EXCITING NEWS ALERT!!!
I applied for a spot at the Vintage Market Days of South Gulf Coast Florida fall event, called "Among the Wildflowers." It's a craft show of sorts where I can finally get my stuff out there and see if anyone is interested. I'm excited to say that I was accepted to be a vendor at the show!
This will be my first time doing a show or any kind of event to sell my work, unless I do something between now and then!
I have some time: It's not until mid-September! But, I'm going to need a lot of that time and a big chunk of the summer to make some cool stuff.
While this is really exciting for me, it's also a little nerve-wracking. See, I need to have some serious "stock" of items to sell. New things that are unique and will capture the interests of people at the show. I also need to have some more of the items on hand that got me accepted, like quilt squares, reclaimed wood geometric designs, etc.
I was thinking, staying in that same vein, about some reclaimed wood coasters. These would be easy to make and would appeal to people who may not be ready to commit to wall art. Either way, I'm going to make a set and see how they turn out and decide from there!
I started with the 6-point star to be the center point of each coaster. I went with the red barnwood I already cut for my previous geometric design. The idea is to make 1.25" rhombuses that are equal on all sides; this ensures that they fit together perfectly. This wood has a hint of red, but the striations and deep grooves really give this wood nice character@
I decided on white barn panel for the surrounding pieces. I think the contrast is very clear, and the colors are what I usually associate with a farmhouse theme.
I also decided on making 4 coaster total; after all, that's traditionally what comes in a set!
After making 24 red rhombuses and 24 white rhombuses, I lightly sanded the edges of each piece to get rid of splinters; it's also important to do this so the pieces all fit together without any obstacles!
Now, to piece them together and take a look!
Obviously, as you well know, when dealing with unique, 1-of-a-kind reclaimed wood, the coasters are not all going to look identical! However, the colors remain the same, and you can clearly tell that these are part of a set.
Now, to find a way to stick them all together!
I found some scrap backerboard pieces and cut them to barely fit the coasters. Then, I glued each piece together AND to the backerboard. Once in position, I used clamps to hold everything in place.
I let them fully dry for 24 hours before handling them!
The next day, I took the clamps off and did a quick trim of all the sides to remove the excess backerboard. I gave the sides a quick sanding with my belt sander to make sure the backerboard wasn't sticking out the sides or anything...
These are beautiful, thick coasters!
Next, we're on to poly to seal them up!
I went with a thick coat of water-based poly on this project. Since the eventual owner is realistically going to be using these to place their drinks on, I made sure that the layer of poly was thick and every single piece of wood was covered with poly. It also gives each coaster a nice sheen!
Last but not least, I put self-adhering cork rounds on the bottom of each coaster...
I got a pack of 50 rounds online for about $15. I intend on making a few sets of these for the show, so I think it was a good investment!
And now, the coasters are complete!
I really like how they came out! Really thick and rustic! I will be making a few more sets of these to sell on my site and to stock up for the event in September!
To keep them all together, I wrapped them using some jute rope. It maintains the rustic theme really well.
If you are interested in these coasters, be sure to check out my Etsy store on the "Store" tab above!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few more to make!
-Kevin
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