DIY Tile Drink Coasters

I make these fun little coasters to sell and for my personal use.

Through  trial and error I have found the best tiles to use for these types of projects are the tumbled marble stone. The slick ones tend to have the image slide or pull up after prolonged use regardless of how many protective coats I applied. The tumbled marble stone has a slight roughness to it that gives your image a surface to adhere to.

My image preference is cocktail napkins. You will need to gently pull the tissue backing off the napkins to make the image thinner (do this slowly to prevent tearing). You are now ready to cut in 4x4 squares and begin the process of:

• Apply 1 coat of Mod Podge to front of tile (sponge brush is what works best for me)
• Place tissue/wrapping paper on the wet Mod Podge, must dry thoroughly or you risk tearing of the paper.
• Apply 2 coats of Mod Podge on top of the glued tissue/wrapping paper (keep your brush strokes going in the same direction to keep the streaking down)
• Apply 3 coats of Polyacrylic for waterproofing (allow 6-8 hrs dry time between coats).
• Stick felt pads to the bottom of each coaster. ...
• Let them sit for 3 days before using for proper sealing time otherwise they may be slightly tacky.

You can use wrapping paper, scrapbook paper, photos printed on matte paper, book pages, sheet music or pretty much any other paper product.

Coaster Category @ TamarasTreasureTrove on Etsy

My Favorite Homemade Chalk Paint Recipe

I passed up many a piece of furniture in my hunt for the perfect resell items to stock my booth with. Pieces were just too rough to restore with furniture polish and I was not up for the task of striping , patching and restaining. To be perfectly honest people just do not want to pay premium prices in second hand markets. The man hours it takes to restore a piece back to its original beauty is not worth what people are willing to pay.

I was hearing about chalk paint and how you could use it with little to no prep. Shabby Chic was a term I was not familiar with (at the time in 2012) so I took to the internet to research. I liked the look and wondered if others in my area would too. Via the internet I bought my first can of chalk paint and painted my 1st piece. I placed it in my booth and within days it sold so I tried another and it sold quickly. Wow I was onto something. The cost of a small quart of this majic paint mixture was a steep $35/quart plus shipping (the only way you could get it was online back in the day).

Back to the internet for some ideas where I stumbled across a chalk paint recipe.

4 Tbsp Plaster of Paris

2 Tbsp Water

1 Cup of Paint (Flat or Satin)

This created the look and durability I was looking for at a fraction of the price. Plaster of Paris was available at most craft stores so I was cooking with gas.  After using for approximately a month I decided to try a different recipe. Why you ask….well this was drying too fast causing lumps in my mixture within 10-15 minutes of mixing up. This did not allow me enough time to paint an entire piece of furniture and mixing smaller batches wasn’t an option as I would have to stop and mix up every 10 minutes or so. Clean up was horrible.

Next I tried unsanded grout which was another easily available item I can find locally, this time at home improvement stores.

4 Tbsp Unsanded Grout

2 Tbsp Water

1 Cup of Paint (Flat or Satin)

This method I did not care for at all. It was not smooth (too grainy) no matter which consistency I mixed it with.

Last but not least was the Calcium Carbonate recipe.

4 Tbsp Calcium Carbonate

2 Tbsp Water

1 Cup of Paint (Flat or Satin)

Calcium Carbonate was not available to me locally so off to Amazon I go to order my 1st bag and I fell in love. Smooth, clean and my mixture would stay as crisp and clean feeling even the next day (if my project ran over).

For years I painted every piece of furniture I could find with my new found recipe. I loved painting different colors (by far the classic Shabby White is the best selling then and now). My second best selling color was a turquoise with a brown wax.

Now that I have downsized my booth to a sweet little 5x3 space to concentrate on my Etsy store I don’t paint like I used to but when I do it is with the Calcium Carbonate recipe.

My 5x3 booth located at The Checkerberry in Bowdon, Ga. it is accented with picture frames, candlesticks, wood signs, coasters, mason jars and any other small items that I come across all painted in chalk paint and distressed for the shabby/cottage chic look. Painting is not just for upcycling furniture it is for anything you want to add a little upcycled style to.

• When mixing your chalk paint recipe always thoroughly mix the water and ingredient of your choosing separately first before adding to your paint color.

• Paint (1-2 coats - chalk paint usually dries in 15-20 minutes) 
• Distress using sand paper (either hand or the use of a palm sander)
• Wax
• Let it cure for at least 24 hours - 48 hours even better

Waxing is important to add a protective layer to furniture especially those pieces that will see a lot of traffic (ex. tabletops). If you do not want to spend the extra time that goes into waxing I have had great success with a brush on polycrylic water based top coat by minwax (also available in a spray on - but this can get expensive)

tamarastreasuretrove.etsy.com

Decoupage to make the old look new again

Decoupage has been around longer than you think. According to Wikipedia the word decoupage comes from Middle French "decouper", meaning to cut out or cut from something. The origin of decoupage is thought to be East Siberian tomb art and can date back as early as the early 1700's.

Metal Table w/Decoupage Poster

You can find homemade recipes to use during the process but we have all heard of Mod Podge which is my prefered way to decoupage. Interesting fact: The name Mod Podge originated from Modern Decoupage. It was invented by an interior designer in the 1960's by the name of Jan Welstone.

Crafters, upcyclers and artists alike use this process to make things pretty or jazz up a project and even a piece of furniture.

I use the following tips as my step by step guidelines when decoupaging:

• Prepare your surface. Most surfaces can be used to create a decoupage project including wood, papier mache, terra cotta, tin, cardboard and glass (plastic not so much)

• 

  Wood Ladder

  If you are working on an unfinished surface (ex: raw wood) I would suggest a base coat even if it is a clear base coat.

• Cut your items to be decoupaged to fit the surface you will adhere to.

• Apply mod podge (keep in mind too little Mod Podge and you will get wrinkles) – you can always wipe away any excess Mod Podge

• Smooth, smooth, smooth out your material to get all the wrinkles out. You can use a brayer, rolling pin and even an old credit card. Work from the middle outward.

• Add a protective coat of Mod Podge to your project using a sponge or flat brush. Allow 15-20 minutes for it to dry before applying the next coat of mod podge. Recommended two coats minimum but I sometimes use more depending on the project.. When you finish, if you experience any tackiness or just want to add durability, add a clear spray or brush-on sealer to the top. Let it dry and you’re all done.

Wood Tray & Rolling pin

I find second hand items that others have given up on and repurpose them with a new look all with the help of Miss Mod Podge.


Experiment and have fun with it.