A while back I signed up for an exchange program at Totally Tutorials, where you receive free craft supplies and in exchange you create a project and make a tutorial to go along with it. I was totally psyched when I got chosen to participate in the exchange with Artful Mosaic Supplies. Everything you need to make these tiles is over in her shop, so you had better head on over and check it out!

Let’s make some mosaic tiles first!
1. Start by laying out your Tiles in the pattern you want. Take a picture so you will have a reference for later. I decided to do monograms for members of my family so I could make a chart. **IMPORTANT** When planning your design, no more than 1/4″ between your tiles. Otherwise the grout will crack!

2. Seal your coasters with a coat of Mod Podge.

3. After your coasters are dry, begin gluing down your tiles. The glue I used was Weldbond. You could substitute with regular white glue if necessary. The second picture is all my tiles glues. **IMPORTANT** Let your coasters cure for several days before proceeding.

4. AFTER the coasters have set a few days, it’s time to grout. I used about 1/4 lb of grout for all 4 coasters. To mix, SLOWLY add water until you get to a creamy but thick consistency. Less is more so far as water goes!

5. Using popsicle sticks or a rubber spatula, slather on the grout. It does stain, so make sure you are working on a protected surface, with an apron, and possibly gloves if you don’t like red hands for a few days. Personally, I didn’t mind getting a little dirty. Use a small hunk of pool noodle to really push the grout in all of the crevices.

6. After you’ve gotten your grout in nice and good, take a barely wet sponge and gently wipe the excess grout away. This was my favorite part, I’m not going to lie. It’s important that the sponge has very little moisture. We were so careful to get the grout consistency right, you don’t want to go dumping extra water on it. Let the grout dry for several days.

7. AFTER your grout has dried a few days, it’s time to seal it. Using a soft cloth, wipe the sealant on a small area and then wipe and polish the tiles.

One last word on the tiles before we move onto the responsibility chart. Make sure you paint the sides/back of your tiles depending on what you are going to use them for. I actually wiped some grout on them to stain them red, but it would have been better to have used paint. So do as I say, not as I do. 🙂

On to our family night, or Family Home Evening responsibility chart. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, HERE is a great link to help explain the benefits of setting aside one night a week to spend with your family.

On the topic of keeping it real, we are in need of improvement in the family night category, so I’m hoping that assigning people their own role or task will help us get organized and have a structured Family Home Evening more often.

I used:
– A wooden board from the Ikea “As-is” section. $0.79 thank you very much.
– Primer spray paint, and black spray paint
– Vinyl letters
– Hammer, Nails
– Ribbon: 4 strips about 7 inches long.

1. Spray Primer and then your top color of spray paint on your board. Apparently documenting spray painting is as much fun as watching it dry, because I opted not to do it! 😉

2. Apply your vinyl. Aside: I cut my own vinyl and my frugal nature led me to cut and place each word separately to get the most of my vinyl. If you are buying from someone, hopefully they will lay it out for you, so you can just place it in one or two pieces.

3. Mark where you want your tiles to hang and hammer your nails in the board.

4. With your staple gun, attach your ribbon to the back of the coaster.

Now that you’ve seen one Mosaic tile idea head on over to Artful Mosaic Supplies to get some supplies and get some more inspiration.

Recommended Reading:

Mario Mosaic Tile Family Tree Magnet Board Honeybaked Ham: A Family tradition + Giveaway