Six years ago I wrote a DIY post about making coasters using ceramic tiles, scrapbook paper, ModPodge and clear engine paint.
Six years ago.
Today I received an email with a question from yet another reader about the process.
Nothing ever dies on the internet.
I suspect the uptick in views of that post (now close to 19,000) is due to people looking for DIY gifts for Christmas but it makes me shake my head and laugh.
The post was written before I really got into taking decent photographs for my posts and the pictures are less than perfect. I keep saying that I need to reshoot them but six years later that still has not happened. Some of them are okay but the step by step pictures have shadows and are a little sketchy at best. Not my best work.
What amuses me is that I have 213 comments as of today on this post and probably a third of those comments are questions that could have been answered if folks had just read the post correctly. Sigh.
Seriously.
“Why are my mugs sticking to the coasters? Do I need to use the clear coat engine paint? ”
“My paper peeled off the coasters when I soaked them in water.”
“I baked mine in the oven and the paper turned brown.”
“Can these be made heat-proof so that hot mugs can sit on them and not leave marks? I can’t figure out how to do that.”
Who would have thought that a simple post about making coasters with detailed instructions AND pictures would have gotten so comments? It just makes me laugh.
What I do know is that I am not a very good DIY blogger.
Obviously.
If I had written the post in a different manner maybe people would have actually been able to make the coasters and trivets successfully? I don’t know.
I must admit I have been very patient and good about answering comments on this one because people were so frustrated with their mugs sticking to the coasters. I felt that I needed to apologize or something which is silly, isn’t it?
What lesson have I learned?
I am NOT a DIY blogger. I love to do crafts and simple projects and share those but I just am not cut out to do it at as a blogger. I have a real respect for anyone who can pull it off successfully.
So if you are looking to make some coasters or trivets this year for gifts you may want to check out my Coasters Everywhere post here but please – read and follow my directions. It worked for me. I am still using those same coasters I made 6 years ago for both hot and cold beverages. They work for me. I don’t know why they don’t work for others.
