Awhile back we discovered that you can buy 4×4 white ceramic tiles at Lowes (or Home depot) for around $0.15 per tile! Such a small price for something you can do so much with!  One of our favorite projects is Sharpie tile coasters.  They are the perfect size, and there are so many options! There are tutorials galore that show you how to add a 4×4 piece of pretty paper to the tile with mod podge. There are lots of different backing options too.  A very versatile project and so easy anyone can do it!

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Here’s what you need to make your own Sharpie tile coasters:

• 4×4 white ceramic tile (the glossy ones)
• 4×4 felt pieces (or other backing material of choice)
• Sharpie colored markers
•  Rubbing alcohol
• dropper, straw, or paintbrush
• Glue (I use hot glue)
• Sealant

Take your markers and color on your tiles!  Any shapes, any patterns, any colors!  Whatever you want to do!  Keep in mind that this first application is going to get pretty blurry.  I spend the least amount of time on this first round.

With your brush, dropper, straw… whatever… splash or drop or shake the alcohol onto the tiles.  Big puddles, little drops… how much or little depends on you.  The more you add, the more the ink will blur.  When you’ve covered the tile how you think you want it, let it dry before you move to the next step.

Usually the inks will lighten, or sometimes even change hues.  The green I used turned pretty yellow.

When the tile is completely dry, I draw on it again.  Either tracing the same lines again, or adding new ones! Then add more ink.  Repeat until the tiles look how you want them to look!

If you reach this point and you hate it, no problem!  Wet the tile with alcohol again, and then just wipe all the ink off.  Start fresh from the beginning!  When you are happy with the ink, and it is dry, you will need to seal it.   I use a polyurethane spray but Mod Podge will seal it ok too.  Glue your felt squares (or other backing of choice) onto the back of your tiles, and there you go!

On the purple tiles, after everything was dry, I retraced the original design again in black because I put too much alcohol on and blurred everything out.  I like how it came out though!

This is the spray that I use to finish and seal the tiles!  It holds up amazingly well and one can goes a long way! And we LOVE sharpie markers in the Craft Shack! This set on amazon is always cheaper than my local Walmart.

If you have a little one like I do, tile coasters might not be the best option. I use my tile coasters in the craft shack most days to catch hot glue drips.  They are amazing for that purpose too! If you want a great, but not breakable coaster you will love these fun fabric coasters: