Suzy from http://joyisathome.blogspot.com has this fabulous coaster tutorial that I really want to share it with you! What a fabulous handmade gift idea!
I looove coasters. Maybe because I'm a freak about getting rings on our furniture. Or maybe because they're so fun to make :) When I first discovered craft blogs, I saw this idea for coasters made out of terra cotta pots over at Sweet Charli. I thought it was perfect and I had all of the stuff to make it, but I didn't get around to it until now! I thought I'd share with you my version of this project.
First, take the bottoms of terra cotta planters. Prime them with a light coat of spray primer. (They'll be really hard to spray paint if you skip this step.)
Once that dries, paint both sides with your spray paint. I used Oil Rubbed Bronze- my fav!
Next, cut a circle of scrapbook paper to fit the inside of the coasters - around 2 inches.
Distress the edges with a distressing ink... or plain black ink if you're cheap and don't want to spend the $ on distressing ink! :)
Put a thin layer of mod podge on the back of them, making sure not to miss anything (especially the edges!) Don't use too much or else it will all squirt out the sides and cause a huge mess.
After that layer dries, add a decent layer of mod podge to the top. Make sure to seal the edges well. After that's done, use a paper towel to clean off the massive amount of leakage.
I'm a messy crafter. What can I say. :)
Once the mod podge dries, spray the whole thing with sealer to make it waterproof.
While they're drying, cut out a strip of felt and cut 4 small circles for each coaster.
Once the coasters are dry, hot glue your dots to the bottom.
And done!! Easy peasy! Now you can use your new coasters.