These alcohol ink trivets are very easy to create, and make the perfect get together activity to enjoy with friends, and small groups.
Every winter I have the great pleasure of spending the weekend away with two of my best girl friends from childhood. We stay at one of my friend’s sister’s mountain cottage, and over the past few years I have brought a fun activity project for us to make and take home. This year we made these alcohol ink trivets, which were so fun to design, and really let our creativity shine. I actually made two. One for me, and one for the homeowners, as a thank you for letting us use their house for the weekend.
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You may recall that during Christmas I made alcohol ink jewelry dishes. They were created with small ceramic dishes, so when I saw these large tiles (10 x 14 inches) at Lowes for just a few bucks, I thought they make nice trivets.
What You Need to Make Alcohol Ink Trivets:
Ceramic tiles
Alcohol Inks
Canned Air or Straws
Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol 91%
Cotton Swabs
Rubber Feet
Protective Spray Gloss
This time we used plastic straws instead of canned air. It worked pretty well but took a little experimenting to get it right.
Note: Place a plastic barrier to protect your table under the tile. We used newspaper and paper cups but the rubbing alcohol seeped through to the paper. Also, the rubbing alcohol worked great for removing the ink on the tile and our hands but not so well from clothes. So if you get any on your clothes use hairspray. It worked great on my friends cotton sweater, and later she was able to wash out the hairspray with no problem.
On of my readers mentioned that she used paint brushes and felt on her alcohol ink jewelry dishes, so I tried using brushes this time too. I’m no artist but the brushes did give a level of control.
These rubber feet were placed on the corners of the backside, to protect any surface from being scratched.
Here are our finished pieces. They all come out beautiful!
The next day I sprayed them with a few coats of a protective gloss.
Just like the jewelry dishes, these alcohol ink trivets were a blast to make.
This last one was left at the house for our host. I hope they like it, and are able to get lots of use out of it in the future.
With a little planning you could easily do this with a few friends, host a girls night out, or share with your favorite group. The tiles only cost a few dollars, and you can share the inks, and other minimal supplies, making this a very affordable and fun creative project.
Rose says
I am making my mom one for her birthday. Did this protective spray withstand the heat of your pans?
Patti Estep says
Rose, to be honest, I haven’t used it much for heat but more of a decorative piece. I did find this article when I was researching my dried flower acrylic tray. It may be worth a try. What a nice idea for a birthday present for your mom. I’m sure she’ll love it.
Carol McCollum says
I wanted to make pendants from dominoes. I painted the dominoes with alcohol inks. And when I sprayed a clear finish on them, it caused the alcohol inks to blur because it was dissolving the dried alcohol ink!! I looked online (how to make domino jewelry with alcohol ink)… & there are many youtube tutorials. I learned that KRYLON KAMAR VARNISH will seal the alcohol ink on tiles, dominoes, & other non-pourous without dissolving the ink!!
Patti Estep says
Thanks for sharing this Carol. I didn’t have any trouble with the Krylon UV resistant clear spray but it’s good to know that there is something out there that works better.
Linda Nelson says
They’re so pretty! What a wonderful activity to do during a get together weekend.
Patti Estep says
Thanks Linda. It was so fun to create with my besties. I try to come up with something manageable every year.
Bonnie says
These are really pretty. I have some alcohol inks that I use with transparent polymer clay, so I’ll have to try them with the trivets or with smaller coaster-sized tiles. I have a question about the rubbing alcohol. Do you just use that to clean off unwanted ink?
Patti Estep says
I use the rubbing alcohol to clean the surface before using the inks. Also to remove and start over or just removing spots here and there. Qtips are perfect for small areas. I use the qtips for the ink too. You can also put some of the rubbing alcohol in a fine spray bottle and mist an area which will gift is a special effect. Hope that helps.
Deb says
I love my sunflower Trivet! thanks Patti
Patti Estep says
I’m soooo glad!!
Carole West says
What a cool idea Patti – I love this because there is a level of creativity that really sparks imagination. Fun idea for a gathering of friends too… This I may have to try looks like a relaxing activity.
Patti Estep says
Fair warning Carole. These inks are addictive.