DIY Ceramic Tile

*Please know that I am apologizing ahead of time for the photos. I didn't realize how dark they were until after I had finished taking them. Doh!*

It's really quite easy and very inexpensive to make these cute little ceramic tiles. You can use them as a coaster or even a trivet.

Here's what you'll need for supplies:

Card stock or paper

White ceramic tiles (4.25x4.25)*

Mod Podge

Resin or clear acrylic sealer

Stickers or ephemera

*(I purchased mine at Lowes for $0.19 each)

Tools:

Paper trimmer

Paint brush

Sponge Brush

And now for the fun part!

Step One: Wash off all of your tiles and dry well. They may not look dirty but you still want a nice clean surface for the paper to stick to.

Step Two: Cut your paper to fit the tile. I cut mine at 4 1/8".

Step Three: Using your paint brush, paint a very thin layer of Mod Podge onto the tile. I like to get mine so it's barely wet. From past trial and error episodes I've noticed if you use too much the paper will absorb too much of the glue and you wind up with bubbles under it. Not too pretty!

Step Four: Carefully align your paper on the tile, making sure to press down on the edges to ensure a proper seal. Let dry - usually takes a few minutes.

Step Five: Continue adding thin layers of Mod Podge to the paper, letting it dry after each layer. I usually add 3-4 coats before I start to add my stickers.

*Make sure you coat the entire piece of paper and over lap some onto the tile. The reason for the heavy coverage is so that when you add your resin or acrylic sealer on top, it wont seep through and discolor your paper. (Again, I learned this by trial and error. Mostly error.)

Step Six: If you haven't already figured out how you would like to arrange your stickers and whatnot, you can do so at this time. Or even as your glue is drying. If you plan on layering things, like I have done pay close attention to make sure everything will fit and look nice once it's on the tile. I usually take a blank tile and arrange everything to see how it will look.

Step Seven: Add your embellishments. Stickers, die-cuts, whatever. Mod Podge them down and add a thin layer on top as well. Let dry and add multiple coats to the whole thing as well. (Just like we did with the paper)

I like to add one element at a time and make sure it is stuck down well and has a few coats over it before I add the next, especially if I plan on overlapping things.

If you've never used Mod Podge before, it dries clear. I promise.

Here are my two Mod Podged coasters. They are just waiting on resin.

As you can see around the embellishments, the Mod Podge isn't quite dry and still has a milky appearance.

Step Eight: I usually let my tiles sit overnight before I seal them with resin or sealer. When I made all of the coasters for Christmas gifts, I ended up using the acrylic sealer but I don't think I will use it in the future. It smelled horrible and gave me a headache while I was using it. And days later it still threatened to asphyxiate the gift recipients. Not cool. Good thing we all work in the ER ;) Anywho, protect your area with newspaper, wax paper, etc. If you're going to use the spray sealer, follow the directions on the can. It will take several coats! If you plan on using the resin, mix according to the directions and use the sponge brush to coat the tile.

Step Nine: Let dry overnight and you're good to go!

You can also buy those small felt stickers to put on the bottom of the tile so they don't scratch or mark up your furniture, although I had no issues with mine.

Happy Crafting!

I will be posting the final end result pictures on tomorrows DIY post.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment!

Also, don't forget that I'll be giving these two coasters away at the end of the month.

Click here to see the contest.