maybe of my whole life.
I am so excited with how gorgeous and elegant these turned out!
In the sunshine they sparkle and shine!
They have the perfect metallic element, just a splash of gold!
I spent a good hour working on the perfect process so it could be
duplicated easily.
Really, these don't take much time.
They are simple enough for older kids to give it a try too.
And if you mess up, you can wash it off and try again.
You don't have to commit until you love it!
Aren't they beautiful!???
I got these ceramic hexagon tiles from Home Depot,
they were under 50 cents each.
I love them--I need a hundred more!
These Dr. Ph. Martin's Bombay India Inks are perfection.
They are bright and vivid and don't lose color when they dry.
I use them a lot...check out this post too!
Okay, inks, tiles and rubbing alcohol...you'll want a palette and paint brush too!
You'll also want gold leaf and adhesive!
The gold leafing isn't essential.
They look beautiful just with the watercolor wash...
but the gold gives it such a wonderful finishing touch!
Okay, let's get started!
I've convinced you, right!?
This makes it much easier to work with.
If you make a mistake that you don't love...you can just wash
it off with warm water and start over!
Dip the paint brush in the desired ink.
Don't dilute it with water.
Colors that blend well and don't turn to brown.
Shades of blues and greens...
shades of reds and oranges and yellows.
I think three colors works great.
I love the ones with all the colors the most though!
You don't have to fill the entire tile.
It's so hard!
It instantly repels the ink.
Drop it from about 8 inch height. This gives it the right splash!
It's fun how the colors mix and blend!
As if it wasn't easy enough!
Repeat.
It is so much fun!
You'll want more than 6 tiles...like hundreds!
You'll want to make these for gifts too!
I let them sit for just a couple hours.
You can see how beautiful and fun they are just with the watercolors...
so you can lacquer them here...or move on to the next step.
After they are dry, it's time to gold leaf!
It's so fun too--and highly addictive.
I only use one sheet of gold leafing for all 6 tiles.
It's super thin and breaks apart easy. Just cut it with the layer paper with it.
Don't pick it up until you are ready to work with it.
This will remove the paint, so be careful.
Just add the adhesive in a random place and pattern and let it dry completely.
Press with your finger on the areas that have the adhesive.
This will gently remove the leafing from anywhere there is no adhesive.
Some of the tiny pieces will stick to other parts of the tile.
This is fine and actually makes it look so much cooler.
Looks gorgeous!
I think it needs the gold, it's the crowning glory!
I love a metallic element.
You could use copper leaf, silver leaf or variegated gold leaf!
Then place on a piece of cardboard and take outside.
Spray with a coating of lacquer.
Let sit for 20 minutes and repeat.
The lacquer will dry shiny and crystal clear.
I let mine dry completely overnight.
Now, to protect the surface you are setting your coaster on...
Hot glue some felt, foam or cork on the underside.
I used cork.
One time, I had a dream that I went to the store with my sister and bought some
cork panels. The next day, in real life, I went to the thrift store and there
was a roll of cork there...I bought it! Just because of that dream. Anyways,
here's me using some of that cork!
Then hot glue all the edges and press on firmly.
The perfect handmade gift!
Keep track of your drink!
And more pictures!
Favorite. project. ever.
Or save off for later!
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