Believe Coasters DIY

Welcome to the third annual 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop!

I've have teamed up with a wonderful group of talented bloggers to bring to your our best Christmas ideas to help make your holiday season festive and fun!  Everyday between Dec. 1-12th, we will share our best Christmas ideas ranging from crafts, recipes, games, décor, tree trimming and so much more! Be sure to stop by every day during this event  to visit our fellow bloggers below for even more creative ideas to make your season brighter. 

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Meet Your Hosts

They have all been busy as Elves creating, decorating, cooking and crafting tons of new ideas for you to try this holiday season!

Shirley~Intelligent Domestications I Alli~An Alli Event I Michelle~Our Crafty Mom I Marie~DIY Adulation 

Erlene~My Pinterventures I Beverly~Across The Blvd. I Debra~Shoppe No. 5 I Victoria~Dazzle While Frazzled

Megan~C'mon Get Crafty I Michelle~Michelle James Designs I Amanda~Domestically Creative

Deborah~Salvage Sister & Mister I Jeanie~Create & Babble I Sherry~Olives & Okra

Jenny~Cookies Coffee & Crafts I Emily~Domestic Deadline I Bonbon~Farmhouse 40

Leanna~Of Faeries & Fauna I Pam Larmore~P.S. I Love You Crafts I Kelly~North Country Nest I

Marie~The Inspiration Vault I Gail~Purple Hues and Me I Lynne~My Family Thyme I

Karen~Dragonfly and Lily Pads I Trisha~Blowing Away Out West Lorrin~Embrace The Perfect Mess I

Terri~Christmas Tree Lane I Sam~Raggedy Bits I Cyn~Creative Cynchronicity  Valeria~Val Event Gal 

Yami~The Latina Next Door I Jeannee~Centsably Creative I Tania~Little Vintage Cottage

 Lauren~Wonderfully Made I Vanessa~DIY 180 I Kimberly~A Wonderful Thought I

Kim~Everyday Parties  I Dru~Polka Dot Poplars

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It's Day 2 and we're sharing a craft or recipe that's related to our favorite Christmas Movies!

Are you finally in the holiday spirit with all the Christmas movies that's out there these days? I grew up watching Christmas classics like Miracle on 34th St. and It's a Wonderful Life, mainly because in those days there was an element of tv fascination -  it was new and the shows were all in black and white, and not a huge variety, so we watched the same movies over and over.  However, I do have fond memories of those times watching and enjoying those movies, but today, there're so many wonderful Christmas movies that can be included in someone's Christmas all time favorites. 

Right now, I love  watching the Hallmark Channel with its' Countdown to Christmas movies!    It's almost like binge watching!  I usually have the Christmas movies on while I craft and it's a wonderful way to create! The newer Hallmark Christmas movies  come on in the evening and as an added treat, it's like having a date night or movie night with popcorn and all the trimmings! After all, most of Hallmark Christmas movies have an underlying romantic theme involved anyway!

 While thinking about how I can create a craft related to Christmas movies, one common thread in most Christmas movies no matter if it's serious or funny, is the fact that in the end, Christmas is about believing and the power of that belief. Those uplifting moments allowing us to remember what it feels like to believe in something - miracles, magic and optimism, etc..  You just have to Believe!  So I came up with something very simple in wording and a reminder  for all of us to just believe  -   I made a simple gift of handmade decoupage coasters with the wording "Believe." Coasters make a great gift for just about anyone! So simple and inexpensive to make.

I found a plain set of cork coasters at the Goodwill that I could re-purpose!

Materials needed: 

• Paper Napkins
• Cork
• Mod Podge
• White Acrylic paint
• Black sharpie

Let's begin by painting one side of the cork. These corks already had a solid plain layer on one side. But you can use regular cork  squares and glue on cardboard the same size

Paint the cardboard side with white acrylic paint.

While the paint is drying separate the layers of the napkins and use the top or printed layer.

Next, coat a layer of mod podge over the dry painted coaster and place the printed layer of napkin on top.

Use plastic wrap to smooth out the wrinkles and edges.

Allow the mod podge and napkin to dry. Once dry add another layer of mod podge and let dry.

Remove the excess napkin by scraping off the sides with sandpaper. Make sure the sides are free of napkin residue. 

Run a black marker along the sides to enhance the coloring.

And finally,seal with a waterproof varnish to protect the finish. Makes for a lovely gift!

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Be sure to visit our fellow 12 Days of Christmas Bloggers above for even more creative ideas this holiday season!

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