How to Make Unique Paper Doily Coasters

Supplies: 

Paper doilies 

Rubber stamps or pictures cut from magazines (and white glue) 

Permanent markers (optional)

Doilies used to be about a dime dozen; that is, they were affordable and easy to come by. Nowadays, though, some people have discovered the many things that can be made from doilies, and are selling them for more than what they're worth. But there's one type of doily that is really cheap and it's a paper doily. What can you do with that? Make a coaster - well, a set of them. Paper doilies make wonderful coasters and they can have your choice of themes.

Most paper doilies are made to look like lace and often come only in the color of white. A dollar-theme store is probably the cheapest place to purchase a pack of them. Packs sometimes contain 10, 25, or 50 doilies. The perfect doily for making a coaster is one that has an unbroken circle in the middle. The paper circle is the area where you will create the theme that you desire. The complete doily should be about five inches in diameter.

One way to make an image in the center of the doily is to use a rubber stamp. Another is to cut a picture out of a magazine, a calendar, a poster, or a similar source. Cut the picture to be a tad smaller than the actual circle in the middle of the doily. Use white glue to affix it.

You can protect the coaster by using clear tape - like packaging tape - over the top of the image. Or, laminate the whole thing. The coasters are inexpensive and easy to create so it's not a big deal if you dispose of them after use. But if you laminate them, you can use them for a lot longer before having to throw them away and make more.

You can further create the theme of the doily coaster by using a gold or other marker around the edges. Gold helps to create an elegant look where red, blue, or yellow, might help to create colorful coasters for a child's room. Use the markers, or don't, depending on the look that you want for the coasters.

Make coasters with images of cars, cartoon characters, lighthouses, shells, horoscope signs, monograms, or your own designs. So, you've grown fond of doing doily crafts and now the doilies are outrageous in price? Continue looking for them at thrift stores and secondhand shops. But for now, get some paper doilies. They're actually quite beautiful and make useful coasters for any room in the house.