Etched Tile Coasters

So, this is a pretty simple project.  You can do pretty much any design you want, as long as your stencil completely seals to the tile.  I used the Star Trek stencils I made for the post about "contact paper" stencils a couple of posts back.  You can also buy "peel and stick" stencils at craft stores like Michael's that are intended to be used for things like glass etching cream, which is what we'll be using here.  


You'll need dark colored ceramic tiles (available at Home Depot type stores), glass etching cream (available at Michael's type stores), appropriate stencils, cork sheeting, strong bonding glue, scissors, and a plastic spreader (not metal or glass) for the cream (I used a plastic, disposable knife).  


This is shouldn't be too difficult or time consuming.  The longest part for me was actually finishing the stencils, as I couldn't cut the inside parts out until I was ready to use them.


First, lay out your stencil on the tile before peeling the backing off, to get an idea of placement.  You don't want to be lifting and replacing it, getting fingerprints all over the adhesive, weakening the seal, etc.  Once you like how it'll look, peel the back, stick it on in the appropriate location, and press.  You'll want to do an extra rub down around the edges where we'll be placing the cream.  It's very easy for it to seep under the edge and ruin the look of the image.

Stencils

This is the first of what will probably be several, at least a few, handmade stencils... especially since this tutorial isn't going to be technically complete.  I'll explain at the end.  You'll see why.  What I will describe will work best for hard, non-porous surfaces like glass or ceramic tile.  You could use it for fabric, but freezer paper works much better for that... a post for another time.

This type of stencil is handmade from contact paper.  Which, if you don't know, is roughly similar to wall paper.  Major differences are that this is removable and it isn't used to cover walls.  Most people use it to line shelves and drawers.  It comes in a variety of colors and textures, including clear.  You could use a dark color for stencil-making so that it's easier to see against whatever it is you're stenciling on, but it requires an extra step or two.  I got clear for two reasons: one, it was one of the cheapest; and two, even though it has paper backing, you can still see mostly through it unpeeled, which makes for easy tracing.


The first step is to get the images you want to make a stencil out of.  This can be a lot trickier than it sounds if you have to make it yourself.  You can do a Google image search of the design you're looking for and add "stencil" to the parameters.  You will probably get a decent amount of pumpkin carving designs in the batch.  However, if you can't find what you're looking for, you might have to Photoshop a black and white version of whatever it is you're doing.  There's a lot that goes into that, steps and rules and whatnot.  This is a tutorial on someone else's site, on how to do just that. Too much to go into here. 

Randomness

Every so often, I'll post something from another site or blog that I find to be awesome, not necessarily being completely relevant, but cool nonetheless.  

This first such entry is from a blog called Geek Crafts, for all you baking Star Trek Fans:

http://geekcrafts.com/bake-it-so/