Shabby Chic DIY Coasters

I love this DIY project! Its quick, easy, and cheap! Not to mention it makes for great gifts!! What you need is 4 4x4 tiles, whatever you like (I get mine at home depot for 13 cents each), clear acrylic spray, mod podge and brush, felt or cork-board for the bottom of the tiles, and scrapbook paper. You could do this with fabric, leftover wrapping paper, photos, etc., it just depends on what you like, the possibilities are endless. For the mod podge, I like the gloss, but you could definitely use matte if you prefer. Just a side note, I like the real deal mod podge, not the homemade kind (water and Elmer's). I have used both and I like the finished product much better with the real stuff. You can always use a 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby so it will only be around $4.

Ok, first thing I did was pick out the scrapbook paper I wanted and cut it into 4 squares (4x4 each). Then I simply podged my tile and placed my square on the tile. You have a few brief seconds to make sure your square is straight and where you want. After that don't mess with it! It will end up being a gooey mess. Once its in place go ahead and start pressing it down firmly to help get rid of any air bubbles (I just use my fingers, but use whatever works for you). Repeat the process three more times (on your other three tiles) then let all four dry about 15-20 min.

Okay next up we are going to podge our tiles again. You just want to do a coat of mod podge on top of your scrapbook paper. Your going to repeat this process 4 or 5 times, letting the tiles dry 15-20 min between each coat. This just helps to protect your paper and preserve your coasters. I think I put 4 coats on these coasters.

After my last coat of mod podge I usually let my coasters sit for a few hours just to make sure they are completely dry. Then I spray them with the clear acrylic spray. You can get this at almost any craft store or Walmart for around $5. This spray is going to give a non-yellowing clear coating that will make your coasters waterproof (Yay). You will spray your coasters 3 or 4 seperate times. The spray dries fast so you can reapply after 5 minutes or so, but after applying all your coats, I suggest letting them sit overnight untouched so they can completely dry.

Last but not least apply your cork board or felt. Felt is going to be much cheaper and what I normally use (I just had some leftover cork-board for this project). You can cut them into circles or squares and just use a little hot glue to stick them to bottom of your tiles. And there you have it, DIY coasters. I am pretty sure the spray suggest waiting about one month before putting hot items on your new coasters, but go right ahead with those cool beverages! Try these they are so simple and fun!

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