See if you can guess how these two facts are related:

My husband drinks a lot of ice water.

We don’t have a single coaster left in our house.

I bet most of you got it - because it’s such a common occurence. Condensation from a cold glass, the precise thing you need a coaster for in the first place, causes the glass to stick to the coaster - just enough to lift it into the air - not quite enough to hold it there. And we have tile floors, so one drop is all it takes to send a coaster to coaster heaven (which I bet is a crowded place - like missing sock heaven).

I have seen those sandstone coasters that absorb moisture, but since we live in a tourist town, they are usually stamped with something really dorky. So, I started to think about how you could have absorbancy and good looks, and I came up with the project you see here.
Unglazed Bisque Tiles combine with a challenging paint job to become a charming set of colorful coasters - which also absorb moisture.

Most of the “challenge” part comes from the fact that you need a paint that is permanent and waterproof, and yet one that will not seal the tile. We finally figured it out.
What Is Bisque Tile?
When raw clay is formed and air dried prior to firing in a kiln, it is called “greenware”. It is most common that the greenware will be then be fired twice, and the first firing is the “bisque” firing. This cures the clay to a certain stage, but it is still extremely absorbent, and not quite as strong as it would be after the second, glaze firing. However, at this stage it has interesting properties as a surface for non-ceramic art mediums. It also makes great coasters because it absorbs condensation.

However, to decorate the tile with something waterproof that will not seal it and destroy its ability to absorb, takes some thinking. We chose to use acrylics and add mediums which would dilute them enough to sink in, and leave the surface porous. For the background, we used Decor-It inks from Ranger, but since previous experience had taught us that total coverage would seal the surface, we chose to sponge the color on lightly, leaving most of the tile background “open”.

Another not-so-easy thing is to find four stamp images that make a “set”. And they have to be the right size to fit on the tile. We used a common, coaster-sized, 4" tile (which are actually 3.75" square - it's one of those weird things). Then, we took the easiest route and picked four designs from our “Blanket Animals” series because they all have a similar style. We chose the four animals that live in and around our studio.
What You Need:
4 Bisque Fired Tiles - White (Cre8it or ceramic supply stores)
4 outline style stamps that go together (your choice)
Memories Black Ink Pad
Golden Fluid Acrylics (other brands ok too, but Golden is really great and widely available)
Golden Glazing Liquid
Golden Flow Release
Brushes (small pointed rounds), Sponge, and Water
Sharpie Marker Black (Ultra Fine Point)
Ranger Decor-It Inks: Periwinkle Blue, White, Bottle Green
Adhesive-backed felt or packaged sticky felt dots (for the underside of the coasters)
Styrofoam disposable plates
Cleaning and Inking the Tiles:
Use an old shop rag or face cloth to rub the edges of the tiles smooth. The textured rag will act like a fine sandpaper on the bisque. Gather the tiles, stamps, and Memories Ink on a firm, flat surface.
Ink the stamp and lay it face up on the firm surface. A better image can be stamped by pressing the tile down on the inked stamp, rather than the more usual method of stamp to tile.
Inking the Background:
An effective temporary stamp pad can be made by attaching a piece of adhesive backed felt to a styrofoam plate. Squeeze Decor-It Periwinkle Blue onto the felt and work it in with a craft stick. Use the rounded edge of a sponge to lightly sponge ink onto the “sky” area of the tiles. Make a separate pad for the green. Lighten the Bottle Green Decor-It with White in a mixing cup before putting the ink on the pad. Sponge green lightly over the lower area of the tiles.

Now, next page for painting directions:
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