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When it comes to DIY projects, homemade coasters are one of the most simple, fun endeavors to take on! They’re excellent for beginners, appropriate crafts for kids, and they leave plenty of room for creativity. Functionally, coasters are also important to have at the lake house — especially if you’re often hosting guests for dinner parties or game day events. You can protect your furniture from spillage and stains from hot or cold drinks while showing off your style and creativity. Check out these fresh ideas for DIY coasters from several different bloggers!
Sharpie Coasters
Who would have thought Sharpie markers created these beautiful, abstract designs? To get started, all you need is a few Sharpie colors of your choice, isopropyl alcohol, and peel-and-stick black felt. First, color the tile to your heart’s desire with whatever mix of colors you choose. If you follow these instructions from One Little Project, the alcohol will create abstract swirls in your design, while the top coat seals it in. Other methods such as Jessica Welling Interiors involve an extra step, putting it in the oven.
Wood Slice Coasters
These DIY wooden coasters are perfect for any lake house since they integrate elements of nature into your decor. If you already have facets of biophilic design in your lake house, these wooden coasters will fit right in. After buying wooden slices at a crafts store like Michaels, the rest is up to you. In this outline from DIY Candy, the authors used acrylic paint to make cute winter-themed designs on each coaster. If you want to make DIY wooden coasters from planks of wood, check out these instructions from Fix This Build That. This method requires access to a saw, sander, and drill press planer, but the result is a series of sophisticated, matching coasters that integrate different shades of wood.
Mod Podge Map Coasters
ModPodge is an essential ingredient for any crafter. Essentially a glue, finisher, and sealant in one, there’s no shortage of crafts you can make with this medium. One idea from the Mod Podge Rocks website involves applying paper to tiles using a paintbrush and Mod Podge. You can put anything you want on the surface—scraps of paper, maps of your lake area, magazine cutouts. It’s up to you to get creative! Just remember, you’ll want to use a resin spray as a final coat since Mod Podge is not waterproof.
Wine Cork Coasters
Do you ever have wine corks sitting around from a house party at the lake? Maybe you’re saving them in a drawer, or you have been meaning to recycle them. Now is the time to repurpose these cold corks for a DIY coaster. Using these instructions from Diys.com, you can create a chic set of coasters for your home. Besides several wine corks, all you need is a silk ribbon, glue gun, paintbrush, and cream acrylic. The end result is a set of coasters that looks both homemade and sophisticated
Watermelon Coasters
These adorable watermelon coasters are perfect for summer! By following these directions from Diys.com, you’ll spend less than $10 on materials. It only requires cork boards, red and green acrylics, and a few other simple tools. The simplicity of this DIY project also makes it perfect for kids. Using this same basic method, you could also create coasters specific to other seasons. Perhaps a cutout Christmas tree or dreidel over the winter holidays? Or a pumpkin at Halloween? Either way, you’re in for a charming new addition to your living room.
Overall, DIY coasters make fun projects, great gifts, and decorative pieces for your lake home. What’s not to love?