Chalkboard Coasters & a GIVEAWAY!!!

*** I'VE DECIDED IT WOULD BE FUN TO DO A LITTLE GIVEAWAY!! I'VE LINKED THIS PROJECT UP TO MY FAVORITE SITES AND ONE OF YOU LUCKY GALS WILL WIN THIS SET OF 4 COASTERS!! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS POST AND ON SUNDAY 2/28 AT MIDNIGHT I WILL CHOOSE  A WINNER!!! TELL YOUR FRIENDS :) ***

**** DUE TO THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WITH WORDPRESS :( I'VE DECIDED TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE FOR A SECOND ENTRY, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS BECOME A FOLLOWER. AND TO MAKE IT EVEN SWEETER I WILL THROW IN A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA TO THE LUCKY WINNER!!! ****

I'm not gonna lie ... I LOVE HOME DEPOT!! Ever since I started this blog I honestly love going there.  I will say it's sort of empowering being one of the FEW ladies in there. Yes, I still have to ask some questions, but for the most part I know where the ESSENTIALS are and I totally DIG it!! Anyway, I was there the other day and I decided to finally jump on the chalkboard craze and by myself a can of the magical stuff (I really do consider it magical).  So many different applications for it were running through my head and one of the quickest and cheapest was chalkboard coasters.  I thought they could serve a few purposes ... obviously the most important function is to prevent water rings on your coffee table and other surfaces, but I also thought they would be RAD as funky Place Cards (MY FAVORITE FUNCTION). And then the party guest could take it home after ... SO 3 TOTALLY PRACTICAL AND TOTALLY FAB FUNCTIONS!!! Oh, my hearts a flutter just thinking about these beauties. Ok, now for the supah dupah easy tute ...

*** Oh first let me say that I am missing 2 of the "during process" pictures.  Luckily, they aren't crucial but it's still rather annoying!! ***

SUPPLIES

- Cheap-o ceramic tiles from the Depot $.16/each

- ChalkBoard paint, I got plain black but you can get it tinted to a variety of colors ... I'm trying that next!!

- Large paintbrush

- Glossy Accents or Diamond Glaze, I use Glossy Accents only because it's all I can find in the stores

- Acrylic Paints, in color(S) of your choice

- Patterned scrapbook paper or some other printed image/design you like

- Sticky back stiff black felt or plain black felt will work too

The supply list is super small and SUPER cheap. The only investment ($11.00) is the paint and it will last forEVAH!! Ok grills, let's do this!!

Super Cheap $.16 white tiles from the Depot. They come in other colors, but they are more expensive and it doesn't matter anyway since you are painting them.  Its hard to see in this picture, but there are 2 bumpy things on each of the 4 sides of the tiles.  I first tried handsanding them off and that didn't work, so I busted out the orbital sander and used the roughest grit sandpaper I had to get rid of 'em. It only took a few minutes total.

Paint the front and sides of the tiles ... I did about 3 coats, letting each dry for about 15-30 minutes before moving on to the next.

Paint the back a bit too, you don't have to worry about the middle because it will be covered with the felt.

I looked online for paisley and scroll patterns that I liked, but they were all too ornate so I turned to my trusty scrapbook paper stash and found a pretty leaf paper that I liked. I didn't have any graphite paper so I just rubbed my pencil on the back of the paper and it works just as well. *** Here is where picture #1 that I am missing  would come in .... GRRR!! *** Turn the paper over and position it on the tile where you want it. Hold it down tight and using a pen or stylus, trace over the design making sure to apply enough pressure.

This is what you will be left with. This isn't actually the design I used, but you get the idea!! Then I used a fine tip paintbrush and traced over the lines, you could also use a paint pen. *** missing picture #2 alert ... *** After my painted design was dry I decided that they weren't shiny and protected enough for my liking.  Normally, I would just spray a glossy finish but since it's chalkboard I used my Glossy Accents and went over the design. It was nice because the fine tip of the bottle allowed me to keep the gloss on the design and not on the chalkboard part. Follow the directions on the bottle as far as how long to let the stuff dry.

I wanted the coaster to look as finished as possible, and so nobody would every know it was a cheapy tile, so I added some felt to the back. And this way it protects your table or other surface.  I opted to go with the sticky back felt for 2 reasons. 1. It's already sticky so I don't have to glue anything and 2. It is much stiffer than regular felt.

Here they are in all their glory!! Super cute right?

Here it is as a Place Card.

These are so STINKING cute and fun to make!! And once again, super cheap. REMEMBER TO COMMENT ON THIS POST SO YOU CAN BE ENTERED TO WIN ALL 4 OF THESE CUTIES!!! Thanks for reading!!

And as always, check out my ladies ... they sure know how to part-ay!!