Attack Of the Pint Glass!: Quirky B-Movie Themed Coaster DIY



 

Hi, all! I'm back (sort of)! Things have been nuts, but I'm happy to report that my sunroom renovation is about 90% done. There's still some light clean-up to do, and a couple of small decorative pieces to buy...and, of course, an air hockey table to pawn off find a good home for, but the room is functional again. That's huge, y'all. I was starting to wonder if we had a house elf sabotaging us--sort of a "Harry Potter must not finish the sunroom!" kind of deal.

 

Anyhoo, while I'm not quite ready to inundate you with pictures just yet, I did want to share a DIY project that worked out. I'm not even going to say "worked out well". It did, but the mere fact that it worked out, period, makes it one of the most successful projects I've tried, to date. Basically, the idea of spending upwards of twenty bucks for a set of coasters made me ill. We needed them, but even the cheapest, ugliest ones at, oh, pick a store, were hella 'spensive. I don't want to spend more on something to set a glass on than I did for the glass. Maybe I'm cheap, but it irritated me.

 

Somewhere along the way--can't remember where, but if I can find it, I'll link it--I heard about using decoupaged ceramic tiles, and thought, "Well, duh. Why didn't I think of that?" I already had the perfect decorative pieces ready to go. Thomas bought some B-movie poster postcards a few years ago, but we repurposed their frame, so they've been collecting dust. How cool would they look sitting around the bar? Thomas loved the idea, so I set to work.



 



 

This is a very simple project, so very few supplies are needed, and you probably have most of them if you're even slightly crafty. I wanted to make six coasters, so I needed:

 

• 6 movie poster postcards. I already had mine, but you can find them for pretty cheap on ebay. The linked ones are $5.99 for a lot of six.
• 6 ceramic tiles. These cost a whopping $.16 each at Lowe's.
• Mod Podge. This was the priciest component at $7.99, but I barely used any. This bottle will last for ages, and pay for itself in future crafts.
• Clear spray paint. You need this to seal the coaster, and take away any of the tackiness from the Mod Podge. (side note: Thomas wanted to know if we could use clear spray paint to take the tackiness out of other stuff, like reality shows or leisure suits. I said I didn't think so.) Again, I already had this, but it runs about $3 at Walmart.
• Plastic bumpers. I got two packs for $5 at Walmart.
• A brush of some sort. I had a sponge applicator left over from another project, so I used that. Honestly, a makeup wedge would probably work. You shouldn't have to spend more than a few cents on this, if that.
   

If you have to buy everything, this project could run about $23, which is more than the store-bought ones I refused to buy on principle. That said, I had some stuff, already, bringing the total down to slightly less than $14. The next time I do this, I won't need to buy the Mod Podge, which will bring the total down to about $6, plus whatever decoration I put on the tiles.

 

I apologize for not taking in-progress shots, but this is pretty self-explanatory, anyway.

 

• Measure the tile, then cut your decorative piece to fit. You'll want to leave a little room on the outer edges, so, if your tile is 4"x4" (for example), you might want to cut your decoration to 3.5"x3.5".
• Using your sponge applicator, spread a thin layer of Mod Podge over the tile.
• Center your decorative piece, and allow to dry.
• Using your sponge applicator, spread another thin layer of Mod Podge over the tile, covering the decoration, and allow to dry. Multiple coats may be needed, depending upon the thickness of your decoration. I used four thin coats, with a little extra built up over the corners. The finish will be textured, so keep that in mind.
• Seal with 1-2 coats of clear spray paint.
• Attach bumpers to the underneath corners, to prevent the tile from scraping up your furniture. You could also use felt or cork--anything that can act as a safeguard for your tabletops.

 

This may seem like a lot of applying and waiting for tiles to dry, but each coat only takes about 15 minutes to set. If you do these in an assembly-line fashion, by the time you finish the last tile, it's time to start in on the first again. Here's the finished coaster:

 



Top View

Side View. You can see some of the texture, and where the bumpers lift the tile off of the table.

Here are a few on display in the wine bar. I think they work well with the orange, gold and brown color scheme.

And here's a final look at a couple on our pub table. The shot glass centerpiece is going to hold candles...eventually. Until then, tequila, anyone?
 

I hope you've enjoyed this project and sneak peek at the finished room. Have a great week, everyone!

InstagRandomness

I am so tired.

