Sitting down with your friends and family for a fun time together fashioning decorative coasters can be a great way to spend time with the people you love. If your coasters are for a holiday dinner, sitting down for a bit of DIY fun can be especially appropriate the holidays are about togetherness, after all.
Here are 10 great ideas for coasters that you can try.
1. Colorful paint-blob tile coasters
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Buy several simple square white non-textured ceramic tiles at a home improvement store (you get them four to a dollar). To paint your patterns with, pick up alcohol ink in different colors, a few artists’ paint brushes and some rubbing alcohol. The idea isn’t to paint recognizable shapes on you tiles. Rather, you need to for a mishmash of colors that are simply pleasing to the eye.
Dab a little paint on each tile and then thin it with a little alcohol. The alcohol will cause the paint to spread in an even way that’s pretty to look at. With several blobs of paint, you will soon fill each title with colorful, professional looking colors that go beautifully together.
2. Stencil-painted tile coasters
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Start with the same plain white tiles. Attach strips of vinyl sticker to a tile and use an X-Acto knife to cut it into a pattern. Chevrons and waves can work very well and are easy to make. When you spray paint on the tile now, the masked part will remain free of paint. You simply need to peel the sticker off and let the tile dry.
3. Print out your coasters
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Coasters don’t necessarily need to be long-lasting. If you don’t mind disposable coasters, you can print out practically any image on your inkjet printer, cut it out and paste it on ready-made, store-bought coasters. To keep moisture from ruining the prints, you can spray a layer of clear acrylic on each one.
4. Striped felt coasters
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Get a sheet of cream-colored felt and another in a deep, dark red or blue. Cut the cream-colored felt into squares the size you would like your coasters to be. Then, cut the darker colored felt into narrow strips and glue them on top of the base felt with Mod Podge, spacing them out slightly. The result should be a coaster with two alternating stripes of color.
5. Natural wood coasters
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All you need for this idea is a tree branch that’s at least 4 inches thick. If you are skilled with a saw, slice the branch into half-inch-thick slices. Let the slices dry in the sun for a few days and paint the center a bright pastel shade. Your adorable coasters are now ready, each one a different fun color.
6. Turf coasters
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While you can’t cut out real pieces of turf to turn into coasters, you can do the next best thing coat a store-bought coaster with grass clippings or moss from a gardening store. The effect can be a particularly happy one on a cold winter’s day.
7. Rope coasters
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If you’re even a little handy with a needle, you can make wonderful little coasters out of rope and colorful wool. Grab a length of rope and make a coil with two turns. While holding the coil in place, use a needle threaded with colorful wool to sew the coil in place. As you continue building your coil, use the wool to sew the rope in place. Before long, you will have a bright and beautiful little coaster.
8. Coasters made out of Scrabble tiles
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The Scrabble tile idea is likely to get a lot of attention. The idea couldn’t be simpler. All you need is to get plain ceramic tiles, cover them with a layer of Mod Podge glue and then stick Scrabble tiles on. You could have extra fun spelling out words, too.
9. Lacy coasters
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If you’ve done any crafting at all, you probably have some leftover lace stashed away somewhere. You can break it out now for your lacy coaster idea. The idea is simple enough to try. Get cork coasters from the store, cut out lace in the exact shape and size of the coasters and stick it on with Mod Podge. You’ll have be pretty little coasters that will last you a long time.
10. Glittery tinsel coasters
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Glitter coasters couldn’t be simpler to make. Pick up a few cork coasters at the store, some Mod Podge and glitter of different colors. Brush a thin layer of Mod Podge on each coaster and drizzle a little glitter on it and watch it stick. With even coverage, you’ll have the most glamorous coasters of anyone you know.
Many of these coaster projects could appeal to children. They can be a great way to keep your kids entertained during the holidays.
