easy handmade coasters

We’ve been looking for a few easy peasy, handmade gift ideas this year.

Because in the midst of the holidaisical apocalypse {Yes, it really does feel like that sometimes-we’ve put off all our shopping and now we’re in trouble-Thanksgiving was murder. See us, up til midnight last night, knocking a little off our lists on Amazon… whew!} it’s always great to bring in that handmade element.

We spied some coasters at Anthropologie {that are no longer available} so we decided to use that idea as a springboard for some of our own. The going price for a set of four on their site is in the 30-40 dollar range… and we thought we would try to do better in that price category with our own little versions.

So we picked up an oak board at our local home improvement store for a whopping 4.50. It’s dimensions are .25″(thicknesss) x 3.5″(w) x 36″(l)- yields nine ‘coasters’, total.

That’s cheaper than Starbucks, y’all.

Combining it with tape, brushes, and some old cans of paint we had around our home, we were able to make our very own easy handmade coasters, for very cheap.

We simply measured off a square shape, and went to town on our Ryobi saw.

And no worries if you don’t  have a miter saw. You could always use a skill saw, a simple hand saw or have the guys at the local improvement store cut for you!

Tada! They were all stacked and neat and ready to go, after some light sanding to smooth out those edges.

The thickness was just perfect for a little coaster.

They’re the little coasters that could.

I couldn’t resist. Reeling it in.

And from there, we just winged it. With tape in different various shapes to guide our lines, and paint, until we liked what we came up with in the design.

We painted multiple coasters at a time, while waiting on different colors to dry. It also helped us decide which direction to go with each one, and tie them all together with the look and colors.

I’m a classic over thinker, so yes, we did take our coasters in a direction. No shame.

As always when painting on wood, if you go a little under those lines with the tape, no worries. You can lightly scratch it up with a small blade like one you’d find on an X-Acto. It always works better if you scrape with the grain.

And there we have it! A plethora of fun, handmade love.

Helpful hint: If you decide to use gold paint or a gold marker {usually that of the leafing variety} on your coasters, be sure to use the gold on TOP of underlying paint. It likes to bleed. We learned that the hard way, and that’s what happened to our ninth coaster. RIP, ninth coaster. I kind of felt sorry for it. True story.

No worries if they’re not perfect. We think that’s a part of their unique, handmade charm.

Our own coasters ended up looking nothing like Anthro’s, apart from the fact that there were stripes. And that’s what we love about attempting a DIY for a gift. It doesn’t have to be a replica, just like yours won’t be a replica of ours.

It’s all about taking a concept, and truly making it your own.

You’re ready for parties, or that one of a kind gift for that seriously impossible one of a kind person you’ve been searching for.

Everyone loves coasters!

Not to mention, it was kind of therapeutic. I paint away my shopping angst.

Yay coasters!

PS – Remember when we told you last month that we would be teaming up with RYOBI to giveaway a 3 pack nailer and compressor? It’s time to submit those simple project ideas and pick up this cool combo kit. Follow this link and make sure to say you came from our site, so you can have a chance at the combo kit. We can’t wait to see all y’all come up with!

As always, let us know if you have any questions. Have an inspired day!

::This post was brought to you in partnership with RYOBI, please read our full disclosure pertaining to partnerships and construction here. Please follow all directions on packaging.::