Greetings
from Craft Night!
The
March craft at the library was Customizable Coasters, an inexpensive way to
jazz up your dinnerware, or for use on special occasion events such as weddings,
graduations, or baby showers.
Supplies
- Scissors
- Sponge brush (A regular artist's brushes would also work, but I
felt like the sponge left a smoother finish.)
- Decorative paper (We used scrapbook paper. Photos would also work,
just make sure the paper or photos are prints on cardstock or another
heavy-duty paper.)
- Clear-drying glue (We used Modge Podge, which was the priciest
investment for the project, it was about $10.00 for two medium-sized containers.)
- Cork (We purchased ours at about $3.00 a package for six pre-cut round or
square coasters.)
Process (Total Time: 10 - 15 minutes per coaster)
The whole project runs about 10 minutes, including drying time, if
you buy your cork pre-cut. We recommend it, you save a HUGE amount of time and if you're planning on making a full set of coasters they'll be uniform. If you can't find
pre-cut cork coasters, you can cut the coasters out of a roll of cork yourself
using an X-acto knife or a pair of sharp scissors.
Once you have your cork base, place the picture or paper you want to use to
cover it beneath the cork and trace an outline. Cut out the the shape and set
it aside. Then apply a layer of glue to the top of the cork. Go all the way to
the edges of the cork. Then glue your cut piece of paper to the top of the
cork.
We found that the paper wanted to curl up along
the edges, so weighing it down was necessary to make the paper lie flat while
the glue dried. Find an old book without a dust jacket to use as a weight, it
only takes about 5 minutes for the glue to dry to the point where the coaster
can be handled.
The reason we recommend a plain cover is because
if there's extra glue around the edges of the picture, a dust jacket could get
stuck and take some of the image off the coaster when the book is removed or
some of the dust jacket will get stuck down on top of your coaster (we learned
this the hard way).
Once
the image is stuck down, apply a thin layer of glue over the top of the image.
It will look white-ish when it goes down, but it should dry clear. A thin layer
is all you need, but if you really want to make sure the coaster is properly
sealed over the image, wait until the first layer of glue has dried completely
and add another layer or two.
Results
 |
| See? It really does dry clear! |
Special Notes
The Modge Podge that we used isn't 100%
water-proof, so we recommended to participants that they not use the coasters on
beverages that are really going to sweat in the heat, a lot of water will
probably soak through to your image under a layer or two of glue.
Can the Kids Do It Too?
Absolutely! If you use pre-cut cork, this is a
project that kids would have a lot of fun doing themselves. The only time you
need to use scissors is either cutting out the cork or the pictures to glue on
top, younger children might require some supervision to avoid snipped fingers
and to ensure accurate cutting. Kids might be inclined to go overboard with the
glue, but just remind them - a thin layer is all you need. And less glue = a
faster drying time.
Next Month...
No-Sew T-Shirt Vests!
