Transform Coasters into Christmas Ornaments
My turquoise truck (see it HERE) inspired me to transform these old coasters into Christmas ornaments. By using resources I had on hand, I made these fun rustic ornaments within minutes.
Here’s how I did it:
At first I thought I would use the cork already attached to the coasters. However, since it was loose and not covering the entire surface, I was able to pull it off with very little effort (Yeah!).
I cut out new (larger) circles from a sheet of cork I had left over from another project (by using a template).
I drew a design by hand, transferred it onto the cork circles with transfer paper, and then colored it in with a permanent marker (If I had a lot more to make, I would cut out the design with an x-acto knife and use it as a template to stencil in the color). If you need help coming up with a design, check out FREE Christmas graphics and printables from the Graphics Fairy.
I lightly sanded the wood on the coasters (to take off any loose/flaky varnish) before painting them.
I added a base coat of CeCe Caldwell’s Chalk Paint in Smoky Mountain Gray to all four coasters (and let them dry–dries in minutes). Then, I painted two of the coasters Vintage White and the other two Traverse City Cherry.
NOTE: I paint in the direction of the grain and keep this in mind with most projects.
I sanded the dried paint/wood (again, trying to keep in the direction of the grain) to give it a more distressed/well-worn look (you can see the difference in the sanded coaster on the right).
I added a thin coat of endurance finish (and let it dry).
I attached the cork (truck design) by using 6000 glue (what I had on hand…any good bonding glue would work).
Lastly, I added rusty wire to the back of the coasters with a staple gun (it was a quick way to attach the wire…you could also drill a hole or glue on wire/string/twine).
Zoom-zoom…I love the way they turned out! What do you think? Hmmmm–maybe I’ll keep one on display for good cheer all year long!
Happy creating!
More fun links over at the Pin Junkie and Sweet Inspirations!
Michelle ♥
HappyHeartMade.com
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Wanda O'Brian
12/11/2015 @ 5:53 pm
Awesome, I love how you create something every year for the Christmas tree. These are so unique and cute !
Michelle Marttila
12/11/2015 @ 9:19 pm
Thank you Wanda…I am so glad you like them!!!
Katrin
11/23/2016 @ 4:21 pm
Michelle, these coasters are so pretty, what a creative idea to use them as christmas ornaments! Love that little truck on them! I’ll be featuring them at this weeks Sweet Inspiration!!!
Michelle Marttila
11/24/2016 @ 10:36 am
Awe, thank you so much Katrin…I love all the creativity and inspiring ideas at Sweet Inspiration!!! These were fun to make and so much better looking than their coaster days!! 🙂
Keri
11/25/2016 @ 4:43 am
Michelle, these repurposed coasters into ornaments are awesome!! Love the truck design!
Michelle Marttila
12/02/2016 @ 4:24 pm
Keri, Thank you so much…so honored to be featured on Sweet Inspiration among all you talented creators!!!!
Michelle
11/25/2016 @ 5:48 am
That’s vrooming awesome Michelle 😉 I would never have thought of re-purposing coasters to make Christmas ornaments but they look so cute.
Michelle Marttila
12/02/2016 @ 4:17 pm
Thank you so much Michelle…I am really enjoying them!!! Started to collect a few more to work on! (Sorry for the delay in responding, to IT a week to fix my computer…so glad to have it back!). 🙂
Linda at Mixed Kreations
09/14/2017 @ 3:29 pm
What a fun idea, and so cute! I love the little trucks!
Michelle Marttila
09/15/2017 @ 12:27 pm
Awe,thank you so much Linda…a much better use for them!! 🙂