GOING ‘COASTAL’

Tie Dye Coasters a fun and easy DIY craft

KILEY CRUSE | World-Herald Staff Writer

This is my favorite kind of craft: super easy, inexpensive and fun. Another thing I love is there is no wrong way to make these coasters. Each will be unique and, if you don’t like how it turns out the first time, simply wipe away the design and start again. Each will be unique and, if you don’t like how it turns out the first time, simply wipe away the design and start again. For fun, we tried adding the alcohol over the marker many different ways: a small eye dropper, spray bottle, paintbrush, Q-tips, pouring on a small amount and blowing it with a straw. Some worked better than others. My personal favorite is the spray bottle, but be careful not to get too much alcohol on the tile or you’ll lose the tie dye effect and just end up with a muddled mess.

Tie Dye Coasters

• White ceramic tiles (see note)

• Permanent markers, such as Sharpie or Bic

• Isopropyl alcohol, see note

• A dropper or small spray bottle

• Felt or cork pieces

• Spray acrylic sealer

1. First give each tile a little wipe down with the alcohol and let them dry

2. With your markers, color random designs.

3. When your tile is covered in marker, take the dropper and start dripping the alcohol all over the top. The colors will start to run and blend. You can lift your tile a bit if you want the colors to run a certain way, or just leave it flat and let the alcohol do its work. Alternately, you can spray the alcohol over the tile. Either way, be careful not to use too much alcohol.

4. Don’t like how it turned out? The beauty of this craft is that you can simply wipe your tile off with alcohol and a paper towel and start again.

5. Once you are happy with your designs, let the tiles dry overnight.

6. Spray a couple light coats of acrylic sealant over the tiles, letting it dry completely between coats.

7. When the tiles are sealed and dry, cut some felt or cork pieces and glue them onto the bottom.

NOTES:

„ Tiles can be found at area home improvement stores. Ours cost less than a quarter each.

„ 91% alcohol works best for this project but 70% will be OK.

4 But do pack a stroller

A toddler might not always want to sit in a stroller, Carter said, but a stroller can do so much more — free up your arms or hold bags, coats and just about anything else.

Then, when children are too tired to participate in a tour or other activity, they can doze in the stroller.

“A well-rested child is a happy child,” she said. “When he needs to sleep, I let him sleep.”

5 Be prepared

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