Since wooden palettes are all the rage right now, I decided to take it up a notch and make mini palettes to use for coasters. They’re pretty simple to make, hope you enjoy!

The first thing you need is something to make the coasters out of. I tried popsicle sticks first and just wasn’t liking how they were coming along, so I found some balsa wood at Hobby Lobby that looked a lot more like real palette wood would look.

I got two pieces of the square wood, and four of the rectangle, which came in 3-foot long sections. This only allowed for me to make two with a bit left over.

Palettes, while they aren’t clean, aren’t the dirtiest looking either. Balsa wood soaks up stain very fast and comes out extremely dark. I decided to go with a lighter stain: coffee. It doesn’t take much, I dipped each piece in the coffee and left it for 15 seconds.

Worked like a charm! I left mine on a paper bag to dry overnight, but if you put them in the oven on a low temperature, you could continue in an hour or so.

When I thought I would use popsicle sticks, I was using a glue gun. It was very messy and left the sticks crooked. I decided to use super glue this next time around.

Balsa wood is very absorbent, which doesn’t mix well with the purpose of a coaster, so you’ll want to seal it with polyurethane.

Once you spray it, sand each side just a little bit and spray again. Repeat once or twice; until you feel like the wood is sealed and won’t absorb water.
I must admit, I felt kind of defeated when the popsicle sticks didn’t turn out. After that mess, I gave it a rest and hadn’t thought about these coasters for a couple days. I had to run to Hobby Lobby for something unrelated and as I was browsing I stumbled across this balsa wood. It was perfect. It was a sign that I had to continue and I’m glad I did. So next time I’m feeling defeated, I know now to just take a breather and new inspiration will come when I least expect it. I absolutely love how these came out. Now I just need to make a few more to make it a set. : )
Stay inspired,
Caroline : )
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