By every once in a while, I mean only... on the days that end with Y.
And by that, I mean that I have been glued to the stinkin' thing for a couple of weeks now, in preparation for my own Christmas present workshop at home. I've done loads of research [if only I got so amped about info absorption for all those college papers?!] and have collected enough screenshots & examples to last me through next Christmas, so I'm all set.
This is backdated, both because I didn't feel like uploading all this last night at 11:30, and also because I'm in night 2 of completion of the several sets I'm doing this year.
In case any of you out there are trying to stretch your dollar this year but don't want to skimp out on some of those really cool people in your life, this one's kinda sorta perfect. Especially since most of us drink things. Out of containers. And we own tables.
COASTER TIME!
So, among the bajillion DIY tutorials for tile transfers that I found, I thought I'd blend myself into that mix and add another one for the books. Also, I'll address some of the concerns I saw in some of the other blogs & articles.
Hoooooo...kay. Here we go.
Step ONE. [Don't worry; it's not as overwhelming as it suggests.]
1. Make a LIST of what you need.
Don't skip this part, especially if you're not a seasoned pro at crafting. Otherwise, if you're like me, you'll head to Michael's [or Hobby Lobby] & end up distracted by the wonderland of other crafty beckoning and be there for 2 hours when all you need are a couple of things. Focus. Your list, for this, should look something like this... Oh, and I'll even easy it up a little more and tell you exactly where you can go & about how much you'll spend (:
LIST O'THINGS FOR DIY COASTERS
[That you'll need to buy or prepare]
[That you'll need to buy or prepare]
a} 4"x4"Tiles
b} Printed pictures
c} Gel Medium
d} Craft Roller
e} Gloss Mod Podge
e} Gloss Mod Podge
f} Small paint brush
e} Felt or cork backing
e} Felt or cork backing
THE OTHER THINGS YOU'LL NEED
[... that are free.]
- Water
- Well-ventilated space
[... that are free.]
- Water
- Well-ventilated space
- PATIENCE!
MMkay. I lettered this shopping list to answer/address details.
a} TILES. I bought the glossy ceramic tiles from Lowe's. They were $.16/each for the 4x4" size. I read on a few sites that the glossy (smooth) tiles didn't work well because glue doesn't stick, etc., etc. IF you use a gel medium for the transfer, they will work just fine. From what I've seen, you can use pretty much any kind of tile for this, depending on the look you want.
b} PRINTED PICTURES. I've scoured the web for insight on this, and found that many people suggest using only laserjet printed pictures. I'm sure they do work well, but I'm here to tell you I used plain old INKJET printed photos on regular printer paper & they worked perfectly. **NOTE: For this particular method, print your pictures mirrored** << that means, before you print it, use a photo editing software to "flip" your picture horizontally. Also, crop or resize your pictures into squares, and size them to fit your 4" tiles. [TIP: For non-photo software folks, you can insert an image into a blank Word document and format the picture. If you do this, size it to about 4.2 x 4.2" and it will print off the perfect size!]
c} GEL MEDIUM. I bought the GOLDEN brand, soft gel (gloss) from Michael's. This will probably be the most expensive thing you'll need for this, being around $13-15 for the jar. I had this already from a prior project. If you don't want to spend the $$ on the gel, I would suggest doing the transfer method of just "gluing" a picture to the tile instead of actually transferring. [Scroll all the way to the bottom of this for that method].
d} CRAFT ROLLER. This is to get all the air bubbles out of the picture once you've got it on the tile. Again, I had this already; I bought it at Michael's for somewhere around $5 or $6. If you don't have or want one of these, you can use a credit card - just be sure to hold at an angle and pull towards you, gently, or you'll rip the picture.
e} GLOSS MOD PODGE. It's the one with the RED label. Yes, there are different kinds of Mod Podge. If you're doing the "glue-on" method to make these, you'll need this. I spent just under $8 for this at Michael's.
