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Friday, May 27, 2011

Do it yourself coasters for around .30 each (yes, that's 30 cents!)

reception favors

These coasters are made out of a 4x4 inch tile, decorated with craft paper or fabric and sealed.  The possibilities are endless- I have done our boys’ handprints for the Grammas for Mother’s Day.  Photo ones for a girlfriend (of her and her fiancĂ©) for her shower, and reception favors (with the bride and groom’s names, date and a Bible reference printed on a clear address label) for my sister’s upcoming wedding. 

How-To

  1. Hot glue felt, cork or fleece to the back of the tile.  This prevents it from scratching the table it will sit on.  You can also use the little circles that go under chair legs, they work really well too.

  2. Pick your paper or fabric and decoupage it to the tile- It takes more glue than you would think, so be generous

  3. If using a picture, handprint or other type of art layer it on. 


  4. Let dry and then give it a good coat or two of acrylic spray sealer (found by the spray paints)
Tie a ribbon around a set of 4 and they make a great gift!


My 3 little loves' handprints

Ideas for coaster making:

Host a coffee date with your friends and make them together (that’s what we did for the reception favors.  We managed to knock out 210 in about 3 hours and it didn’t even feel like a job because there were 6 of us catching up and 10 kids running around playing)

Let your kids do their best artwork- a useful keepsake that captures the cute way they draw people or their adorable lettering.  They love the gluing mess! (tip: a quick layer of newspaper or a paper bag on the table makes clean up a breeze) 

Find pictures of people who inspire you, encourage you and love you. What a great place to rest your morning coffee each day.

Use old maps, recycled newspaper, t-shirts, holiday cards, ... anything!

photo coasters


Have fun with it and let them reflect your own uniqueness!


Thursday, May 26, 2011

Greeting!

This is my official "hello".  I have been tossing around the idea of starting a blog for awhile and decided to commit to it for this summer as an experiment.  My goals and vision for it are:  Craft ideas you can do on your own. Decorating tips with upcycled, repurposed and unique items.  Parenting thoughts, and married life.  I don't claim to be an expert at any area but I enjoy learning from other people's experiences and sharing my own personal story. 




Me with my 3 little loves on Mother's Day




I also hope to continue working on and expanding my etsy shop PortalElements.  I refer to this as my tiny little hobby that helps break up the daily life of being wife, mom and homemaker. 


I hope to meet people and connect, and to learn a lot along the way!


Thanks for joining me on this mission!  I would love to hear your thoughts, input and ideas.


Me in one of my Etsy creations