Here at Nature Way it’s all about the birds. We have hundreds and hundreds of lovely feathered friends visiting Nature Way each and every day. Sparrows, finches, woodpeckers, doves, blue jays, nut hatches, even turkeys, just to name a few. They flock to the bird feeders and the fountains in my garden. So when I came across these napkins I knew I wanted to use them in various craft projects for my home.
If you want to learn ideas on how to attract more birds to your garden check out this blog post, Bird Watching Tips for Beginners for loads of easy ideas. My bird watching obsession all started with my dear sister-in-law Robyn! She’s a bird lover too!
I love being out in the garden in the morning, enjoying a cup of coffee watching my little feathered friends. Learn the Simple Things You Can Do To Create Inviting Garden Spaces so you can relax and enjoy all the visitors that drop by for a snack or a drink of water at the fountain.
All right I’ve gotten totally off track. Back to updating some coasters with paint and decoupage. Please, don’t leave, thinking you can’t possibly do this project. This project requires no special skills. As far as difficulty, on a scale of 1-10 it’s a 1. Honestly, anyone can do this project!!! Not only is it a simple project, it can easily be completed in one afternoon and it produces some of the loveliest results for just a few pennies and an afternoon of your time!
I found these coasters at the thrift store for just .25 cents. Yes they are old and dated, and pretty awful but they are a very heavy stone with a cork backing and I loved the wrought iron stand that came with them.
I have to give my girlfriend Michelle a huge shout out for inspiring me to give this project a try. She has been playing around with decoupage and she has created some of the most beautiful tiles. I’ve been waiting to find an inexpensive set of coasters to try it out. Even if I mess these up I’m only out a few cents, so let’s forge ahead.
Keep your eyes peeled the next time you hit the thrift store, you will most likely find all kinds of old and dated coasters very inexpensively. You could use leftover tiles from a home improvement project or pick up a few at the hardware store if you don’t have any on hand. Any of these options are affordable.
Supplies:
- Tiles or coasters
- Chalk paint
- Paint brushes
- Water
- Napkins
- Mod Podge, in a matte finish
- Plastic garbage bag
Start by cleaning the surface of the tiles with a little soap and water. You want to make sure to remove any grease or oils. Any paint you apply will peel right off if the surface has any oils or grease on it.
Once the tiles are clean, apply two coats of paint to the top and sides of each tile. I recommend using chalk paint because it bonds so well to almost any surface. You won’t have to worry about it chipping off. I had leftover chalk paint from a previous project to use up. You could also use acrylic paint for the base coat if that’s what you have on hand. It too will work as a base. Use what you already have on hand.
TIP: When selecting the color paint for your tiles, try to use a color that most closely matches the background color of the napkins you are using for your project.
Apply two coats of paint so you have an even base that covers any images on the tiles.
Allow paint to dry completely. While the paint dries, prepare the napkins. Start by gently peeling the two layers of the napkin apart. Do this nice and slow so you don’t rip the napkin.
Once the paint has dried completely, place the napkin over the tile and center the image on the tile. Dip a small paint brush in water and brush it onto the napkin along the edges so that the napkin image you will use is just a bit larger than the top of the tile. You want to be able to bend the edges of the napkin down onto the sides of the tiles.
Gently tear the napkin along the waterlines you painted onto the napkin. You will get nice soft feathered edges where you painted the water onto the napkin.
Paint the top and sides of the tile with a coat of Mod Podge.
TIP: If you don’t have Mod Podge you can make your own. Mix two parts white glue with one part water. Stir to comibine.
Gently place the napkin image onto the tile. Keep in mind that once the napkin makes contact with the wet surface you won’t be able to move it around or adjust it without tearing it, so use care to place the image exactly where you want it on the tile.
Wrap a plastic grocery bag around your fingers and gently rub the image with the plastic bag to smooth it out and adhere it onto the tile. Start in the center and gently work your way out to the edges using a circular motion applying light pressure. You are smoothing out the image and gently removing any large air bubbles. Once the image is smoothed out, press the edges of the napkin down and over onto the sides of the tile.
The plastic bag won’t stick to the napkin, it glides easily over the surface without sticking. Using your fingers to smooth out the image will tear the napkin.
Set tiles aside and allow them to dry completely!
The napkins are very fragile when wet. You risk the chance of tearing the napkin if you try to apply a top coat while the Mod Podge is still wet underneath the napkin. Be patient and allow the tiles to dry completely before attempting to seal the tiles with a final top coat. Your patience will pay off.
Once the tiles are dry, apply a final top coat of Mod Podge to the entire surface of the tile and the sides to seal the image in place. Allow the top coat to dry overnight before using your coasters. The top coat will seal the image into place and protect if from any moisture from sweating glasses.
The Mod Podge topcoat will go on with a milky finish but will dry clear, so don’t worry if it looks like you ruined everything.
See, I told you this was an easy project that anyone can do! Now all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the beautifully useful coasters you’ve created.
Think of all the possibilities. Since this is such an affordable project you could easily make coasters for each of the holidays to match your holiday decor. How about using napkins with images of turkeys, or an overflowing cornucopia for Thanksgiving? Holly, angels or Santa images would be perfect on your Christmas table. What about making coasters as thoughtful gifts for family and friends? They would also make a lovely, unique hostess gift that any hostess would love to receive. You are only limited by your imagination when it comes to this inexpensive easy to make project that produces such lovely results.
Once you get the hang of decoupage with a small project like this you will begin to look around your home looking for other items to embellish. Once you feel confident with this process, try your hand with a little more advanced project, The Art Of Decoupage; How To Transform A Dated Bed Tray.
Dressers, nightstands, headboards, picture frames, tables, chairs…the possibilities are endless! What will you be creating next?
Did You Happen To Try This Project?
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John 3:16
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