f} SMALL PAINT BRUSH. Super cheap. I used one of Sydni's paintbrushes; it's about an inch or so wide and did the trick. If you need to buy one, check the dollar stores or Big Lots; don't spend more than $1 to $2.
e} FELT OR CORK BACKING. This is for the back of the coasters. I've seen people use full squares of felt or cork, which work great depending on your preference. For me, I found some little self-adhesive [no gluing, YAY!] felt dots at some random hardware store. There were about 40 dots in one package, for right around $2. Sold.
e} FELT OR CORK BACKING. This is for the back of the coasters. I've seen people use full squares of felt or cork, which work great depending on your preference. For me, I found some little self-adhesive [no gluing, YAY!] felt dots at some random hardware store. There were about 40 dots in one package, for right around $2. Sold.
 |
| core components |
*Phew! My total shopping trip, if I were to buy everything I listed up there, along with 16 tiles [which I did, = 4 sets of 4 coasters/each] = Approx. $33.00. Since I already had everything but the gloss mod podge, felt dots & the tiles, this time I spent around a whopping $13.00. Divide that by 4 people, and I've not even spent $3.50 per person.
On to the actual process!
Step TWO.
2. PICTURE TRANSFER!
So you've printed your pictures, MIRRORED, on whatever printer you want, on regular ol' printer paper. I used a paper cutter to cut them out; if you have an Xacto knife & a ruler, that works [watch your surface underneath.....], or if you're as frugal as I would be if I didn't already have the first two things - scissors. You don't need perfect edges for these. Cut out your pictures to fit your tiles. Apply a layer of the gel medium to the image side of your picture. Make sure you get the whole picture covered; don't gob up the thing, but don't skimp either. Even coat it. Place the picture then face down on the tile. Use your roller [or credit card, whatever] to push out the excess gel & air bubbles. For this, begin in the center and work your way out. Be gentle; the paper will be soft over the gel, so apply gentle pressure until excess gel & bubbles are out. LET THEM DRY, COMPLETELY! You'll know they're dry when they do not feel cool or damp to the touch.
 |
| photos transferred with gel medium. |
Step THREE.
3. PICTURE REVEAL [aka, PAPER REMOVAL]
This is the part requiring lots of your free stuff: water [preferrably warm], and patience. I took to the kitchen sink for this, once the gel medium transfers were completely dry. Some people use a sponge for this, but I have a thumb that worked just fine and gave me a little more accuracy in removing the paper. Using water, gently rub the picture until the paper starts to peel back. The picture is most fragile on the edges, so I suggest starting in the middle and peeling outward. Also, on this, don't scrub it [or you'll wear through the picture] and don't soak it [trust me, that does not save time]; an overly-saturated picture makes it difficult to peel the top layer off without taking the rest of the picture with it. Pat dry with a paper towel when you're finished with each tile, and let air dry. The pictures may look a little foggy or as if you didn't remove all the paper once they're dried after this step; if you want, repeat the process gently; if not, the mod podge & clear sealers in the next few steps will eliminate most of that dull appearance.
 |
| peeling paper back |
 |
| before & after peeling paper back with water [i used some mixed acrylic paint to hide those couple of blemishes] |
Step FOUR.
4. MOD PODGE IT
Get out your paint brush & mod podge. A couple of things to note here: 1} Make sure the tiles have completely dried from the last step. 2} If you use a paintbrush, your brushstrokes will be lightly visible in the finished product. I did vertical [seen below] strokes, but I've seen various patterns, which are cool! Don't get too carried away with texture though, if you're going for a flat coaster surface. Apply one even coat, edge to edge, and wipe off any excess. LET. THE. WHOLE. THING. DRY. [Yay, patience...........]
 |
| painted-on mod podge |
 |
| meet my hair dryer, a testament to my lack of patience.... |
Step FIVE [WE'RE ALMOST DONE!]
