I have a thing for coasters...can you tell? They're like little pieces of art you can sit a drink on lol. Today, I'm going to show you how I made my best friend these awesome Polaroid coasters :). We both are into cameras. At first it was lomography and we both bought some Dianas from Urban Outfitters...
Now we're taking it back to the self-developing Polaroids...still need to get mine. These coaster were super easy to make and I knew she would love them. They make really good gifts especially since you can personalize it by adding their pictures to it and you can write messages on the bottom like you could on an actual Polaroid pic.
Materials:
- (6) 4" x 4" tiles from Lowes. These were about $.88...sitting here wondering where the cent sign is lol. #sidetracked
- (6) 3.25" x 3.75" photographs. You can change the size of pictures in MS Word if you don't have a fancy photo editing program. I printed them out at Kinkos...only because my personal printer at home doesn't work.
- Permanent marker
- Flat paintbrush
- Mod Podge Satin Finish for Paper
- Acrylic sealer spray
- 3/8" felt pads
- Instant Krazy Glue
- Credit/Debit card...or ID...or gift card...a straight edge lol
- Scissors
Instructions:
1) *
See number four first if you want to write a caption using permanent marker* Find some photographs or whatever image you like and cut them down to 3.25" x 3.75". You can use actual photographs for this, but I just printed the images out on regular computer paper. To make them extra cool, you can manipulate the photographs beforehand to give them a more vintage look. You can try black & white, sepia tone...or the host of other filters that are available these days lol.
2) Use a small of amount of Mod Podge to adhere the photograph to the tile...enough for a very thin layer. Too much will cause the paper to ripple. If you're using real photographs you wont have to worry about that too much. Use the sponge brush to smooth on the glue.
3) Take you credit/debit card or ID and use it to smooth out any bubbles and make sure the picture is smooth and flat on the surface of the tile. You'll want to do this for about a minute or so as bubble may keep popping up.
4) If you opt to, write a caption at the bottom of the Polaroid coaster and wait a little bit before moving on with the next step to be sure it is dry.
*side note: I read later that to make permanent marker super permanent on dishes and things, you can write on the tile and then bake it in the oven at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. You would want to do this part first before gluing anything on.*
5) Cover the entire surface with thin layers of Mod Podge using the paintbrush. I did about three or 4 layers, letting them dry in between.
6) To make the surface smooth, spray a couple layers of acrylic sealer on the tiles once the Mod Podge is completely dry. Sit them aside to dry following the instructions on the spray can.
7) Once they're dry, use the Krazy Glue to attach the felt pads to the corners of the coaster on the back side to protect your table surface like so...
And you're done!!! Give it the old college try.
Stay inspired.
