Handcrafted coasters, what is your flavor or preference?

I really like those Scrabble coasters. Quirky and intellectual (Like me :-P). Variations on that theme would be good. Like other board game pieces flattened or the top layer cut off and fashioned into a coaster. With placemats to match which are the board. The price of the Scrabble ones on the site is a bit steep for me but I’m a skinflint.

I found some pretty unique ones on Etsy awhile back. I really liked quite a few, but they were always between $15—$20. I couldn’t bring myself to pay that much for coasters, so I went to World Market and bought a set of 8 plain cork ones. They came with a holder and were only about $8. I painted them myself and put an acrylic varnish on it to kind of seal them and protect them from any moisture. To be honest, I didn’t know how well they would hold up, but it’s been over a month and they are still going strong with no signs of wear, and I use them daily.

Another idea to try yourself are the vinyl coasters that seem pretty popular nowadays. They are pretty neat.

If I were to spend the money, it would definitely be on some tile coasters. Probably with a simple print on them. Like this. I just wish more came in sets of more than 4.

I think the prices aren’t too bad because they are hand crafted.

I love the Scrabble set. I would also be looking for nature type stuff but not overly colourful. Oh, and seasonal ones. I also love elephants and african themes (not so much fur prints though). The Antique World Map Mural one is pretty neat too.

I am the type of person that likes to have certain things out for certain seasons/occasions ..so I’d have a few sets of different style coasters.

The only thing that would hold me back from purchasing coasters, like the one’s at Etsy, is that I am very creative and could probably make them myself.

I love the look of those Scrabble ones, but the only coasters that really work for me are the plain old cork ones, with a raised lip. They actually keep the condensation off the table, since they both absorb and contain. Boring, but practical.

@augustlan Maybe a Scrabble one that would fit inside a square version of the ones you linked ..with the lip around it (although, the lip would need to be higher). That would be neat.

I make coasters for gifts for my family and I donate them by the dozens to charity fairs and auctions. I make them with every kind of decoration you can thank of. My personal favorites look like quilt blocks. I designed a wolf family, but they aren’t very popular.

@Hypocrisy_Central how would you go about making them? Funnily I was just looking at the coasters on my desk and two of them I made myself. I wouldn’t say crafted as I like to try but am pretty poor at the execution of craftwork. One is made from Hama beads that my kids went crazy for a while back and the other was a clear plastic promotional one that came apart and I took out the promotional bit and put in a gorgeous pic of my daughter.
this post is now without its dodgy link

A nice brown ring stain.

I like these. I like these map coasters.

I also like the Scrabble coasters.

I also like these glass coasters.

I bought this from Etsy a few years ago.

@YARNLADY and others: How do you make coasters? I am always looking for craft ideas. Thank you (in advance) for sharing.

@jca @Stinley The way I made coaster in the past was to go to the home improvement store and get some 4”X4” tiles, usually those like natural stone, not the hard smooth baked enamel type, but the ones that had a bit of a rough look to it. I spay paint the main background with canned spray paint (it helps make the tile waterproof and serve as a good base for the paint.) I then airbrush the design using a stencil I cut out using a heated cutter like found here http://www.pjstencils.com/info.html, and an Exacto knife. After I airbrushed the mane parts with Createx airbrush paint I add in the detail with #2 to #000 spotter brushes. Synthetic is OK but nothing has the snap and control as Kolinsky hair sable. Us some 3M spray adhesive (or something similar and just as good) and spray a piece of cork (which you can get by the roll at the home improvement store) cut out to just smaller then the tile by a smidge and place wait on it to get a good seal. Then go over the tile with a spay automotive clear or some Clear water varnish from Dick Blick to make it drink proof. That is one of the usual ways I use to create a coaster. You can use scans or preshot photos, etc and decoupage it also.

I started out with some craft books from Anne’s Attic, which I picked up in a thrift store, and branched out to designing my own. Here are some patterns from FreePatterns.com

I also knit coasters from plastic bags. There are various ways of cutting the strips, so you might want to look up the variations. I’ve never tried the fusing or melting method, but it sounds intriguing.

I would rather someone make them just for me, like my children, or a friend. they would mean more to me like that.