A guest post by Anneka from Mrs Crafty B
Firstly a big thanks to Mellissa for having me over here on the blog and to you guys for stopping by.
In light of my new feature ‘Making Home’, I decided to share a home decor project with you and as Mellissa is exploring in the USA, I thought we would keep that theme running back on this side of the pond!
These map coasters would make the perfect addition to your stylish work area, your reading space or even a personalised gift.
So here is how to make your very own.
What you will need
A tile with a flat top. (I used a plain white 10cm x 10cm coaster from B&Q).
A piece of felt or cork to put on the bottom of your coaster.
Some strong adhesive such as Copydex to stick the felt/cork to the bottom of the tile.
Some cutting tools (rotary cutter, scissors or guillotine).
Some decoupage glue with an acrylic/waterproof finish. (I used Decopatch Paperpatch Varnish Glue).
A suitable brush for applying your glue (I used a Decopatch brush. Don’t use anything that will shed the bristles onto your project).
An image of your chosen map either cut from an old atlas, from a map style wrapping paper or decopatch paper or a photocopy of your chosen place.
If you choose to do the ‘extra steps’ you might need a distress ink (as pictured) and/or some paint for the sides of your coaster (not pictured). More on that later.
How to make you coaster
Ensure that your tile is clean and dry.
Cut your image to your chosen size. You could take it all the way to the edge of the tile or (as I have done) cut it slightly smaller so that you have a slight border around the edge.
Coat your tile in a layer of glue and place your image on top trying to place the centre down first and pushing it outwards to avoid bubbles. The paper can easily tear with the addition of glue so don't try too hard to push out any air bubbles.
Paint another layer of glue on top of your map immediately
LEAVE TO DRY FOR AN HOUR
If there were any air bubbles, these may have now sunk and turned into creases (which is fine and will just add a rustic look ;-) ) Push down any raised areas firmly but carefully and add a second layer of your glue.
Cut your piece of felt or cork to the size of your tile.
One your coaster is completely dry, flip it over and glue your chosen material to the bottom.
VOILA - Your very own map coasters!
EXTRA TIPS
You may notice that I have two different coasters. I photocopied an atlas in colour and in black and white. Once I cut my image from the black and white photocopy, I used a Tim Holtz Distress ink to give the image an ‘aged’ look.
If you prefer a more polished finish, you could paint the edges of your tile white, or to give it an ‘edge’ (pun fully intended) you could go for a colour to match your image or the bottom of your coaster. Do this step first.
I would love to see your coasters so Tweet me a picture with #MakingHome so I can retweet them or pop them on the Mrs Crafty B Facebook for a share.
Happy coaster making!
Your blog is so good I love how you have designed your site and your coaster tutorial is fantastic x
ReplyDeletehttp://analuisadejesus199.wix.com/fadedspring
You have Anneka to thank for this guest post :)
DeleteThese are great, I love them. I don't use coasters often but I'd love to make these
ReplyDeleteI think I will have a go at making these myself.
DeleteI don't use coasters but these are super cute!
ReplyDeletekirsty xx
kirstyralph.co.uk
Perhaps you could make them as a gift for someone.
DeleteIt's a really interesting project, the coasters look fab and it doesn't look very complicated to make. x
ReplyDelete