Make These Pretty Coasters From Junk

Hard to believe but these durable, highly useable drinks coasters are made mainly from throwaway food packaging and wallpaper. Read on to find out how you can make them in a few easy steps.

You will need:-

• Four large empty cereal boxes - I used porridge oat boxes
• A large piece of leftover textured wallpaper (about 1ft square)
• Metallic paint in purple,gold and black
• Lilac craft foam sheet
• White glue
• Glossy decoupage glue
• Square template measuring 3.5 inches x 3.5 inches
• Template cutter
• Fine sanding block
• Paint brushes
• Cutting mat
• Stencils
• Scissors
• Non-permanent glue tape
• A pencil
• Piece of gold string 10 inches long (optional)

For this project, you will need to cut 24 squares from chipboard food packaging. I used the boxes that my porridge oats come in because it is good strong board. It is such a shame to throw it away because it makes brilliant, inexpensive craft material. I save all my boxes and have a good stash to dip into.

The squares you cut all need to be identical because they will be stacked in sixes to create wood like coaster bases. I use a 3.5 inch square Fiskar's template along with a cutter that I slide around the edge to get uniform shapes each time.

Once you have cut 24 shapes, stack them in four piles of six.

Using the white glue, carefully stick the squares together in stacks of six. Use only thin layers of glue and spread it all over covering the entire surface area of each square. The glue needs to be sticky, not slippery so that the layers do not slide around. Make sure each layer is perfectly aligned.

Let the coaster bases dry thoroughly. Place each coaster under a heavy object to prevent warping as they dry. Do not stack the four coasters together under a weight;allow each to dry on its own to prevent sticking.

When they are dry, take each coaster base and lightly sand all the edges to ensure they are neat and smooth.

Using each coaster as a template for its own piece of wallpaper, place in turn on the wallpaper and draw round with a pencil. Cut out each one carefully, making sure they are matched with the right coaster base. This is because sanding can make minor differences between each coaster.

Use the white glue to stick each one on. Again only use thin layers of glue spread evenly over the entire surface area. Allow to dry thoroughly.

When dry, give all the edges a light sanding again.

Using the gold metallic paint, carefully paint around the edges of each coaster. Allow to fully dry.

Using the purple metallic paint, paint the tops of each coaster making sure the textured surface of the wallpaper is well covered. Take care at the edges - I used a smaller brush to paint round the edges to ensure it did not overlap the gold at any point. You will need a steady hand!

Place the coasters on the lilac sheet of craft foam and draw round each one with a pencil. Make sure each one is matched with the right coaster. Spread white glue thinly on each piece of foam, making sure of good edge to edge coverage, and stick to the bottom of the coasters. Press firmly all over and allow to dry. Any slight overlaps can be trimmed later with scissors.

Using the stencils you have chosen, stick them to the coasters with the removable glue tape and use the black metallic paint to decorate the face of each coaster. Allow them to fully dry.

Using the glossy decoupage glue, give the coaster faces at least one coat to seal and protect them. It will dry clear and shiny.

If you want to, once they are completely dry, you can tie the coasters together in a neat stack with some gold string. They make a great gift and the best part is, you will have used mainly junk to create them!