I mean, I am flat-out, fall-on-your-face, dear-God-I-should-not-be-driving exhausted. Poor Thomas is, too. I'd like to blame it all on the time change, but we've been burning the candle at both ends for so long now, this was bound to happen. At this point, I'm sitting upright. Please don't ask any more of me...and pass the coffee. Thank you.

Now, for your viewing entertainment, I give you: Random Instagram Photos! InstagRandomness, if you will. If you enjoy these, you can follow me @adorablenapalm. I don't have a hashtag (I'm not hip with all this newfangled social media hullaballoo. In my day, I had to dial-up to get to the world wide web. I had to wait for a connection and listen to a whole lotta screeching, just so I could reach America Online. Also, I'm apparently 106 years old now.) but I am always open to suggestions.

And now, the InstagRandomness!

Considering the March ipsy bags have already started arriving, I should probably show you a picture of the February bag. I actually took about two-dozen photos, with close-ups, swatches...the whole nine yards...and they all turned out orange. All of them. This was the best one of the bunch.

My bag contained Zoya nail polish in Odette, City Color Be Matte blush in Fresh Melon, Tini Beauty Eyetini in Spiced Rum, POP Beauty lip gloss in Peony Petal, and a Nume hair mask. The bag was a very cute hot pink with pink leopard lining.

Briefly, the Zoya is a lovely plum cream. For me, the name Odette conjurs up visions of soft white feathers, but this is beautiful, just the same. The blush is ginormous, crazy pigmented, and the perfect Spring-y coral. It's sitting in my current rotation. The Eyetini is fabulous. It's a rich bronze cream that applies easily, blends well, and reminds me a lot of my favorite MAC eyeshadow, Woodwinked. I lucked out with the POP Beauty lip gloss. It seems that several subscribers had issues with a gasoline-like smell, but mine is fine, so far. The rubber cap does have a distinct rubber odor, but that's to be expected. The gloss itself is more like a liquid lipstick. It's opaque, a pretty orange-leaning pink, and stays on fairly well. It's not my favorite thing, but I've worn it quite a bit. Lastly, the Nume hair mask conditions nicely and smells of Patchouli (to me, anyway). All in all, February was a very good bag month.

Now, if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, then you probably have noticed my complaining about the renovations we're doing to our sunroom. Well, folks, here's a sneak peek:

The walls are Orange Spice (or Spiced Orange? I can't remember) from the Better Homes and Gardens collection at Walmart. The door is Tierra Brown from the same line. The blue is painter's tape, and I'd better get used to it, because it has embedded itself into the walls and glass. Yay.

The floor is mostly done, now (just a few more planks. Thank God), but here's a shot of the new floor going over the old laminate tile.

I am in love with this floor. The wooden planks are actually stick-down vinyl tile! You can cut it with scissors (and I have...oh boy, have I ever). The brand is Style Selections in Antique Woodland Oak, and Thomas and I found it at Lowe's. If I hadn't put it down myself, I'd never believe it was stick-down tile. It even feels like real wood. Ah-maze-ing!

This little "weekend project" has been going on for a solid month and a half. Of course, we did take one weekend off to go to the brand-new Pensacon convention in Pensacola. Remember, this was the first year EVER of this con. First. Year. Now, look at the vendor floor:

Holy hordes of people, Batman! There were eleven thousand attendees on Saturday. Not over the course of the weekend. Saturday. That's nuts. And awesome. We were there Saturday and Sunday, and had an absolute blast. I got to see Axel from The Walking Dead, and nearly bumped into Nicholas Brendon in a hallway. It was magical. If you get a chance, read the article I linked to and join me in being highly impressed with this fledgling con.

In addition to celeb-spotting and souvenier shopping, Thomas got to participate in a panel on Indie Filmmaking. I sat in the front row and grinned like an idiot while snapping pictures. I'm so proud of him. There were six other highly accomplished speakers, and we were so honored to have Fighting Owl counted among their work.

So, this happened...

I kind of love him. He sits in our office/studio, next to a shadow box filled with zombie faces. That seems fitting. My voice students haven't had a chance to meet him, yet, so I'll have to let you know how that goes. The dog likes him. He also likes the Krampus. However, Batman is not allowed anywhere near him. The chihuahua may not be the best judge of character...

Speaking of Ronnie, I leave you with a visual representation of the word "spoiled":

I love that little face. Both those faces, actually. :)