DIY Coasters (for less than $.35 each)

My husband is a coaster freak.  Even if a glass doesn’t have condensation on it, he will still insist that a coaster be used.  And when we have family over, he subtly puts coasters near everyone’s drinks, so our guest will know that we use coasters in our house.  In my husband’s eyes a coaster is a practical home item, but in my eyes coasters are not always pretty home items…..and that’s where this project comes in. 

I think that most things in my home should be somewhat appealing to the eye, and there is just nothing attractive about the set of coasters that my husband used in his bachelor pad.  They’re not ugly – they’re just plain, boring-looking coasters, and because we only have six of these boring-looking coasters, we are always carrying coasters around the house and forgetting where we put them.

Since the coasters are always out and always being used, I felt the need to address this problem.  Awhile ago, I saw someone use $.16 tiles from Lowe’s to make beautiful, practical coasters, and I thought…..Problem Solved!  I'm not sure who originally thought of this idea, but whoever thought of it is a genious. 

The first thing I did for this project was to go to Lowe’s and buy several 4x4 tiles.  The great thing about this project is that each individual tile is only $.16 a piece, making each coaster less than $.35 when finished!!!   Because Mod Podge and hot glue are two of my crafting staples, this project cost me less than $8, and I made 24 coasters with that $8. 

After I bought my tiles, I began selecting pieces of scrapbook paper to go with each set of coasters, and then I cut the paper to fit each piece of tile.  One piece of paper will be enough for several coasters.  FIY: One sheet of paper is $.59 at local craft stores, but I usually stock up when it goes on sale 6 for $1.

Once the paper is cut, decoupage the paper to the tile using Mod Podge.  To do this, apply a layer of Mod Podge to the tile, and firmly press the paper to the tile.  Then, coat the tile and paper with a second layer of  Mod Podge.

Once all of the tiles have dried, hot glue cut pieces felt to the bottom of the tiles.  I cut the felt the same way I cut the paper.  One sheet will make the bottoms of eight coasters. 

I used12x18 firm felt that I purchased from my local craft store for $.79 a piece.   Make sure that it is firm  felt if cutting it with a paper trimmer.  If using scissors, it doesn’t matter what kind of felt is used.  Adhesive felt is also sufficient for this step, but it is more expensive per sheet. 

At the end of this project, I had made 5 sets of coasters: 6 for the living room, 4 for our bedroom, 4 for the guest room, 5 for the dining room/sitting room and 5 for the loft, giving me a total of 24 coasters.  Now my coaster dillema is solved, and the best part  is that it took less than a  ten dollar bill to pay for this entire projectJ

Whether you’re in need of coasters for your own home, or wanting to give them as a gift to someone else, the above method is a cost-effective way to personalize a practical item for anyone’s home.