Homemade Mod Podge & Tile Coasters

Today is a two-in-one post. (I seem to be doing a lot of those lately.)  Anyhow, this one has to be a two-in-one, because in order to complete one crafty thing I had to first create another.

What I initially set out to do today was to make coasters from the SUPER cheap tile that I found at the local thrift store a few months ago; however, I soon realized that in order to make the coasters I needed mod podge. (which of course…I DIDN’T HAVE!... Go figure.)

I remember seeing things all over the internet about making your own mod podge—you can read about it here, or here, or here.  There is also a debate about whether or not the homemade stuff is as good as the real stuff and to be fair you can read about whether or not it’s as good as the real stuff here.   

PHEW! I’m glad I got all of those references out of the way. Can you tell I spent a couple hours researching whether or not to make mod podge? Honestly, I was impatient and I wanted to make mod podge no matter if my project would be yellowed in 5 years. (Which is a possible side effect of using homemade mod podge, so don’t use on really nice pictures if you’re worried about them.) You can read about that here.

When I set out to make mod podge, I had two options: Tacky Glue & CraZart Glue (the off OFF brand of glue).  Well, if you read the original recipes you will see that Elmer’s Glue is the saint of all glues and is to be the ONLY one used, but as I’ve mentioned SEVERAL times…I do things my way.  So, hang on because all of this is going to make life easier for you.  It turns out tacky glue works (if that’s what you have on hand) and so does the cheap off OFF brand stuff. So, go ahead, knock yourself out! Be a rebel and use something other than Elmer’s. (Unless, of course, that’s what you have on hand.)

I made 3 different recipes of mod podge. One using CraZart glue and water, one using tacky glue and water and the last using tacky glue, water and Varnish

Tacky Mod Podge:
1 Cup Tacky Glue
1 Cup Water
2TBS Varnish (add for better waterproofing qualities …optional)

Off OFF Brand Mod Podge:
1 bottle school Glue (brand clearly doesn't matter)
1 bottle water (refill the glue bottle to ensure a 1:1 ratio)

Shake well to make a thin paste.

Add polyurethane for extra waterproofing if desired.

 

 After that was finished, I cleaned off my tiles and got to work.  I decided what I wanted most were some THEMED coasters! J Yay!! I know it’s early for Christmas, but I had Christmas paper.  I made a set of Christmas coasters and a set of Fall coasters.  I used all 3 concoctions of mod podge and to be honest…they all seemed to work about the same.  I will say this much—I learned that LESS IS MORE in this project. If you slather too much glue on your project the paper gets too soggy and starts to bubble. BAD!  In any case here are some pictures to document the experience.  

You'll need:
Tile
Scrapbook paper
Mod Podge.(Homemade or Not)

Place your scrapbook paper over your tile and cut around the square.  Then add a THIN layer of glue to the top part of the tile, place the scrapbook paper over the glue and smooth everything well. Make sure there are no air bubbles or wrinkles. Add another THIN layer of glue over the scrapbook paper and allow to dry. You can spray a clear coat over the coasters to keep them more water proof.



This picture shows the differences in the glues and how they look wet.

This is after about 20 minutes of dry-time. You can see the air bubbles in the one on the right. Again..LESS IS MORE!

And there they are in all their glory! :) Both projects are pretty easy.  Nothing like a nice dose of instant gratification!