This was one of the handmade gifts I made for Christmas, botanical book page coasters. Although, I actually made the coasters as a belated birthday present for my sister-in-law.

I found these beautiful images on Vintage Printable, a database of out-of-copyright illustrations.  All the images are free and are believed by the site owner to be copyright free.

Botanical Book Page Coasters & Box

Supplies Needed:

• Old book
• Travertine tiles 4×4
• Mod podge
• Paper trimmer
• Lacquer spray
• Felt sheet
• White glue
• Spray Adhesive
• Shirt boxes

*Important print set up info: In order for the image to be the exact size of the tile and to print in the center of the page you have to format the page in Word or similar program.

Rip out several pages from the book and trim them all the same size removing any jagged edges.

Measure the book sheets and  then change the page size under ‘page layout’. Measure the tile, you may want to leave about a 1/8″ border since the tiles have a funky edge. After inserting each image into word change the height and width under ‘format’. Center the image on the page and then print it out.

When cutting the images it’s best to use a paper trimmer to get even edges. I finally broke down and bought one. It was actually pretty cheap and cuts really well. I’m in love.

I used mod podge to adhere the paper image to the tile. You have to work fast but carefully when centering the paper on the tile. The mod podge dries pretty quickly. Remember to leave the 1/8″ border all around.

After 20 minutes give it about six coats of the mod podge on top letting it dry about 20 minutes between coats. Once completely dry give it a couple of coats of lacquer.

I bought a sheet of felt at Joann Fabrics that was just enough for the six tiles. For a custom look, match the color of the felt to the color scheme of the images. I used green since it was the color that tied all the tile images together.

For the first tile I used some spray glue (that I had) to adhere the felt to the back. Since I had left a 1/8″ border around the felt, it made a mess. The tile sides got all sticky, so for the rest of the tiles I just used regular Elmer’s glue. No mess and it adhered perfectly.

I decided to make my own gift box for the coasters; a. because I couldn’t find a box that was an exact fit and b. because I didn’t want to spend $5 on a box. I have a ton of old shirt gift boxes that I never use but don’t want to throw away. This was a perfect use for them.

Just open them up and your ready to go. For the body of the box I used a large box and for the lid I used a smaller box.

1. Just measure the height and width of your finished tiles (the felt adds some thickness), so you know how big to make the box. Add about 3/4″ to the width measurement and 1/4″ to the height measurement. You want a snug fit, but not so much that you can’t take the coasters out of the box.

2.Draw the measurements on the brown side of your box forming a cross shape. Add two 1/2″ flaps to two of the sides. Add an additional 1/2″ flap to the four edges of the cross. These will fold into the box, giving a more clean look.

3.Cut the box out and trace it onto the paper that will cover the box. I used a brown wrapping paper. You can skip this step if you want  leave the box white and just add the paper to the box lid. Spray the spray adhesive to the box and the paper, wait a few minutes (follow directions on bottle) and then stick them together.

4. Since the box is so stiff, I used a ruler to fold up the edges.

5. & 6. Glue the box together with white glue and hold together with chip clips and rubber bands until dry.

The process will be the same for the lid except you will just use the width measurement of the bottom box, adding and additional 1/4″, in order for the lid to fit over the box. The flaps that tuck into the lid are 3/4″ deep and the four small tabs are 1/2″.

I cut the paper for the lid out of a gift bag.

Take your pretty botanical coasters and pack them up with tissue paper then seal them with tape or a cute sticker.

I made this sticker on word and printed it out on shipping label paper I had.

Wrap it up with a pretty ribbon or some twine…

Making these book page coasters was so much fun that  I also recently made some blueprint coasters as well.

Linking here and here.