How to Turn Your Favorite Selfies Into Giftable Coasters (2024)

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Sure—in the realm of cheesy presents, photo gifts tend to rank pretty high. But since shared memories are a perfectly easy way to make something really personal, we made it our mission to find and create an anomaly: a photo gift that is not just passable but also cool.

It turns out that with just a bit of Mod Podge acrylic sealer, it's actually pretty easy to transfer images from printer paper onto a variety of materials: wood, canvas, or in our case, tiles. And after finding a handful of distressed slates at the Home Depot that we thought would make great drink coasters, it suddenly occurred to us: Tiles are square...Instagram photos are square...cue the light bulb emoji.

We happen to like the rustic look, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't go for a glossy finish or eschew tiles altogether for some wooden squares. You can also play with your set of photos: We chose a photo for every city visited on a recent trip to Europe, so that the finished tiles are a sweet little documentation of that excursion. But a set of family photos makes a great gift for Grandma, and we also love the idea of splitting one photo into several tiles to make a puzzle of sorts for the kiddos in your life. Your Instagram feed is your oyster. Go nuts.

WHAT YOU NEED:

-4" x 4" square tiles

-Instagram pictures of your choice, sized to 4" x 4" and printed on regular white paper with a laser printer*

-Mod Podge

-Paint brush or sponge

-Sander (optional)

*Note that your images will be reversed onto the coaster, so if using images with writing, simply flip the image horizontally in a photo editing program before printing it out.

STEP 1:

Cut your photo so that there's minimal white space around the edges.

STEP 2:

To prep the tiles, wipe with a damp towel to remove any dust.

STEP 3:

Brush a light coat of Mod Podge on both the tile and on the photo (the front of the photo, NOT the back).

STEP 4:

Place the photo onto the tile, taking care to line up the photo with the tile. Press firmly, and use card stock, a credit card, or a folder to smooth at any bubbles (but be careful not to rip the paper!).

STEP 5:

Let dry completely—we left ours overnight.

STEP 6:

Once dry, wet a paper towel with cold water. (We had a spray bottle handy.) Begin to carefully dab and rub the white paper—it should start to pill and reveal the picture underneath. Add more water as needed until the remnants of the white paper are gone.

STEP 7:

Use a sander to remove any paper on the sides, and to rough up the edges a little.

STEP 8:

Apply a light layer of Mod Podge to the coaster to seal the photo.

TO WRAP:

The coasters look great when stacked in a set, so we opted to enhance the country aesthetic by bundling them together with twine. Slip in a gift card and you're good to go.

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Photographed by Katie Friedman at Jill Lindsey boutique in Brooklyn.