West Elm Inspired Drink Coasters
These wood slice drink coasters are perfect for holiday entertaining or as hostess gifts. An easy and inexpensive wood project!
A few weeks ago, I was looking at West Elm’s new market and came across some adorable wooden drink coasters. They reminded of the log slice ornaments I created for the One Item Project Challenge and, luckily, I happened to have some wood slices left over giving me the idea to create my own.
Not only did we need a set for our basement family room, but I thought they’d make a perfect holiday hostess gift as well.
Now that you’ve seen my version, take a look at the inspiration wood slice coasters designed by Shanna Murray for West Elm…
Fun, right? Similar, but I put my own spin on them. I decided to nix the snowflakes so the coasters could be used all year long.
How to Make Wood Slice Drink Coasters
Supplies
- Log slices (about 4″ diameter by 1/2″ thick- see cutting instructions)
- Sand paper (very fine grit)
- Polyurethane (I used quick drying satin finish by Minwax)
- Small paint brush
- Oil based white paint pen (Sharpie)
Coaster Instructions
- Sand your log slices until smooth on each side.
- Apply two coats of polyurethane to the top and sides of each coaster, allowing them to dry in between. This will prep the surface for your written words or they may bleed.
- Once the coasters are completely dry, hand write messages or sayings on each one using a white paint pen (you may need to go over it twice).
- Allow to dry and apply one more coat of polyurethane to the entire coaster.
For a bit of fun, you could change them up a bit by writing “cheers” in different languages, including:
- Cin Cin (Italian)
- Salud (Spanish)
- Prost (German)
Of course, there are many others depending on special meaning for your family or who you plan on giving them to.
For a hostess gift, tie a length of ribbon or jute around a set of four coasters and finish off with a gift tag. Need a gift that’s higher in value? Include with a bottle of wine or a set of glasses (or both!).
These drink coasters were very inexpensive to make since I had everything on hand and only had to purchase the paint pen (which was around $3 with a 50% off coupon). I plan on making a few more sets.
We’re having a party and you’re invited!
Come back Thursday to link up your Handmade Gift and Gift Wrap projects. I’m happy to be hosting alongside Shannon who created a lovely handmade gift of her own today!
Update- See the handmade gifts and gift wrap ideas!
Want more holiday and seasonal ideas like these sent directly to your inbox? Be sure to SUBSCRIBE.
See you tomorrow!
Shauna, those are perfect for festive holiday entertaining and gift giving!
Thank you Cynthia. Just waiting for a few more to dry so I can wrap them up to give away!
How sweet! Absolutely love this idea. Would be a wonderful gift!! :)
Thanks Kerry! I can’t take credit for the idea, just for making them!
Great addition for your family room, Shauna, and I’m with you on the snowflakes – they look great, but using the coasters all year long is the best idea!!
I added some faux fur pillows down there, too, and it has a bit of a modern lodge vibe now. I really need to do a room update post- perhaps in the new year!
OMG–I love this so much!
I am TOTALLY pinning this for future reference!!
Thanks so much for sharing,
~Cathy~
Thank you Cathy! I really appreciate you sharing them :)
Your coasters look beautiful Shauna!!! They would make a wonderful gift too… hmmm – thanks girl!
Thank you Heather. That’s the plan since I made far more than we need!
Your coasters look just as good as west elms version. I knew I should have grabbed the bottom of the tree slices at Home Depot! I stared at them for awhile without any ideas coming to mind. Hope you are enjoying the holiday season!
Thanks Dawn! I actually have one more project I made with the rest of the large branch I used for this project. It was worth digging through the woods to find (Home Depot would’ve been a whole lot easier though!).
Love this idea and can already envision all the applications they would be perfect for! Thanks!
Thanks Heather. Yes, the sky’s the limit on what you can do with these log slices. I’m seeing more and more projects on Pinterest every day!
I love these! You are on a log kick this year! I found some at micheals and they were very pricey! I wish I had a wooded river area to find some logs! Great gift idea!
Oh, and I made one more project out of that large branch that I haven’t shown yet. Perhaps overkill!
These are super cute, love them!