Creating coasters with a splash of color

Published 12:17 pm Monday, June 6, 2016

: Finished product

A stay-at-home mother of two children, Ellen Raleigh loves working on arts and craft projects and is always looking for fun things to make with her children. Raleigh lives in rural Albert Lea with her husband, Matt, and children.

Ellen Raleigh

Raleigh and her husband own Raleigh’s Ace Hardware, and she teaches workout classes at the Albert Lea Family Y.

She took us step-by-step through how to make these colorful Sharpie coasters to bring in a splash of color for an otherwise functional accessory.

What you’ll need

White ceramic tile

Sharpie markers

Rubbing alcohol

Eye dropper or straw

Self-adhesive bumpers

Clear gloss spray paint

: Using an eye dropper, drop small amounts of rubbing alcohol all over the tile. Don’t drop too much alcohol. This causes the colors to run together and look messy, and the tile will take longer to dry.

: Apply another set of alcohol drops once the first set is dry. They will mix and blend together again. Let dry 10 to 30 minutes.

: Color sides of the tile with a marker.

: Spray with clear gloss spray paint. Hold spray can 6 to 10 inches away and do light coats. Be sure to wait between light coats to avoid adding too much. That could cause the colors to blend again.

: Color ceramic tiles with Sharpie markers. Primary colors — red, yellow and blue — mix best, creating new colors when they blend together. Remember, colors opposite on the color wheel will likely blend together to make brown.