Monday Made It - DIY Map Coasters

Oh, it's been so long since I've linked up anything decent! I can't wait until I have some time to create again this summer.


Today's Monday Made It is DIY map coasters. I got the idea from this pin:


I decided to make these coasters as Father's Day gifts. Instead of one city chopped up into four coasters, I was thinking of making a coaster per city where they had traveled or lived.

First, I headed to {this site} to see if I could score free paper maps. Turns out, I should have thought of this idea earlier as many of the state tourism sites took a few weeks to get something sent through the mail. Ahh, snail mail. How I've missed you! However, a quick post on FB gave me more maps for the surrounding states than I could ever hope to use.


While I was waiting for those, I made a trip to Lowe's for some 4" tiles and bumper pads. I decided to go with tumbled marble instead of the shiny smooth tiles so it had more of a manly, natural look. I had to dig into several boxes to swap enough decent tiles.

Once maps started arriving, I decided on four locations for each father that had some sort of significance to them. I cut out 4" squares for each location.


After wiping down the tiles to get rid of the dust and chalkiness, I Mod Podged the maps onto the tiles.


After that dried, I sanded the edges of the maps to give them that rough look. I imagine this step would be optional. If you are going to leave a clean edge, then you're going to want to cut your maps slightly smaller than a 4" square. The left coaster in the picture below is post-sanding, and the right is before. Obviously, I did this step outside on my deck.


I stuck a bumper pad on each corner of each coaster at this point because I knew that I wanted to add a coat of Mod Podge to the top and sides, and the bumpers would raise them up a bit. I opted for the clear ones instead of the felt ones. I thought that these would hold up better.


Then I applied said coat of Mod Podge to the top and sides.


At this point, I didn't know if they were done or not, so I test drove one to see how it did. Would it seal out condensation? Would all of these be ruined on the first use? So I loaded up a glass of ice and Crystal Light, and put one to the test. And it left a ring. Boo. But then the ring dried. Yay! So then I put on some OUTDOOR Mod Podge and gave that a whirl. I figured if you put it on stuff that gets rained on, maybe it would work for condensation. Tried with a glass again, and I guess it's important to read the directions and let it dry 72 hours before using. So I peeled off that layer, and put two more coats on. Hopefully that will do the trick!


I am also linking with TTT for their Monday Meet Me.


Here is a list of three things for which I'm thankful. I think they're self-explanatory :)


Bright Idea - DIY Screenprinting


It's time for another Bright Ideas linky! I look forward to these every month because I get a ton of great, product-free ideas. This month I'm going to share how I made class t-shirts for our track and field day.

A few weeks in advance, I asked the kids to bring in a plain white t-shirt. Most everyone already had one at home, and I suggested to those that didn't that maybe they would want to pair up with someone who wears the same size and split a multi-pack. And since there are always a few kids that really don't have the means to get one, I found a deal at Joann's for $3 shirts (BEFORE the teacher discount!) and just asked them to give me their sizes. In fact, I offered to shop for others if they wanted to just give me the $3.

In the meantime, I designed the logo that I wanted on the shirts in PowerPoint. I tried to think of something that would connect so that I would only have one piece to deal with.


Then I printed a few copies out on cardstock and cut them out. I wanted something thicker than regular paper so it would hold up a bit and not get soggy. I also wanted more than one copy so that they could dry a bit between uses.

These have already been sprayed...
While at Joann's, I found this great spray fabric paint. I got a variety of colors for a decent price, and of course, I had a coupon.


I took a piece of construction paper and put it inside the shirt (which is the dark area you can see in the picture below) and laid the template on the shirt. In a few squirts, the shirt was done! I will tell you that the edges aren't totally clean and crisp because the template wasn't heavy enough to be completely flat against the shirt, but it worked for us! Then it was a matter of letting the kids use Sharpies to sign the backs of the shirts :) Easy peasy for this OCD, don't-get-my-room-dirty teacher!



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