RollerCOASTER of Love

I love making DIY gifts!  And I love even more to receive them! I had a surprise in the mail today from my friend Lauren - an amazing Christmas gift of homemade chapstick, body wash and shower fizzies.  Lauren is such a creative friend!  Last year she sent me homemade cake pops and a mini cake stand (which I currently use to hold dish and hand soap in my kitchen).  She is such an inspiration! I've already dug into the chapstick and can't wait to indulge in the other goodies. #Lovingmycreativefriends

Here are two projects I created recently with gift-giving in mind:

Last year I created several photo transfers using a method learned back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) in an art class.  Back in the days of living in the dorm rooms, I transferred a picture of Lenny Kravitz and hung it on the wall above my desk.  That's not weird...at all.  I'm sure you've all had a crush on Lenny Kravitz at one point or another.  Last Christmas I made Justin's Dad a Tennessee Volunteer coaster using the transfer method.  Justin's mom, and both sets of grandparents received a copy of the 2011 Christmas photo transferred onto a travertine tile or slice of wood. 

I'll share this easy project later this week.  I'm procrastinating.  As easy as this project is, the worst part is actually cutting the tile to size.  Last year I didn't have a tile saw so I used a method of tile nippers and a chisel and hammer to acheive the jagged edges.  I made it 90% of the way around the tile and then it would crack.  Right down the center.  And then send me into a state of frustration.  It took me too many hours and too many tiles using these methods.  This would explain why the tile above has a large crack (don't worry, I kept this one for myself).  This year I have a tile saw and a plan to make a few more Christmas surprises. 

Travertine is a beautiful natural tile that naturally has a cream colored background perfect for transferring photos and is my favorite kind to use for art projects.  I use the large 18x18 tiles to create larger photos (which I cut to size).  To create coasters I use the 4x4 tiles which come in a pack of 9 at Home Depot that are tied together so you can only actually see the top tile.  The quality of the natural stone is random, so while you may pick a pack that has a perfect tile on top, the rest may be too pitted to be able to nicely transfer a photo. 
It took a year, but I finally came up with a few ideas of what to do with the 8 remaining tiles from the pack I bought last year.  The pack I purchased only had 1 tile nice enough to transfer an image onto...all of the others had too much character.   I thought of decoupaging a solid piece of paper to help hide the blemishes, but still provide a useful gift.  And I just so happened to have sheet music on hand.  Here is what I used to create 2 different projects (all of which I had in my craft closet). 

- Travertine 4x4 tiles
- Flat black spray paint
- Sheet music (one sheet)
- Mod Podge (I used Matte)
- Sponge brush (x2)
- Clear protective spray paint
- Chalkboard Paint
- Felt, cork or rubber feet

My initial idea was to create a sheet music coaster.  I mod-podged a square piece of sheet music onto the tile:

I wasn't feelin' it.  The music sheet coaster definitely wasn't love at first sight for me.  It lacked some drama.  NOTE:  If you mod-podge a tile like in this project, you will need to give the final product a quick spray with a clear coat spray paint.  If you do not spray it with a final clear coat then hot liquids placed in a cup on the coaster will cause the mug to stick to the coaster.  This is embarrasing.  Especially when it is a gift to your boyfriends father.  (Dear Justin's Dad...I'm sorry for the crappy Christmas present that keeps sticking to your coffee mug)

So I spray painted the tile a flat black.

 

 and tried again...

Eh.  Still not in love.  I was ready to write this love story off as a failure...then WAIT!! Let's back this truck up....

 

It was perfect! 

I grabbed the chalkboard paint, which is also black, painted over the flat black spray paint with 3 coats of the Chalkboard Paint.  While the sheet music coasters were...eh...alright.  I found love in the naked tile.  I added four rubber feet to the bottom of each tile to protect the table.  Now this is a great gift!

I can rarely say that a failed project ends up turning out so great.  I have many other "failed" projects sitting in a corner of the basement...in detention until I figure out what to do.

This is a gift I would love to get!  So for Christmas I will gift myself new electrical, a garage door (oh, I haven't shared this story yet) and chalkboard coasters ;)

Mary