i had the white tiles which were four by four and only sixteen cents at both home depot and lowes. i bought soo many and spent under ten bucks! awesome! i printed my pictures the easiest way i could think of, cropping it to the perfect square looking size, saving it and putting it into microsoft word where i could right click and tell it that i wanted the size to be exactly 4x4. i followed the instructions on pinterest and made my tiles.
http://www.savvysugar.com/DIY-Tile-Photo-Coasters-30160439
i didn't feel like digging out my glue gun and glue sticks, so i used glue dots which worked just as good. and as for fabric--- i had been going through old baby clothes. there were a lot of teenie baby onesies full of puke and messy all over the front, so i decided to cut them up and use the back and sleeves for the squares. they worked fine. they don't grind on the table and when you stack them they won't scratch each other.
of course, because i wanted them to be my kitchen tile i used something else for my own after making mother's day gifts. i did everything the same except the bottom. i used industrial velcro strips and cut them into little squares. i used 4 per tile, one for each corner. then, i stuck them to the wall. (make sure the soft square is on the tile) they look great. i love it. and when i need a coaster i can just peel the one i want off the wall and put it on the table. (this is why the soft square should be on the tile. it won't scratch the surface of the table.)
here is my wall!
best of all, if i want to change the way they are set up i can. as long as all the squares are set up in the same spot on the back of each tile when they are pressed against the wall, all the squares will match up and stick.
i need just a few long 2x4 or 2x6 tiles for the top so they fit. and yes, i will be putting photos on them as well.
i love my kitchen backsplash now. i hated it and i was looking to get it replaced but hubby liked it. at least this way he says it's okay because if we decide to ever change it, velcro comes right off!
all this for under 10 bucks. yes, i realize i didn't count the price of mod podge, sponge brush, velcro or ink/paper.
mod podge i already had in the house because what crafty person doesn't? you use soo little that it doesn't even count unless you are doing a TON! i have done 80 tiles and it's still almost full.
sponge brush i got last year at michaels when they had 20 for a dollar which is soo little it doesn't count.
velcro i already had as well, but walmart sells 15' (you won't use near that much on just a few tiles) for $16. ac moore has it for $26 and you can always find a 40 or 50% off coupon for that.n i used the velcro on under cabinet lighting and extension cords so it technically wasn't bought for these tiles. so it doesn't count.
the ink/paper combo both came from work. i printed it there. so while it will count for many, it doesn't count for others.
easy!
