Remember at the beginning of this month when we had the De-stash Bash giveaways? Well, Felicia and Leslie have already put their prize packs to good use and I get to share their projects with you!
Let's start off with Stenciled Tile Coasters from Felicia...
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I was so thrilled to win the Paint & Adhesives Pack giveaway from A Little Tipsy that I had my first project planned out in my head before the package even arrived! Using some of the items from the giveaway, I made stenciled tile coasters.
I already had 4 white ceramic tiles that I wanted to use as drink coasters for my living room, but that's as far as the project got.
Until - duh tuh duh - the bounty of paint and adhesives was dropped at my doorstep. I wanted the coasters to coordinate with the Asian'ish decor I one day would have in my living room so the stencils in the pack were perfect and the gold metallic paint could not have BEEN any more perfect! About 15 minutes after receiving the loot, I started my tile coasters project.
The materials I used:
- Krylon glossy water-resistant polyurethane spray
- De-stash metallic gold paint
- De-stash Fruit Punch satin paint
The ceramic tiles were smooth and very glossy, too glossy for paint to stick to them, so I sanded them a little with a 220 grit sanding sponge. I sanded in the same direction just enough to take the shine off because I didn't want to have to paint 4 or 5 coats of the black paint just to cover up the sanding madness.
Once the tiles were smooth and no longer glossy, I wiped them with a damp cloth to remove the dust and any cosmic debris that floated down.
Next, I liberally painted them with 2 coats of matte black spray, waiting about an hour between coats.
When the tiles were dry and able to be handled, the surface of them felt and smooth and even, perfect for stenciling.
I wanted to paint them as pairs with 2 of the coasters having the same design that coordinated, but didn't match, the other 2. I chose a cherry blossom'ish looking stencil for the first pair, and a leafier, more robust version for the remaining pair.
I laid out the stencils and taped them to the coasters to keep them from moving around while I painted them.
I was able to paint all 4 coasters at the same time since there was a duplicate of each of the stencils - saving me drama of having to rinse the paint off the stencil after each coaster, repositioning it, crying, etc. That's a lot of extra work for a lazy person.
I started with the metallic gold paint since it was the primary color. I used a stencil brush to dab the paint over the whole area. I wanted the images to have an uneven, blotchy sort of look. Which worked out perfectly because that's how everything I do looks. I rinsed the brush and after a few minutes to allow the paint to begin drying, I dabbed the metallic green on the leafy parts. And on some non-so-leafy parts. And on some parts that weren't even meant to be painted.
I cleaned the green paint off the stencil brush and then dabbed the fruit punch color on the blossom parts. And, finally, what project would be complete without glitter, so I dabbed some of the green glitter paint on the leafy parts and I'm not even ashamed of that.
When I was done with the dabbing of the paint, I carefully removed the stencils and quickly rinsed off the paint before it dried.
After about 30 minutes to an hour later, I sprayed 3 coats of water-resistant polyurethane on the coasters, allowing about 10 minutes to dry between each coat, as the directions indicated.
I then, reluctantly, abandoned the coasters to dry thoroughly overnight. By the next afternoon, they were ready for the final step.
I applied round adhesive felt circles on the underside at the corners for their feet. This prevents scratching my furniture and makes it easier to pick them up. And prevents scratching.
I'm really happy with how they turned out and my life is no longer ruled by an irrational fear of furniture water rings.
Thank you for reading through to the bitter end and thank you to A Little Tipsy for the great giveaway and allowing me to share this project!
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Now for some fun cards from Leslie...
Hi, My name is Leslie, and I am excited about guest posting today. I am a stay at home mom and avid crafter. I love paper crafts and cardmaking! During the last year I have been battling breast cancer, and crafting has been my solitude from all of the craziness of the cancer. It was so fun to win part of the Great De-Stash giveaway. I have lots of plans with the all of the goodies I got, and made several cards to start.
I make cards for all of the patients in chemo (blank cards for them to give away), knowing getting to a card store is not a high priority, and is sometimes not possible...everyone loves my cards, and the nurses know how much the patients appreciate having a card to send.
I also plan to make bandana style head coverings for the chemo patients too with the fabric that Michelle included! Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy my cards.
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It is so fun to see what they came up with! Leslie is such a sweetheart to make cards for the patients in chemo and Felicia makes me want to try multiple colored stencils. Thanks a bundle ladies!
