"Tie Dye" Ink Coasters

      I saw this craft while surfing the internet for something to cure my boredom with! I was really excited to try it because the results were so beautiful and unique. This is a perfect craft for beginners and experts, it has it all; plus they make perfect gifts for everyone because they can be customized by color and with names.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

1. These are not pictured above, but you will need plain white tiles. I got 8 of them 3X3 inches from the flooring section of the Home Depot. They only cost 13cents a tile. Again plain white glazed tiles. Michael's does NOT sell tiles  :)

2. You will also need Alcohol Blending Solution. I bought mine from Michael's for about 4$ the brand is Adirondack

3. The color!! You will need Alcohol ink, the same brand, Adirondack, as the blending solution. I found mine in the same place as the blending solution in Michael's. This is the most expensive piece to the puzzle. The inks come in packs of three and each pack is about 9$. You only need one pack if you like the colors, but I liked the variety. 

4. Sealer, This is important because you don't want your ink to rub off or stain anything. I used a glossy finish Mod Podge, but is can be worn down by heat. If you get a spray fixative make sure it is alcohol free, otherwise it will smear and smudge your coasters when you spray them. 

5. Cork or felt pieces for the bottom. I bought a non-adhesive cork roll from Michael's, but they have adhesive cork and adhesive felt circles that will work just as well. If you get the non-adhesive cork make sure you have a glue to attach it!

6. The last thing you will need is some cheep paint brushes. Michael's has some cheep black staining brushes in their art supply section if you don't have any paint brushes lying around. You will need at least 2.

Let the Fun BEGIN!

The first step is to wash and dry all of your plain white tiles. Use soap and gently scrub them to remove anything that has gathered on the surface of the tile. When they are clean dry them off completely.

Next lay out a clean tile and squeeze about a teaspoon of the alcohol blending solution in the center of the tile. Use one of your paint brushes to evenly spread the solution all over the surface of the tile, it's worse to not have enough solution than to have too much!

Now, choose what colors you want on the coaster. Drop the color where you want it on the tile. it should spread out from where you drop it. Continue to drop your colors around the tile until you are satisfied. Remember the color will spread out so you don't need a lot. Make sure you do this step quickly so the alcohol solution doesn't dry.

If you want to get creative try using other tools to drop the alcohol, such as a paint brush or a que-tip.

Finish all your tiles, using what ever colors and patterns you want. It's impossible to make a mistake, but if you don't like the way one looks just go to the sink and squirt some of the alcohol solution on the tile and rub off the color and start over. 

After the colors all are dry to the touch, about 15 mins to be sure, take your Mod Podge or spray fix and seal the surface. wait for each layer to dry completely before doing the next one. Do between 4-6 layers of sealer.

If you want to personalize the tiles with a name or symbols, put one layer of your sealer on and wait for it to dry. Take a permanent marker and add what you want to the surface. When that is dry add the rest of you sealer layers.

This is where I found some good online stencils. 

http://online.rapidresizer.com/make-name-patterns.php

After everything is completely dry add your cork or felt pieces to the bottom. I cut my sheet of cork into  2X2 inch squares  and glued them the the bottom.

I used my regular glue to attach the cork, if you bought the adhesive kind you don't need any glue.

FINISHED

That is the end! you now have several beautiful coasters that you can use for yourself or for gifts!

I have the idea of making a few of these tiles without the cork and buying an old table from somewhere and covering the surface in these beautiful things. When I do that I will post a tutorial!

AGAIN: I will add more step by step photos soon, the ones I had just didn't turn out well. PLEASE let me know what you think of this tutorial in the comments! Suggestions and your experiences are welcome :)


Other crafts by me!
Minecraft Creeper Quilt, Quilting for Beginners

Easy Heart Bracelets