‘Tis the season to get crafty! Who doesn’t love gifting or receiving a thoughtful and heartfelt homemade present crafted by yours truly? This year there are literally hundreds of possibilities with Adrianna Adarme’s new book, The Year of Cozy, providing endless DIY inspiration and recipes to last you all year long. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the season than with an artsy girl’s night in crafting these adorable watercolored burlap-textured coasters.
My friend, ceramicist Lindsay Emery from Suite One Studio, made many of the custom pieces you see in my book. My favorite pieces from her are ones where she presses a sheet of burlap onto the clay, creating a warm and beautiful texture. I wanted to attempt this technique, too, but since I’m not nearly as skilled as Lindsay (she works with porcelain) and I don’t have a kiln in my garage, I used air-dry clay. These coasters couldn’t be simpler to make. You cut out circles of clay, roll the burlap onto them, and wait for them to dry. I think the watercolors look beautiful in the impressions created by the burlap texturing, too.
Watercolored Burlap-Textured DIY Coasters
Supplies:
air-dry clay
waxed paper
rolling pin
mason jar (or other large cylinder to use as a stencil)
X-ACTO knife
bowl of water
2–3 sheets of burlap
brush
watercolor palette
Directions:
Scoop out a mound of air-dry clay and place it in the center of a sheet of waxed paper. Using your rolling pin, roll the clay into a 1/4″ thickness. Place the Mason jar on the clay and use it as a guide to cut out your coasters with the knife.
To smooth out any rough edges, dip your finger into some water and rub the edges gently. Press a sheet of burlap onto the surface of the coaster, and remove it in one motion. Continue the process until you have made the desired amount of coasters. If your piece of burlap gets gunked up with clay, feel free to use a fresh sheet. Allow the coasters to dry on the waxed paper for at least 24 hours (depending on the weather, this may take up to 2 days).
When the coasters are dry, brush the tops with watercolor paint of your choice. I went with a cerulean blue. Really, you can’t go wrong with any bright color. You might want to test out strokes on a piece of paper before applying them to the coasters.
