DIY Mod Podge Coasters

A few months ago I came across a DIY tutorial for Mod Podge tile coasters. The idea is very simple. Using photos printed at home, some Mod Podge and inexpensive tiles, you can create coasters customized to your delight. I immediately thought of Jeffrey's mom when I read the tutorial and decided it would be a great DIY Christmas gift for her.

Jeff's mom adores her cat Riley. So much in fact that I knew using him as the subject for the tile coasters would be a win-win. I just took a variety of photos of him with my cell phone and then edited them in Snapseed to achieve a certain kind of look.

A photo of Riley, post-Snapseed doctoring.

I originally printed out two photos on regular paper and cut them to size for the 4x4 tiles but the quality was really not great once the Mod Podge had dried. I made one from a photo printed on glossy photo paper instead and the quality was instantly improved.

Coasters in progress. The bubble wrap made a great surface to work on to protect the table underneath.

Finished coaster. This angle is meant to show the striations left in the dried Mod Podge. When you look at the tile/coaster head on you can't really see the lines. 

This brush had a tapered edge, which I cut off after Mod Podge dried on it after first use. 

Materials Needed:

• tile coasters (very inexpensive at Home Depot)
• Mod Podge (I used the gloss-lustre version)
• felt brush
• desired photos (printed on photo paper)
• felt strips
• hot glue gun

Directions:

1. Select and print desired photos. Measure and cut them to size so they will fit square in the middle of each tile.
2. Using felt brush, brush a thin layer of Mod Podge over the surface of the tile. Try to get as even a coat as possible.
3. Place photo directly on top of tile, taking great care to make sure the sides and corners are secure and there are no air bubbles beneath the photo paper. The photo will slip around if you move it so be careful with that. I used the blunt end of the felt brush handle to kind of hammer the photo down. 
4. Once it has dried a bit (when the paper no longer moves around) use the felt brush to brush on a layer of Mod Podge that is slightly thicker than the first layer. Make sure to get it to the corners and sides of the photo. You may find the felt brush puts lines or striations into the Mod Podge, and this is okay. It dries clear and doesn't affect the quality of the photos. 
5. Let dry. This can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes.
6. To finish, cut strips or circles of felt to fit the underside of the coaster and use a hot glue gun to glue them into place. This will make it easy for the coaster to sit on a surface and not damage it (it is, after all, a tile). 

This was a very easy project to make and there are so many creative possibilities with a project like this. I was unfamiliar with Mod Podge when I first found the tutorial, but since then I've discovered other unique projects I can create and I am so looking forward to doing them in the new year!

Finished! Now it's time to wrap them! 

I may have gone a bit overboard! Tissue paper, ribbon, foil tissue paper and more ribbon! There is a double thick lining of bubble wrap as well to keep everything safe and secure.

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