My mom is one of those old school gamers. I remember her and my dad playing pac-man most nights after dinner. She beat dad’s score every time too. She doesn’t play too often nowadays but when she does, she’s still got it. I made her a set of these coasters a while back for her birthday and she absolutely loved them. Since she’s received so many compliments on them and they were so easy to make I figured I’d show you how.
These coasters make the perfect gift for anyone on your list (young or old) with an appreciation for old school retro games. So if you have a gamer in your life, check out this DIY.
What you’ll need:
- 4 – Plywood coasters measuring 3.5×3.5×1/4
- Sand paper
- Acrylic paint (red, pink, light blue, orange, white, Dark blue)
- Template
- Pencil
- Thin tipped paint brush
- Mask
- Polyurethane
- Sponge brush
- Cork
- Glue gun
Step 1.
My husband cut these coasters out for me using plywood. They measure 3.5 x 3.5 x1/4 inches. If you have the tools to cut these yourself, awesome, but if not, no worries at all. You can buy some coasters at Michaels craft store where they have all their unfinished wooded items. The measurements may be different, but that’s ok. They’re squared and a great size for coasters too.
*Before you begin, be sure to sand each coaster, until smooth. you can use a sandpaper with either a 120 grit or 150 grit.
Step 2.
Either print out the template I provided or draw each ghost, free hand. I can’t really draw to save my life so templates are a life saver.
Step 3.
If you’re using the template, then you’ll want to transfer that image onto each coaster. You do that by: First tracing the ghost with a pencil, then position the image (faced down) onto the coaster and use your pencil to rub the back of the image, in a quick, back and forth motion. This technique will transfer the image onto the coasters and make it easy for you to paint.
Do this technique for each coaster.
Step 4.
Paint each ghost in their colors.
Heres a bit of unnecessary info. Each ghost has a name! The Red ghost is named- Blinky, the Pink ghost is- Pinky, the Blue ghost is- Inky and the Orange ghost is- Clyde
Step 5.
Paint their eyes in white. When the eyes dry, use your dark blue paint to simply dot in their eye balls
Step 6.
When your ghosts have dried completely then your going to want to give each of these coasters about 2-3 coats of fast drying, clear gloss, polyurethane. Let it dry between each coat.
IMPORTANT: When using polyurethane or ANYTHING that produces strong fumes, be sure to work in a well ventilated area and ALWAYS use a filter mask to protect your throat from the fumes.
Step 7.
Once the polyurethane has completely dried, you can go ahead and add the cork to the backs of each coaster. This will protect their furniture from getting all scratch up. They’ll love you for it.
And you’re done! these coasters will no doubt be a huge hit and I bet one of the coolest gifts your gamer has ever received.
If you have no time for DIY’s and would like to buy them instead then click here for some cool options.
Thanks so much for reading!
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