Retro Placemats And Coasters

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  Step 1

  Firstly, gather your equipment so it is all handy.

  You will need (it wouldn't let me upload the full list of equipment above):

  Selected sheets of music/magazine or whatever else you fancy.

  Cork Placemats/Coasters

  A Bowl of Water and a Clean Tea Towel

  Scissors and a Blade for Trimming

  A Pencil

  PVA Glue and Glue Spreader

  Sticky Back Plastic

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  Step 2

  Take a coaster or placemat and the sheet that you want to stick onto it. Draw around the coaster on to the wrong side of the sheet (the side which will face downwards). Cut out the shape of the coaster leaving a little extra paper around the edge which can be trimmed off later.

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  Step 3

  Place the paper in a bowl of water, a few seconds will do, and use a clean tea towel to pat it dry. Do this gently as the sheet will be very delicate. Dampening the sheet helps to prevent air bubbles getting stuck under it when you glue it down.

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  Step 4

  Spread a thin amount of PVA glue onto the coaster/placemat. Use only a small amount as too much glue will also cause bubbles to form under the paper. Place the paper upside down so the drawn outline of the coaster is facing up. Carefully place the coaster down where the outline is.

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  Step 5

  Turn it over and, very gently, using a clean cloth or a clean finger, spread it down so all air pockets are released.

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  Step 6

  Place your coaster/placemat onto the paper backing of the sticky back plastic. You can draw around it, or I just cut around it, leaving a centimetre extra around the edge. Cutting a piece too large means that if you put it on a but wonky you shouldn't run out of plastic and then have to patch pieces together to cover your placemat (which looks pretty messy).

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  Step 7

  Now for the tricky bit. You have to be really careful when putting the plastic on so that you don't create any air bubbles. You can't peel it off once its stuck so you have to do this slowly. I unpeel a corner of the sticky back plastic and place it on a corner of the mat. I then peel it back very slowly pressing it on with the tea towel and rubbing from the centre outwards.

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  Step 8

  Finally, turn the placemat/coaster over and using a sharp blade on a piece of cardboard, or another similar surface, score around the edges of the mat and remove the excess plastic and paper.

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  Step 9

  And you're done! I'd advise that you practice with piece of music/magazine that you aren't so bothered about first. Its very tricky getting the sticky back plastic on so you don't want to ruin your favourite sheet on your first attempt. I have made all these with varying degrees of success. Sometimes you just can't help a little air bubble here and there! For sheets that were too small for the placemat, I used a black and white polka dot piece of wrapping paper to create a border.

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