DIY-A Set of White Birch Wood Coasters With a Little Touch of Glam

When I set out to make a set of candle holders this past weekend, I had no idea that I would also end up with a set of white birch wood coasters.  The wood coasters were a by-product of my initial project, candle holders made out of the stump of my fallen tree,  and were conceived  while I photographed the ends of the logs I cut off.  When I  positioned the end pieces in a way in which I could photograph them, I realized that I didn’t have to necessarily throw away the pieces, and another project was born – just like that.

I continued to cut off slices, about 3/8″ wide  with the miter saw ( I didn’t measure and instead opted to eyeball it), making sure that I didn’t move the log to ensure that each slice was an even thickness.  (A handsaw can also be used for this, but may result in some really sore biceps afterwards.)

Next was trying to figure out how to make these coasters special, because by now you all must know that I’m all about making the every day “extraordinary”.  As much as I love wood in its organic state, I also love to juxtapose materials, as it brings about more energy, making things more interesting.  Then the brilliant idea came up to paint the coasters gold, in keeping with the current decor trends and also for a little touch of glamour – (perhaps influenced by my recent visit to MASHstudios, where the new introductions mixes wood with metals) so I hopped into my car for a quick jaunt over to my local hardware store for some gold spray paint.

After returning home, I set up a space to spray paint, and  then sprayed several thin coats, making sure that each coat had enough time to dry in between and also making sure that I didn’t miss painting the sides during the process.

I waited until all was dry, picked up one coaster to inspect more closely, and guess what ? I hated it.  The gold paint covered the subtle color variations in the tree rings.  As I thought about how I was going to remedy the situation, I flipped the coaster over and realized that I loved how it looked in it’s natural state.  I noticed that there was a little hint of gold around the outer edge – just the right amount to give these beauties a little sparkle and hint of glamour for the holidays (or even year round, for that matter)  And there it was – a set of gold rimmed white birch wood coasters.

Back inside the house, I placed my freshly made white birch wood coasters on my bar tray along with a Michael Aram wood log cast aluminum ice bucket, a Michael Aram  porcelain dish in the shape of a leaf (yes, accessories designer Michael Aram is also into incorporating organic shapes into his designs), and the tree stump candles I made earlier in the day from the same log of wood along with a bunch of other goodies. Today’s bar cart was an homage to organic tree shapes.

$6.99 in paint, 20 minutes of my time (not including the time waiting for the paint to dry) and I had myself a new set of gold rimmed white birch wood coasters!  I have a lot of extras, so don’t be surprised if some of you receive a set tied up in twine and a pretty sprig of rosemary as a hostess gift!

So this goes to show that mistakes can happen, just don’t fret and figure out how to make the most of it.  This is similar to my outlook on life – things may not alway go as planned, but who knows – you may be in for a pleasant surprise.  I don’t know about you, but I ALWAYS love surprises!  Have yourselves a good one this holiday season and enjoy every moment.