I know most of the world is in the middle of winter at the moment, but let me tell you, over here in Australia, we are in the midst of a heat wave! It’s summer here and it seems like this year we are hogging all of the good weather for ourselves! For those of you fighting off the cold, I thought I’d show you a fruity way to inject a bit of color and warmth into your days while you wait for the warmer days to come around.

I had these corkboard coasters stashed in the back of my kitchen drawers, but you can pick some up from most craft stores or even Ikea.

To turn them into citrus-y delights you will need some white paint, colored paint (in the appropriate colors), an extacto knife or box cutter, paper, double sided tape (optional) and some water proof paint sealer.

1. Get together enough plain corkboard coasters for a full set; I used 6.

2. Apply a few even coats of white paint (I used some white spray paint) to create a base coat and let dry. Repeat on the alternate side.

3 & 4. Using an exacto knife or box cutter, cut out the citrus shape. You can use a stencil as I did or draw one up by hand. If you are particularly skilled you can even forego this step and complete the rest free hand. Allow to dry completely before going onto the next step.

5. Mix up your colors and coat one side and the edges completely. I chose to make 2 of each color; green, orange and yellow.

6. Once dry, flip over and place the stencil onto the other side. If you have the time and patience, secure the cut outs to each coaster using double sided tape. This is fiddly work. Since didn’t mind if my coasters weren’t perfect, I carefully painted the coaster with a coat of water and pressed the stencil onto the surface using a flat towel to remove the excess water. The paper should stick to the coaster temporarily.

7. Using a sponge or soft paint brush, dab the paint on to the coaster, being careful to get as little under the edges of the stencil as you can. Apply more than one coat if you wish.

8. Once dry, remove the stencil and touch up the lines and colored areas as required with a small paintbrush.

9. Once the coasters have dried completely, give them a top coat of paint seal to protect the paint from water and once dry you can now use your bright new coasters!

These coasters will not only help to keep away the winter blues, but will also transition your home seamlessly into Spring. Enjoy! – Dani

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