Coasters for Christmas!

I know that there are approximately 80 gazillion tutorials out there for how to make your very own coasters out of 16 cent tiles from Lowes....but I think maybe the reason for this is that coasters are actually pretty useful (like, if I had any, I wouldn't always have to grab a random scrap of paper to put my glass on on my dining room table), and even if you have some it's always okay to have more because they don't take up much space, and these are super easy and cheap to make, and if the person you give them to doesn't like them it's really easy for them to stick them in a drawer somewhere and only pull them out when you come over! Yay!

So I decided awhile back that coasters would be the perfect present for the kids to make for assorted friends and relatives this Christmas. And when I saw that the theme of week 3 of the Dare to DIY challenge would be "give handmade," it gave me an extra kick in the butt to get going with that already.

So here is the coaster tutorial to end nicely complement all other coaster tutorials! But how many of them have OWLS?! Maybe a few; I don't know. If you are reading this and you think you might be the person receiving owl coasters, just put that thought right out of your head. You are WRONG!

So first you go to Hobby Lobby, your new favorite store, and you purchase:

scrapbook paper
Mod Podge (I got matte, but you can get the shiny stuff if you want. It's up to you!)
clear acrylic spray sealer (again, I went with matte)
sponge brushes
a glue gun, if you are new to craftiness and don't already have one
a roll of thin cork (according to the other tutorials, you can also use dots of felt)

Then you go to Lowes and get a bunch of white "biscuit" tile for 16 cents a square. This might get more expensive when your kids see the Gatorade and want some. Especially if one of them is getting over strep. He'll insist he NEEDS one because he's SICK. And then you'll spend more on Gatorade than on tile, but that's okay. Because you love your children and want them to be quiet happy.

Trace around the tiles on the back of the scrapbook paper and cut out a square. I found out after this that, even if you don't want a border for aesthetic reasons, it's best not to go all the way to the edges or you'll wind up with paper overhanging that's hard to get all sealed in with the Mod Podge and whatnot.

Put a layer of Mod Podge on the tile, and then put the scrapbook paper on and quickly get it just how you want it. Then put another layer of Mod Podge on top. The Mod Podging is a great job for your almost 7 year old!

Wait 10 minutes or so for the first layer to dry, then put another layer on (waiting for things to dry is the primary time suck in this project).  It will look like this at first, but don't worry: it dries clear!

Like this!

Then go to work with your acrylic sealer (outside). I did 3 coats, and you're supposed to do them, according to the label, 2 minutes apart. Which is too long for impatient people like me to just stand there, but too short to actually do something else. I might not have made it to two whole minutes. Then you're supposed to let it dry for 24 hours before handling, but that's ridiculous. I'll bet NOBODY waits that long!

Next you whip out your new $2.99 glue gun, cut out a square of cork (the cork I bought was self adhesive, but I didn't trust the built in adhesion to do the job by itself), and glue that sucker down. Another fun job for kids. Hot glue! What could be more fun?!

Mod Podging!

Hot glue!

We still have a bunch more sets to make, but here are the first two, all finished!

Let's call this the homeschool post for the week, too. Multi-tasking!

Sharing at the Dare to DIY party hosted by: Decor and the Dog, Maybe Matilda, Newly Woodwards, and TwoTwentyOne

And also with: Tuesday's Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Hookin' Up With House of Hepworths, Somewhat Simple, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating's Flaunt It Friday, The Shabby Nest's Frugal Friday