Coasting Along: How to Turn Old Cards into Placemats & Coasters

Lesley Stevens

Lesley Stevens designs and produces beautiful handmade cards from her home in Oxfordshire and a unique part of her range is in what she calls “coaster cards”, these combine a fantastic card with a coaster that will brighten up any room and can be found on her website Decorque Cards.

This collaboration of cards and coasters was broughtabout the idea for this post and we hope you enjoy learning how you can turn old cards into beautiful coaster and placemats. It’s true that greetings cards are just lovely – at least for the first few minutes, hours or days after you’ve freed them from their envelope. As you open a card, take in its beautiful cover and enjoy the well-chosen words inside; it’s a shame to think that in just a few weeks it might make its way into the recycle bin. At the very best it might only last a week or two – displayed on a mantelpiece or windowsill – before it’s dropped in the bin with the remainder of the now-stale birthday cake.

But after your next birthday, don’t let those pretty cards receive the same sorry fate. After all, someone – a friend or relative – has probably spent more than a few minutes poring over aisles and aisles of cards in the greetings cards shop, before settling on the perfect one for you.

So, we’ve come up with the ideal solution: turn those gorgeous old greetings cards into something you can get enjoyment out of long after your special day. Cue the greetings card coaster or place-mat…it’s quick and simple to make and can fast become part of your daily dining table set-up. Here’s how:

1. Collect the Right Materials – By now you probably have some idea which of your old greetings cards you’d like to display in the form of coasters or placemats – and it’s so easy to transform them in this way. We started by looking online for some how-to guides and, as luck would have it, we found this convenient tutorial via the blog The Budget Minded Bride. The blogger in question has used her creativity and a little bit of patience to make some pretty impressive looking coasters we think you’ll love. If you’re thinking of following this tutorial, start by simply gathering all the materials you’ll need. The author of this blog suggests plexiglass circles, which can be found from a plastic supply company; some spray adhesive, and a craft knife.

2. Cut Out Your Cards – You’ve selected your cards, now it’s time to cut them down to size. Of course, this will depend entirely on the size of the plexiglass circles you’ve chosen. Then simply use these as templates to draw around your cards, cutting them to size with your craft knife or a pair of scissors. Make sure you have first protected the surface you are working on, and be careful when using craft knifes and scissors – especially if you’re involving in your kids in your crafty afternoon.

3. Grab Your Spray Adhesive – In order to stick your now circular greetings cards to the plexigraph circles, simply spray with a good amount of adhesive and affix to the plastic discs. Make sure you line them up perfectly so there’s no card hanging over the edge. If this is the case, simply wait for the glue to set and then jusr cut to size with your utility knife. Give your coasters plenty of time to set, even after you’ve cut around the edges; you never know if the glue’s fully dried so leave them overnight before you start using them. Now, you can get ready to add these cute coasters to your coffee table…

And you’re done! Will you be giving this tutorial for coasters a go? Of course, if you fancy making some complementing place mats, you can craft them in much the same way, finding plexigraph rectangles and setting aside some good time to get crafty. Don’t forget to let us know how you get on!
The article is kindly contributed by Lesley Stevens who offers beautiful cards and paper accessories Decorque Cards

If you would like to visit or connect with Lesley you can find her here
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Thank you Leslie for sharing her Guest Post! If you are interested in authoring a post, contact me at karrenh@gmail.com Subject: Guest Author/Subject |Please keep in mind my blog is centered around Seasonal, Gardening, Recipes, Health, Crafts and DIY Ideas and Travel. From bloggers I would be happy to discuss posting your unpublished articles. Thank you, Karren

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