gifts from the heart, annie from peppermint plum

we are down to our final two gifts from the heart posts!  i hope you have been inspired by these lovely ladies.  i would love to see your creations.  please add them to the new gifts from the heart flickr group.  

today's guest, annie of peppermint plum, has for sure been a source of inspiration to me.  the blog she shares with sister tammy may be new, but i have had my eye on annie's work for quite some time via flickr.  i mega heart her embroidery.  aren't they just fantastic?  one of them was even chosen for the whipup 2011 calendar.  very cool!

some of my top gift giving picks from the peppermint plum projects include the sewn paper candy pouches, the garnished gift boxes, and the printable valentine's tags.  i love that they all use everyday items in new and creative ways.

now take a look at what annie has for us today. . . 

Hello lovely readers!

My name is Annie and I am a co-author of the blog Peppermint Plum. My sister, Tammy, and I have always had a love of crafts and home décor and just being overall creative! We decided recently that sharing our creations and ideas with the blogging world would be a great way for us to not only pass along our own ideas, but also to see and interact with some of the amazingly talented people who also choose to share their love of life with the world.

Annalea Hart is just one of those people.

We are thrilled to be asked to take part in her “Gifts From The Heart” guest-hosting series and I am happy to share this crafty tutorial with all of you!

　

Altered Coaster Valentine Art

Supplies you will need:

* coasters

* ribbon

* patterned cardstock paper

* vinyl or sticker words/images

* glue stick

* glue gun

* scissors

* sanding block/sandpaper

Start by wiping off the smooth face of the coasters you are going to use.

If you get them from a thrift store like I did, you will want to clean them thoroughly before handling them.

Run the glue stick all over the top of the coaster, making sure to get all of the corner edges as well.

Press the coasters onto the back of the patterned paper and hold tightly until the glue starts to dry.  Press all around the edges to ensure a good, tight seal.

Once the glue is dry, cut around each coaster and start to sand the edges of the paper off.  You will want to do this over a bag or the garbage, as the sanding causes lots of paper dust.

While sanding, you can rough-up the edges as well.  If your paper has a white core, it will end up looking like these.  If you want a darker edge, now is the time to ink, chalk or sponge-paint around the edges to get the look you want.

Decide where you want to add your vinyl/stickers and apply them to the coasters.

Now, lay out your ribbon and decide where you want to hot glue the coasters.

If your ribbon is plain, this wont matter.  Since I was using polka-dot ribbon, I wanted to make sure that the dots were spaced evenly underneath and in the middle of the coasters.

Use the hot glue gun to glue the coasters to the ribbon.

Finish the bottom end by cutting out a V-shape and make the top into any hanging shape you like best. Be sure to cut the ends of the tied ribbon in a V-shape as well, as it adds detail and the finishing touch.

Once everything is glued and tied and cut, it is ready to hang!

This project can be altered in so many ways to make it exactly how you like it!

You can change the colors, the paper, the ribbon, the words -- anything for any occasion.

I made a second version with the letters L O V E, so I could keep it hanging in my house all year long!

I chose yellow and white paper with black and white polka-dot ribbon to match the rest of the décor in my house.

This really is a fun and quick craft and is simple enough that your kids can help, or even make their own!

I hope you enjoy making your own Altered Coaster Valentine Art to add a little extra love to your home.

And, thank you again to Annalea for this opportunity to share it with you!

Go.... be creative!

-Annie

thank you so much annie for sharing this fun project! i like that there are so many ways to personalize this. and since one of my kiddos went through a coloring on coasters phase last year, i definitely have some around my house ready to upgrade.

be sure to check out annie and tammy's blog peppermint plum for great gift ideas and much much more.  and don't forget to visit annie's etsy shop jammer sage. how can you resist these little guys?