DIY Donut Coasters

If you know me even a tiny bit then you know I love donuts.

I love these doughy, frosted wonders so much that when I saw this DIY the other day I knew I had to have a set of my own.  So I frolicked to the store, bought 4 cork coasters, and got ready to work!

Here is what you need:

-fun paint colors
-a large and a small paint brush
-craft blade
-cutting mat (not pictured)
-small cork coasters


Step 1: Use something small and round to make the hole in the middle of the donut.  Trace it out with a pencil.

Step 2: Use the craft knife to cut out the circle in the middle.  Make sure you cut on your rubber craft mat. I did a rough cut of the circle just to get it started and then perfected the edges afterwards.

 

Step 3: Use the paint of your choosing and the large brush to make the 'frosting'.  I went with pink! Flip over the coaster beforehand so the pencil marks are on the bottom and out of sight.

Step 4: Paint on the sprinkles!

After this you are good to go! You may want to coat them in Mod Podge if you have it just to ensure that the paint stays on.

So fun right? Another way you can go about this is painting larger cork boards and using them as bulletin boards. I chose to go with this version though 'cause I love me some funky donut coasters :)

Coffee Talk

If we were to meet for coffee....

...i'd take you to the coffee shop I work at, show you around, and introduce you to my great coworkers

...i'd order a medium roast coffee (black) and probably a yummy muffin!

...i'd ask you how your summer is going and maybe vent about the humid weather a little bit

...i'd tell you that I am obsessed with the Real Housewives shows and I'm not ashamed

...i'd show you the awesome new planner I bought that makes me smile (found here)

...i'd tell you that I just baked chocolate chip banana bread muffins and they are killer

...i'd tell you about this new singer I discovered that sings beautiful songs

...i'd talk to you about God a little bit

...i'd tell you that I am learning that having a relationship with God is based on more than just feeling        his presence, and that even when you can't tell he is there you have to have faith that he is

...i'd tell you that I'm going to Oregon soon and I'm SOOOO EXCITED

...i'd ask you if you have any pets, and if so i'd ask you to show me every picture you have of them

...i'd say we should hang out again :)

DIY Word Magnets

I had a good friend when I was younger who always had these awesome word magnets on her fridge. Every time I walked past I would string together a phrase or sentence - the weirder the better. I loved them so much, but I never found myself investing a few bucks in my own set. Just the other day I happened to see this tutorial on A Beautiful Mess for making fridge magnets, and I knew I had to make some of my own.

All you need to buy is:

-clay
-letter stamps
-magnet tape

You will also need:

-rolling pin
-craft blade (or sharp knife)
-a baking sheet and parchment paper
-an oven

First thing to do is start rolling out your clay. I had to really mold it with my hands because it was extra stiff. Once it becomes pretty soft, start rolling it into a long rope.  You are then going to flatten it out with the rolling pin. I made mine about 1/8" thick.

After you've rolled it out you will want to cut it.  I used my magnet tape as a guide. Simply place it on top and use the craft blade or knife to cut around the tape. My tape left kind of a mark on the top side of the clay, so if yours does the same just flip it over and use the clean side for stamping!

Next is the fun part...stamping out the words! Obviously you'll start thinking of awesome words like chocolate cake and bacon (or at least I did...).  Just make sure as you're stamping your words you throw simpler ones in like and, or and a few a's and s's. I happened to look online at the pre-made word magnet sets and it gives you a list of all the words in the set. You can find it here. This is a good guide :)

Once you have stamped out your words, cut them out and place them on the baking sheet.

After you have cut out all your stamps, you are going to want to cook it in your oven at 275°F for about 15 minutes.

Once they have cooked and cooled all you'll need to do is attach the magnets to the back of your clay. You may need to glue the magnets on just for extra security.

This was a super fun DIY to do. The hardest part was making sure I got all the words I needed! Other than that, it was really easy and totally worth it in the end. I am super excited to bring these to school and see what my roommates and I can come up with :)