Here is the second DIY gift I made for the holidays was DIY Scrabble Coasters. This was one of my first pins ever on pinterest. I got the initial idea from Krysta at domestic for dummies.
Originally I was just going to make a set for myself but then my brother and sister-in-law moved into a new house that has a nice bar in the basement. I was already getting them repurposed Svedka Tumbler set I had bought for them from the bottle mill for their bar and this was the perfect gift to go with them.
Scrabble Drink Coasters
Materials needed: 1. Scrabble Coasters (I used a Super Scrabble set) 2. Super glue 3. Cork 4. Clear coat Tools needed: 1. Square 2. Sander (optional) 3. Cutting board 4. Box cutter | Cost of materials: 1. $25.85 through amazon I over paid for the scrabble tiles. If I had extra time I would have order them through Hasbro replacement parts for Only $6.50 for a normal set. 2. Already had 3. Used leftover Cork Self-Adhesive drawer & shelf liner from our kitchen cabinets. 4. Already had Total: $25.85 (again this could be a lot less if you are more patient then me) |
Instructions:
Like always, if you want the quick instructions scroll down towards the bottom of this post.
The first and most difficult part of this project was figuring out what words to use. I wrote out a list of every 3-4 letter word that had to do with drinks or drinking that Alex and I could think of. I then sorted them into six groups of words. Using a letter frequency counter online to calculated how many of each letter I was using. Then I looked up the letter count in both a normal scrabble set and a super scrabble set. Being an engineer I made a spread sheet to calculate how many sets I was going to need.
Like always, if you want the quick instructions scroll down towards the bottom of this post.
The first and most difficult part of this project was figuring out what words to use. I wrote out a list of every 3-4 letter word that had to do with drinks or drinking that Alex and I could think of. I then sorted them into six groups of words. Using a letter frequency counter online to calculated how many of each letter I was using. Then I looked up the letter count in both a normal scrabble set and a super scrabble set. Being an engineer I made a spread sheet to calculate how many sets I was going to need.
After buying the super scrabble set I played around with all the extra letters I had. I ended up making a total of 12 coasters. Some more relevant to drinking then others. Here are the word groups I ended up with:
Set 1 Stir, lime, salt, rim Set 2 pure, dry, tart, neat Set 3 Iced, tea, chai, pour Set 4 you, we, our, me | Set 5 good, foord, (blank), fun Set 6 soda, diet, fizz, cola Set 7 bean, mug, java, shot Set 8 Bar, last, call, home | Set 9 vine, stem, red, wine Set 10 beer, hops, brew, ales Set 11 case, pint, shoot, keg Set 12 wine, cork, aged, vino |
Here are the words that I didn’t end up using:
mint, pub, cask, malt, body, dark, nose, bomb, red solo cup, tap, gin, milk, rum, gone
I am still planning on making a set for Alex and I. We are really into endurance events so I am going to make a few with word that deal with that. Here is what I got so far:
feet, foot, nuun, tri, bike, swim, run, pace, mile, lap
After I was done finagling all of the letters, I used started gluing the letters together one but one. In attempt to get the pieces as level as possible I used a square for the two edges.
mint, pub, cask, malt, body, dark, nose, bomb, red solo cup, tap, gin, milk, rum, gone
I am still planning on making a set for Alex and I. We are really into endurance events so I am going to make a few with word that deal with that. Here is what I got so far:
feet, foot, nuun, tri, bike, swim, run, pace, mile, lap
After I was done finagling all of the letters, I used started gluing the letters together one but one. In attempt to get the pieces as level as possible I used a square for the two edges.
I learned pretty quick that scrabble pieces are not all the same size so I ending up with jagged ends. Being at my parent’s house for the holidays, I asked my dad if he had a sander I could use to even out the edges and he did! He
actually had a homemade circular saw bench that my grandpa made. It worked perfectly for what I needed.
actually had a homemade circular saw bench that my grandpa made. It worked perfectly for what I needed.
Next I laid the coasters on newspaper and strayed them with the clear coat. I did two coats waiting a hour in-between.
After the clear coat was dry, I used the cutting board and box cutter to cut the shape of the coaster into the cork adhesive.
I then stuck the adhesive side to the back of the coaster.
The end… I was done. I ended up wrapping them in the letter bag that the game comes with. It will make a perfect storage area for when they are not in use.
Quick instructions:
1. Sort letters
2. Super glue letters together using square
3. Sand edges to make flat (optional)
4. Apply two coats of clear coat
5. Cut out cork in the shape of the coaster
6. Stick cork to back of coaster
7. Have a drink, you are done!
1. Sort letters
2. Super glue letters together using square
3. Sand edges to make flat (optional)
4. Apply two coats of clear coat
5. Cut out cork in the shape of the coaster
6. Stick cork to back of coaster
7. Have a drink, you are done!