5. CLEAR COAT
This is the second to last step! For this, pleaaaase make sure you are in a well-ventilated space and know how to safely use an aerosol can. READ THE CAN INSTRUCTIONS if you have any doubts. I know that sounds like overkill advice, but for the sake of preventative anything, be smart. And THEN, lay out your dried, mod podged tiles on a flat surface [I used a paper grocery back on top of some plastic bags, nothin' fancy]. Apply a single, even coat of the Krylon clear spray, as directed on the can. LET. IT. DRY. **TIP: The clear coat is a sealer; this will prevent hot/cold cups from damaging the image on the coaster. If you don't intend to use these as coasters, you don't need to spray them. I've read that a second coat of mod podge is sufficient... but again, if you expect these to survive through regular coffee table use, spray them!
 |
| tiles before clear spray |
Apply a single, even coat of the Krylon clear spray, as directed on the can. LET. IT. DRY.
Again, LET... THEM... DRY... COMPLETELY. Otherwise, you'll end up with smudges & scratches; if you were anal on perfection throughout the rest of this process, the last thing you want.. is that to happen.
Again, LET... THEM... DRY... COMPLETELY. Otherwise, you'll end up with smudges & scratches; if you were anal on perfection throughout the rest of this process, the last thing you want.. is that to happen.
 |
| ... and now..... we wait. |
Guess what, guess what?!
You're ALMOST DONE! If you've made it this far, this very last step is going to be a breeze. [Pat yourself on the back; you made it!]
Step SIX.
6. APPLY BACKING
Whatever backing you've chosen - felt or cork squares, felt dots, rubber, whatever.... - now's the time! AFTER the clear sealer has dried completely, flip the coasters over and apply whatever backing you want. I wouldn't recommend doing for any reason prior to spraying the clear sealer; unless you're an absolute pro, you may get your coasters stuck to whatever they're sitting on while being sprayed [and consequently damaging the backing] if you apply it before you spray. Since I bought the self-adhesive dots, this took me no time at all and I had a finished product!
 |
| ta... da! |
^ Please excuse the grainy cell phone picture. I was in a hurry to document the end of this project.. hah.
So.. to recap:
1. Buy & prepare your material.
2. Transfer your pictures.
3. Remove the paper & reveal your pictures.
4. Mod Podge.
5. Seal with Clear Glaze.
6. Apply backing.
and..........
7. Wrap up in whatever creative packaging you've devised
and hand off to the lucky giftee!
and hand off to the lucky giftee!
 |
| all in an evening's work. |
Ta------da!
Okay, last thing, I promise. I mentioned somewhere earlier to scroll down here for the instructions on doing this without clear glaze & gel medium [if you're for instance not going to use these as functional coasters]. I have not done that method, but I did a lot of research prior to undertaking my project. From what I understood, that method typically works better if you start by printing your pictures on paper stock thicker than just regular printer paper, because you'll essentially be just gluing the picture down, instead of fully transferring the image. Also, you won't need to mirror the image before printing it, either. You can use mod podge or other adhesive to glue down your image to the tiles, let it dry, and then apply the top coat of mod podge or other top coat. If you want the best results, I would definitely suggest searching out some DIY blogs and articles from crafters who prefer that method. They'll definitely have better tips & tricks!
Here's to a merry, crafty Christmas!
Okay, last thing, I promise. I mentioned somewhere earlier to scroll down here for the instructions on doing this without clear glaze & gel medium [if you're for instance not going to use these as functional coasters]. I have not done that method, but I did a lot of research prior to undertaking my project. From what I understood, that method typically works better if you start by printing your pictures on paper stock thicker than just regular printer paper, because you'll essentially be just gluing the picture down, instead of fully transferring the image. Also, you won't need to mirror the image before printing it, either. You can use mod podge or other adhesive to glue down your image to the tiles, let it dry, and then apply the top coat of mod podge or other top coat. If you want the best results, I would definitely suggest searching out some DIY blogs and articles from crafters who prefer that method. They'll definitely have better tips & tricks!
Here's to a merry, crafty Christmas!
xo | cmd
