My projects are normally inspired by a specific gift I need to give or wall I need to decorate…but this one came about after accidentally finding this set of signal flag designs in the online store while trying to locate a nautical background for a card. I just loved the idea of spelling out a word or two in a pretty summer-y way, so I grabbed the set and tried to think of a fun way to use them. Now, my first inclination was to paint the symbols on a long weathered board for my mantel, but I’ve been beating the wood decor idea to death lately, so I opted to use these square ceramic coasters I had been saving for a rainy day instead. Then after seeing Jessee’s gorgeous appliqued coasters this past week, I decided to turn them into a wall-hanging (or maybe wall-leaning) piece instead.
- Prep your ceramic coaster by applying a coat or two of gesso first.
- Then, paint your background color of each “letter” onto your piece using acrylic craft paint. Above you can see an unfinished coaster on the left and my four painted coasters on the right.
- I would be using adhesive vinyl to finish my designs, so this helped me decide which of the colors was my “background”. I didn’t have any yellow vinyl, so naturally those flags containing yellow would need to be painted that way.
- Cut the rest of your flag designs out of adhesive vinyl, weed your designs, and transfer to each of your painted tiles.
- To protect the fragile edges and add a bit more of a rustic nautical feel to my tiles, I finished each one off by adhering a border of jute rope around the outside with hot glue.
Your tiles can then be hung vertically on a wall as in the first photo, or placed horizontally on a shelf or mantel as above to spell out just about anything you’d like. I chose to spell “LOVE” with mine (partly because coasters come four to a set…), but it’s a great way to make a personalized piece using a last name too.
And, of course, they still work really well as coasters for your favorite summertime boat drinks as well…or a little ice water with blue food coloring…whatever you like.
Shapes Used: