DIY Photo Coasters

Customized photo coasters have been all the rage on Pinterest lately. Not only is it trendy, but it’s also a great home improvement project that involves the whole family. Every time you set down a drink or gaze at the coffee table, you’ll be reminded of your children, partner, family pet, or memorable vacation spots. Follow the seven easy steps below to make unique photo coasters that will add a personal touch to your home that everyone will love.

Item’s You’ll Need:

1. A small, clean paint brush

2. Scissors

3. Krylon acrylic clear coat

4. White tissue paper

5. Scotch tape

4. Mod Podge (Matte or Gloss works best)

5. Felt for the backing

6. Ceramic bathroom tiles (4 x 4”)

7. A selection of photographs!

Here’s how you do it:

1. To begin, choose a selection of photos you would like to print. You can easily crop them in Word to the desired 4 x 6” measurement. These will need to be printed out on white tissue paper.

2.To print on white tissue paper, cut out a piece that is 8 x 10” and secure it, using the scotch tape, to a piece of cardstock of the same measurements.

3. One the photos are printed cut them down to 4 x 4” to fit on the tiles.

4. Brush a thin coat of Mod Podge over each tile and, while centering, place the photo on the tile.  Let it dry completely.

5. One it’s dry, paint another think coat of Mod Podge over the photo’s surface and let it dry completely. Repeat this two more times to ensure the tissue paper does not rip.

6. Once the Mod Podge is dry, seal each photo onto its tile with Krylon acrylic clear coat.  Apply three coats, making sure each coat is dry before applying Krylon again.

7. To finish your coaster, simply cut out a 4 x 4” piece of felt and apply to the back.

Helpful Tips:

• Be sure to print your photos using a color laser printer, as using an inkjet printer may cause streaks of color. Make your photos black & white for a more sophisticated look.
• Craft stores like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby will often carry adhesive-backed felt that you can use for the coaster backs.
• If you have difficulty smoothing the Mod Podge, it may help to sand the surface when it dries and add a few extra layers.
• You can pick up 9 tiles from Home Depot for around $4.

If you found this project to be inspiring and fun, please write us a post on our Facebook page sharing your experience.  We would love to see pictures of the final product.

Find us here: http://www.facebook.com/belfurniture

Get the Home of Your (Childhood) Dreams

Anyone who uses Pinterest, no matter how fleetingly, has undoubtedly seen the deluge of “secret door” and “secret room” pins. Most people remember their childhood dream of a house full of hidden entryways and secret compartments. Pinterest, a digital world of aspirations and inspirations, is the perfect place to keep those dreams alive, “pinning” photos and links to how-tos for all these things and more.

Well, I think it’s time to jump from the home décor board to the home improvement store. This project is surprisingly easy (and cheap!), even for the DIY amateur, if you don’t mind doing a little work. All you need is a cheap bookshelf and some common hardware and tools, and, voilà, hidden passageway!

1.  Measure the space that you have to create the passageway. The dimensions will dictate what size bookshelf you need to use.
2. Find or cut a piece of pressed board, sometimes known as particle board, to fix to the bottom of the bookshelf. This board will function as a “skateboard,” to help the door swing and keep the weight of a full bookshelf from stressing the hinges.
3. Attach five casters (wheels with brackets for attachment), one in the center, and two on either side. The two wheels on one side should be angled to allow for the door to swing. The “skateboard” should hold the bookshelf 1/8” from the ground, to keep it from scraping the floor.
4. Attach the bookshelf by hinges to another bookshelf or anchoring device, using three hinges. An L-bracket should also be used to attach everything to the ceiling, for added stability.

And that’s it! Here is the original link for pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thereisnophoto/tags/bookcasedoor/. If you’re feeling really crafty, there are more complex ways to accomplish this project, including adding a latch activated by pulling on a book…how Sherlock Holmes!

Happy Crafting!