Corks: Take Two

There comes a time (some call it adulthood) when friends start moving away, getting married, or going to grad school. Since I have friends in each of those new life situations right now, I've been thinking a lot about cute, affordable house-warming gifts. I'm not saying that what I'm about to show you is the only or best option out there, but, do you know anyone who doesn't drink out of a glass at some point during the day? Me neither.

I present to you The Coaster Set.

Just in case you'd like to gift a set or make them for yourself, I've decided to put together a quick tutorial.
First, you'll need supplies:

wine corks (4 per coaster)
a sharp knife or a craft knife
tacky all-purpose glue
thin cork board
a cutting board

Once you've assembled your supplies, you're ready to get started! Now, I know you're a smart bunch who read my blog, so I'm not going to belittle you by showing you pictures of corks cut in half, or what a dot of glue look like. Instead, I'll just give you a few, self-explanatory steps.

1. Cut the corks in half lengthwise
2. put a line of glue down the cork and then place it on a corner of the thin cork board
3.repeat
4. when all 8 halves are arranged, use a sharp blade to trim the thin cork board so that it does not show.
5. place the completed coaster under a heavy book for at least 10 minutes
6. Repeat until you have as many coasters as your heart desires!

If you've followed my blog for awhile, you've probably seen this before:

And you know that I used hot glue and shelf liner for this project...so why did I switch up my supplies?
Hot glue and shelf liner are quite flexible which is great for a kitchen mat, but not so great for a coaster. Don't be afraid to experiment with different mediums to get what you want out of a craft.

Here's another pattern I tried and ended up loving:

Well, that's all I have for now! Check back soon when I'll be sharing a DIY maxi skirt tutorial!
Smile! It's the weekend.
-Stephanie