Quick and Easy DIY Coasters

I'm not really a "coaster person"...with three little kids that drive toy cars, play games, and put their feet up on our wood family room coffee table, I tend not to worry too much about a cup or two placed on it.  At this point in my life, there is a reason why I like "distressed" furniture!  I'm lucky enough to have a cozy area in my "formal" living room (or as the kids call it, "Mom's room) where I like to sneak away with a cup of coffee or tea, a book, or my laptop.  This is where I blog...

Unlike our chunky wood family room coffee table, this one is predominately glass and was handmade by my step-dad out of an old window that opens up and holds my collection of bird's nests...

Since the glass pretty much shows all my cup rings, I thought I'd whip up some quick and super-easy coasters. Here's how I make them:

Gather your supplies.  You'll need:
1) Package of natural stone travertine tile - you can get these at your local hardware store pretty inexpensively.  I bought mine at Home Depot and contains nine tiles. 
2)Assorted stamps of choice
3)Stamp pad in color(s) of choice.  I picked out this teal color at Michael's to coordinate with my curtains.
4)Cork or felt pads with adhesive backing.  I found the cork pads at the Dollar Tree and the package contains 36 pads - just the right amount for my package of tiles!
5)Spray can of clear sealer - matte or gloss, whichever look you prefer.

First, give your tiles a good brushing-off.  Natural stone out of the package can be a little dusty.  I apply the cork/felt backing first so I don't scratch the table I'm working at, but you can apply these at anytime.  The next step is pretty self-explanatory...just firmly apply an ink-loaded stamp directly on the tile...

In no time at all, you can finish a whole set using any design you'd like...

After stamping, set them aside until the ink has dried.  The last step is applying a couple of coats with the spray sealer to protect the ink from running and before you know it, you have some one-of-a-kind custom coasters!

As I mentioned above, this package contained nine tiles so it's easy to make a set for you and a friend...

I actually made quite a few of these a while back from a large lot of travertine tiles that I picked up a garage sale, but I never made any for myself.  This is part of my batch from back then for some more inspiration...

There are endless possibilities! 

Kristen

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