Summer is ramping up, which means weddings and dinner parties galore! Most of these occasions call for place cards, hostess gifts or favors. If you're looking for a fun + functional (functional) idea, personalized DIY coasters might be right up your alley.

There are all sorts of DIY coaster project ideas out there. I decided to jump on the bandwagon but took it one step further by personalizing them for entertaining purposes.

My best friend Mary and her husband recently came for a visit from Tennessee, which gave me the perfect excuse to use my personalized coasters as place cards and takeaway gifts for the first time. I used the first letters of their names on a couple coasters and also mixed in some non-personalized coasters to make a set.

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to make you very own coasters, along with a link to free coaster printables in the ikat and chevron patterns that are so trendy right now.

What you'll need:
+ 4-inch tiles in whatever quantity and color you prefer
+ Modge Podge
+ Foam or paint brush
+ Polyacrylic protective finish spray (optional)
+ Scrapbook paper (or your choice of paper)
+ Felt or felt dots

1. Go to your local tile shop and purchase some basic white tiles (in whatever quantity you prefer). They usually go for around 15-20 cents each. I recommend Tile and Stone Warehouse in Merriam.

2. Next, visit your local craft or scrapbooking  store and pick up some Modge Podge, felt and polyacrylic protective finish sealing spray. Feel free to download and print the coaster art I created, or you can pick up some scrapbooking papers in your favorite patterns and colors. I recommend The ScrapBook Page in Shawnee or K and Co. in Kansas City for good paper selections.

3. Cut out your paper to just under 4-by-4-inch squares (if you want a tile border like mine).

4. Next, use the foam brush to spread a thin layer of Mod Podge onto the tiles and then center a square of paper on the top, smoothing any bubbles out with your fingertips.

5. Then coat the paper and tiles with four to five coats of Modge Podge, waiting at least 20 minutes in between each coat.

6. Once the coats of Modge Podge dry, spray one to two coats of your polyacrylic protective spray (this protects it from liquid damage).

7. Once the spray dries you can apply your felt dots to each corner of the tile and you are done!

I did 16 coasters at once and it took about three hours for my project from start to finish. I am happy with the results, and the options are endless!

Cheers!

Audrey Kuether is the creative force behind Oh So Lovely, a Kansas City-based graphic design, photography and event planning company. She specializes in wedding design, photography and styling and planning. She lends her entertaining expertise every month for KC Magazine's Web-only "Entertaining Made Lovely" blog.