"Chosen"

Giles: "I used to be a highly respected Watcher, and now I'm a wounded dwarf with the mystical strength of a doily."

Nope, not doilies, but coasters!  Same purpose, different materials.

Supplies needed:
Ceramic tiles
Scrapbook paper
Decoupage glue
Paper cutter
Popsicle stick
Ribbon
Felt
Sandpaper
Sealer
 
Since I made these for friends, I picked out specific paper, but you can chose whatever you like.  For my friend, Erin, I used Italy travel paper because she recently went to Italy and loved it.  Jenna, whose home is decorated in reds, got coaster with four different, but coordinating, reds.  I could have been matchy-matchy, but it was more fun this way. 
 
They do sell tiles at craft stores, but I'll let you in on a secret: They're cheaper at Lowe's or Home Depot.  They are about $0.16 each which is great if you want to make these in bulk.  I used a sander to make the edges not so rough. 
 
Cut the scrapbook paper  a little smaller than the tile size.  I used 4x4 tiles so cut it just a tad smaller to fit.  Go ahead and put a layer of decoupage glue on the coaster and place the paper on it.  Use the Popsicle stick to smooth it out and get all the air bubbles out. 
 

Now you'll put another layer of glue on top to seal the paper to the tile.  After it dries, spray a sealer on top to ensure it's waterproof. 

To add a soft bottom, cut felt to size and attach.  I used a sticky backed felt for simplicity, but if you're going for bulk and inexpensive, regular felt shouldn't be too difficult to attach.  You could also probably use felt circles, rubber protectors, or cork. 



Trials and errors:  Initially, I cut the paper to the same size as the tile.  Tile, however, is 4x4 on the bottom and the top is a littler smaller as it tapers down.  To fix that, I used the sandpaper to file it to size.  I suggest cutting it smaller.  It's much easier!

I also did not seal the first set of coaster with a secondary sealer.  The decoupage glue that I used said glue AND sealer, but apparently it lied.  I got a phone call after gifting the coasters, saying the condensated glass got stuck to the coaster, so definitely seal it again!

If you're planning for certain colors, take into account the sides of the tile that will show.  For the red set, I should have either purchased black tiles (more expensive) or painted it black before starting.  It didn't even occur to me until everything was glued on, so I ended up coloring the sides with a sharpie just so it would be black.  I'm not exactly happy with that decision, but it was better than white sides for sure. 

To gift:  Stack four coasters together and tie with a ribbon.  No need to wrap, it's pretty enough already!

Be crafty,

Kris