{DIY Tile Coasters}

My family and I were in San Francisco a few weeks ago. We were right on the bay doing some shopping in the beautiful sunny weather when I came across a cute little tile shop. My first thought was to get some number tiles for our front door, but, couldn't bring myself to pay $7 a tile! I was so sad because I love the authenticity of these tiles- they are straight from Mexico!

But just my luck, they had a pile of tiles in the back of the store marked down to $1 a piece! Most of my DIY projects come from a fantastic deal I just cant pass up. I then start thinking, what could I do with these?

And the idea popped in my head: coasters! 

For this project, you will need:

Tiles (I used 5)

sponge brush

paint

cork

scissors

glue

Aren't they darling? I love the little whale.

 Tiles are almost always unfinished on the sides- you can see they are made of real adobe. While I wouldn't mind keeping them adobe, I think painting them will add an extra touch.

 I love that they feel really eclectic- no two are the same- but keeping the colors uniform still make them

 feel like a set.

 First, I happened to have some off-white paint and took a brush to the sides. You can paint the sides

 whatever color you like! Blue would have been cute too.

They look a little more uniform now.

Next, trace your tiles onto your cork. I picked this up at Michaels for $5.99. You can also buy cork in

 rolls. Anything will work really. You could even use fabric or felt. I tend to be very simplistic and use 

whatever I can find lying around.

You can see this cork is really thin. It just needs to act as a slip-resister (is that a word?!)

Next, glue your cork onto the tile. I used Allen's tacky glue from Walmart but you can use any glue, really. Even elmers would do the job.

Let your coasters dry upside down (imagine coasters stuck to the table or each other) and then put them on your side table as a cute decoration :)

Voila!

Easy Peasy (and cute, I might add) and took only about 15 minutes to finish. And for just about $7.50 a

 set, this is just my kind of project.

Look at those! They have oh-so-much character. AND no one else will have the same set as you!

Well, almost no one. They were such a great deal, I just HAD to buy two more sets to give away as

 gifts. If you are one of my friends, don't be surprised if this is your Christmas gift :)

Happy coaster making!