Did you know that I’ve not always been a papercrafter? When my children were young I used to sew and embroider all the time. Sadly I developed problems that made holding a sewing needle very painful after a few minutes and I had to give up that hobby. Thankfully I discovered papercrafting is easier on my hands and I haven’t looked back since. Of course I still have boxes of supplies and I go through them every now and them. That’s how I discovered an acrylic drinks coaster I’d bought to decorate with a cross stitched piece.
I wondered whether I could repurpose the coaster and use it with pretty paper and ink instead. It turns out I could!
SIMPLE COASTER INSERT
The acrylic drinks coaster is about 3-5/8″ across with a removable base. To decorate the coaster I settled on a floral piece from the Best Dressed 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper (DSP) Pack. I placed the insert template included with the coaster onto the paper and drew around it. Then with no die big enough, I used Paper Snips to cut out the circle.
For an appropriate sentiment I turned to the Timeless Tropical Stamp Set. “Rest & relax you deserve it” was perfect and I stamped it onto a strip of Whisper White Card using Lovely Lipstick ink. Then I used the largest plain-edged die from the Layering Circles to shape the ends of the strip. With that done I fixed it to the DSP circle with Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow).
I was still thinking about the coaster being designed for use with fabric so I had one last thing to do. I placed the DSP into the Subtle 3D Embossing Folder and ran it through my embossing machine. Then I turned the piece and ran it through again so I had the embossing running up and down, and side to side, giving a woven effect to the paper.
Finally I placed the DSP in the coaster and snapped on the acrylic base to hold it in place.
OK the coaster can’t be immersed in water, but then that wouldn’t be possible if the insert were fabric. But I do have a pretty place to put my coffee mug and I can always wipe any drips with a damp cloth. All-in-all I’m glad that something that’s been sitting in a box for 10+ years will finally have a useful place in my craft studio.
JUST IN CASE…
This morning I’ve noticed that the free Sale-A-Bration bundle with the Power of Hope Stamp Set and Stone 3D Embossing Folder is showing as low inventory. Hopefully Stampin’ Up! have more of these on order, however there’s a slim possibility that stocks will run out and the bundle will be discontinued. So if you were planning to select this bundle as one of your free choices you might want to do that sooner rather than later, just in case.
You’ll find couple of projects I made using this bundle in these earlier blog posts:
Today is also your last opportunity to subscribe to Paper Pumpkin and get the January “I’ll Bee Yours” kit. If you’re not sure that you’ll like this kit, subscribe anyway. Once the kit arrives if you decide you don’t want it just let me know. I’ll contact Stampin’ Up! on your behalf and arrange for you to receive a full refund.
PRODUCT LIST
BUNDLE BONUS – I purchased the Timeless Tropical Stamp Set in a bundle with the coordinating In The Tropics Dies (not used today). Buying the two items using a single ‘bundle’ item number meant I saved 10% off the cost of getting them separately. I’ve included a link to the bundle in case you want to explore that option.
I bought my drinks coaster many years ago and no longer have the original packaging. If you’d like to recreate this project search online for “acrylic coasters for crafts” for current suppliers.
What a great idea. You are so creative!
Thank you Cathy