Coasters
Materials:
- Set of coasters (ready made from a hobby shop) or pieces of thin wood squares (3.5 inch X 3.5 inch or 9cm X 9cm).
- Napkins (serviettes) with small pictures
- Paint for the sides of the coasters
- Felt (enough to cover the back of each coaster)
- Crackle paint medium
- Napkin glue or water based glue (I used Mod Podge—Matte—which can be purchased at any craft store but any brand should be equally efficient)
- Scissors
Method:
- Paint the coasters with a base coat (you are going to put a napkin on but they tend to be very transparent so you might want to control the color you see underneath). Keep the color light as it will show through.
- Choose the napkin you want to use.
- Place the napkin over the surface you wish to cover in order to check what size you will require. Cut out the size. If you are placing the napkin over the coaster then it is easier to use a bigger size than you need and then cut off the excess at the end. If you are only using a picture from the napkin then cut around the required picture or area.
- Discard the second layer (or second and third layer if it is 3-ply) (you only use the top layer of the napkin).
- Using
a
paintbrush, apply glue to the area where the design will be fixed.
- Place the
napkin on the glue.
- Paint a layer
of glue over the napkin. Start
from the
center and move to the sides. If you have a sponge brush it is advised
to use
it at this stage. A regular brush tends to break the delicate napkin.
- Allow to dry.
- Cut out a piece of felt exactly the size of the square.
- Paste the felt to the back
of the coaster. This will protect your table when you use them!
- Apply step
1 onto the project (with
a brush) in one horizontal direction (for example from left to right).
- Allow to
dry for 30 – 40 minutes.
- If you want
very large cracks you
can apply a second layer of step 1.
- If you have
applied a second layer
allow 30 – 40 minutes drying time between each step and
before proceeding to
the next step.
- Apply step
2 vertically (such as
from top to bottom). Make sure that you are not applying in the same
direction
as step 1 (i.e. one of the layers will be horizontal and the other
vertical).
- Allow to
dry for 30 – 40 minutes.
- After these
two steps cracks should
have formed but at this stage the cracks are transparent and often
difficult to
see. You need to apply color in between the cracks to make them more
visible. For
this step there are many products you can use such as acrylic or oil
paint,
water-based stains and waxes depending on the effect your desire. You
can use the
color of your choice – such as brown, antique gold, copper,
etc. If you used a
light colored basecoat, choose a dark color (such as dark brown) and if
you
used a dark colored basecoat then use a light color (such as beige,
cream or
white).
- Apply
the color to the surface with a rag and then wipe off (with the clean
side of
the rag) making sure that you can see the color between the cracks in
the areas
that you want to highlight. You can wipe off as much or as little of
the color as
you want according to the desired effect.
- Seal the tray by applying a clear topcoat (such as a varnish or spray acrylic) to finish and protect your work.
Tip:
Don't overdo the crackle or the color in between the cracks. Apply small quantities to different areas of the tray.Take the napkins with you when you purchase the coasters. Put each coaster under the required picture to make sure that the size is right.
When
applying a layer
of glue over the napkin don't forget to start
from the
center and move to the sides. Also, try not to use a regular brush at
this stage. Using a sponge brush will prevent the napkin from
breaking.
These coasters make a great gift!
You could also use photos instead of napkins.