Etched Coasters!

My little project today is so simple, but I really love it! I have made lots of tile coasters with vinyl initials, fleur de lis, swirls, etc.
They look great and are quite useful for cold drinks. I have seen the vinyl ripple and curl if you put a really hot drink on the tile.

Yesterday I was in Lowe's and found myself in the flooring isle. I found these glazed tiles on clearance for 32 cents each. Immediately I knew I had to try using the glass etching cream to see if I could etch a permanent design into them.

I bought 2...one light blue, one dark. I wanted to see if one showed better than the other. They have these tiles in numerous colors, but only these 2 were clearance.Cut your vinyl design then take out your design (leave the negative space). You want to leave the surrounding to protect your tile. I should have left a wider edge on the vinyl, but I wasn't thinking. I put the vinyl onto the tile. Make sure you have no bubbles around the edges of the design.

Cover the tile with a generous coating of the etching cream. I used a q-tip to apply it. Don't be afraid to lay it on thick. You can scrap your etching cream right back into the bottle (as long as it hasn't dried out).

Here is the dark blue. These were just samples to see if this would work, so I didn't worry too much about getting the design on straight. I am normally pretty anal about that.

See how thick that is? That is how you want it.

Here is the tile after I waited the necessary amount of time and wiped it down.
You can see it has lost it's shine! I was excited to get the vinyl off and see how it turned out.

Off it comes.....Here is the powder blue after it has been wiped off. The edges are still damp, but the rest has dried. You can really see the fleur de lis!

The darker blue worked quite well too!

Here is another shot of the powder blue. Now, simply cut either felt or a thin layer of cork to line the back. This step isn't 100% needed, but it will prevent your tile from scratching the finish of your wood furniture and give your tile a little cushion if your children are as gentle as mine are. :)

So that is is! All you need is:

vinyl or contact paper with a design cut out

etching cream (i have had that bottle for over a year, it lasts forever!)

glazed tiles- I used 4x4 tiles

cork or felt to line the back

q-tips or a small brush to apply cream

This only took about 10 minutes start to finish! Package 4 together in a cellophane goodie bag and tie with a pretty ribbon and you have a great gift!