Hi everyone but Spencer,
Ok, so background, today’s craft is also my Hannukah gift to my good friend Spencer. So Spencer if you are reading this you are ruining a surprise.
To everyone else, let’s talk coasters. What is a coaster? Well if you live in my house a coaster can be anything.
I think that is part of the reason I have never made coasters before for one of these newsletters. But my friend wanted coasters and it seemed to really fit in with my handmade Xmas plans, maybe they will with yours too.
I started by making some designs on photoshop. I wanted these coasters to be really fun and graphic. You can print something out or draw something or even just use a picture from a magazine or old family photo, all will work great.
You then need to get a base. I used balsa wood, mostly because it is what I had. If you have a slightly thicker wood, it would probably work even better. You can also use a tile or even cardboard, especially thicker types of cardboard.
If you are using wood or cardboard, you want to cut a set of 3x3 to 5x5 inch squares. I am making four coasters so I did four 3x3 inch squares.
I took a piece of sandpaper and cleaned up the cut edges and rounded the corners as well. This isn’t a fully necessary step, but if you are using wood for your base, it really cleans up the final product.
When I was happy with my bases, I printed out my designs to the same 3x3 specifications.
This year my friend Spencer and I were supposed to go to Dollywood together but obviously couldn’t leave New York, so I did a Dolly Parton themed set, plus she’s making the COVID-19 vaccine, saved a 9-year old girl from being hit by a car, and wrote an insanely confusing Christmas musical this year, so honestly, we have to stan.
I used modge podge to glue down my designs to my base. If I made these again, I would do one thing differently. I would have painted over the entire coaster before gluing the picture down. I painted the back and sides after, which was a little tricky. Also, the wood grain showed through the picture in the end product and while I don’t hate it, if I had put a layer of paint down, it would have been a little cleaner in the end result.
Then let the coasters dry completely and painted the backs and sides. I used pink acrylic paint, you should use acrylic unless you are working with tile as a base, which if so, I would not paint, just stick to the glue. Again, this was a little tricky so I would either paint the backs and sides first or forgo it entirely if I was doing this over.
Once my paint was dry, I decided to add some half pearls. You can also use bits of cork if you want a more rustic look, I just wanted to lift my coasters up a bit and give them a little height. I used glue to attach a half pearl to each corner of the coaster.
When those are dry, then comes the hardest part, sealing your coaster. I think the easiest way is just a couple more coats of modge podge and it’s what I recommend. You could also use acrylic sealer spray. I just know that a lot of people won’t have it. I did something a little different. I used clear resin and I did a pour-over.
I don’t recommend this unless you know how to use resin. I did a full newsletter on how to use resin, but this technique is a little difficult and in general, resin is very toxic, so please be very careful if you decide to use it as well and make sure you know what you are doing and following all the instructions on the bottle.
Let your sealant dry completely and you should have some coasters!
Here is what mine came out like. I would love to see your takes on this craft since while it is simple, there are a lot of ways to take it.
You’ve made it to the end, which means it’s time to talk about some things you can do to get involved. I know it’s always a rapid tone shift, but I wanted to spotlight this week a story that I think needs more attention. In justice circles, the death penalty is being brought up again this time with the case of Dustin John Higgs. Personally, I am always against the death penalty, but knowing something about this case, is important for both sides of the argument. Also, it is wild to know that the outgoing Trump administration will have killed more prisoners since July than any other administration has done in a full year since 1896. So it is something that should be on all of our minds. Here’s a great cheat sheet if you wanted to know more about this case, but also the Instagram that it is from is a great resource for all types of stories that you should know about, @soyouwanttotalkabout. They always have steps to take action in their posts, so it’s a great way of knowing how to help!
There is a storm coming to NYC so for my New York readers, stay inside and for my US readers, there is a virus stay inside.
As always, stay safe and stay crafting.