Hello crafty minions!
Today I am going to talk through something I made a couple of weeks
back for my brother. He likes old maps you see and I picked up on
this craft craze and decided to try it out for myself.
To make some
vintage-looking map coasters, you will need:
-
Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Pencil
- An existing coaster
(Psst! Nick one from the living room!)
- Used soggy teabag
- Sandpaper
- A map
- Ageing/Antique Varnish
(optional)
- Modpodge (there is no
substitute I'm afraid. If you don't have some or can't find any,
then, as a last resort, use PVA but I would really suggest getting
some because it is more than just a glue; it adheres, seals and
finishes.)
- Now
you can either use cork board like I have, or you could use pre-made
cork coasters (I found some on Ebay for you here)
or you could buy some old coasters from the charity shop to re-cover.
This tutorial will be
for making some coasters from scratch.
Lets get started!!
The first thing you
need to do is to trace around your existing coasters onto the cork
board, of course you could do this freehand too. Then carefully cut
them out.
Now I found the edges
to be rough and uneven so that's why I've suggested to use sandpaper
to smooth these edges down. I also rounded the corners for safety.
This makes a big mess so I suggest sanding the coasters onto a sheet
of paper or cloth to catch all the bits.
Place your coaster onto
your map (I got mine from the charity shop for about £1) and trace
around it. You could chose a map with special locations on for you to
make it personal. Then cut it out.
Then glue it! :)
Simples eh?
Rub the wet tea bag
over the coasters and wait for it to soak up, whilst you make
yourself a fresh cuppa!
Keep layering up the
tea stain to build depth and make it look antique. Equally, now would
be the time to paint on a layer of antique varnish.
Then, once that is dry,
paint with a final layer of modpodge to seal in your creation and
make it more waterproof and durable. I would also paint the edges of
the cork to avoid the map coming away from the coaster.
Leave to dry overnight
and voila! An antique, vintage-looking coaster made with your own
hands!
Foolishly, I sent them away to my brother before taking a proper picture, sorry!
If you decide to make
your own version of this design, then please send me it over twitter or email!
I'd love to see them!
Thanks! See ya soon!
