outside or into a well ventilated area and spray with a thin coat of Acrylic Sealer - this will keep the paper from peeling if it gets wet 
  • Enjoy your adorable new coasters! 



The best thing about these coasters is that they are so versatile - I see everyone I know getting these for Christmas/Birthday/Mother's Day/any random gift occasion 

Hope you're all having a great Easter/Passover/Weekend!