Coasters are an item that everyone can use. They are fun and functional, as they protect furniture from water rings. Coasters have also become in recent times miniature works of art. You see them everywhere with pictures on them, everything from flowers to wine bottles and various designs. The fact that coasters have become so widely popular makes them the perfect gift as well as easy items to make for a homemade birthday or holiday present.

Materials needed:
• Coarse Grit Sandpaper
• 4 4” tiles from a home improvement store
• Large image stamp
• Staz On ink pad in color of your choice
• Distress Powder in color coordinating to your ink
• Heat Gun
• Paint Brush (soft bristle)
• Polyurethane

Lightly sand your tiles. This will help the ink get a better grip on the tiles. When you are done, wipe the tiles down with a damp cloth in order to get all the dust particles off. Allow to dry thoroughly.

After tiles are completely dry, ink up your image stamp with Staz On. Carefully stamp onto your tile with stamp, being careful that the image is centered. Once you have your image stamped onto your tile, cover completely with Distress Powder. Be sure you shake up your powder thoroughly as the heavier granules in this type of embossing powder tend to settle. Shake off excess powder from the tile. If you have some stray powder that sticks your tile you can remove it with a small soft bristle brush. Take you heat gun and heat image until all the powder is completely heated and melted. This process will take longer than it does on paper as the tile take longer to heat up. Once your tiles have completely cooled, lightly brush your hand over the stamped image in order to rough up the embossed image. Some of the Distress Powder will come off. This it normal as this powder is made to give an aged look to the image.

Once you have all your tiles completed, take your soft bristle brush and apply polyurethane to the tiles. When the first coat is dry apply two more coats to the tiles. The polyurethane will waterproof the tiles and ensure long life for your tiles.

These are great usable projects that anyone will enjoy and use. I made several sets of coasters for Christmas gifts and each set had a unique design that was tailored specifically for the person that was receiving them. When you are making these great coasters, don’t forget to make yourself a set!