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An Elegant, Two Second DIY Gift That Costs $1

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Utah chapter.

With the holiday season upon us, the pressure of finding the perfect gift for your girlfriends can be crushing. Gift giving can be frustrating, expensive, and time consuming, which tends to drown out the sentiment of appreciation behind it. Luckily, it doesn’t always have to be this way thanks to the wonder of DIY. This isn’t any ordinary craft project, this DIY is pure magic. Want to know how laughably simple it is? Here’s what you need to know: You only need two items, it won’t cost more than three dollars, and once you have all of your supplies, it takes LITERALLY five seconds to make. If you don’t believe me, I guess you’ll have to make it for yourself. Here’s my instructions on how to make a set of chic marble coasters that are sure to be a great addition to you or your friend’s desk.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  1. Small tile/countertop samples from Home Depot
  2. Self-adhesive circular felt pads
  3. Scissors (optional)

The tiles samples can be found in the kitchen/countertop section of Home Depot. They’re usually in a pull out drawer so you can find a variety of different styles. The best part is that the small tile samples are FREE! If you have trouble finding them, have an employee show you where they are! The felt pads come in packs of different sizes and can also be found at Home Depot. The best size to buy is ¼ inch diameter, or you can buy 1 inch and cut the pad into four pieces (which is what I did for mine because I already had extra felt pads at home). Now that you have your materials, you’re ready to make your coasters! Once you have things set up at home, here’s what you do: Peel the plastic back off of the felt pads and stick them on the corners of the tile samples. That’s it. Seriously, you’re done.

Talk about the easiest DIY in the world. I’m an avid tea drinker and I can’t tell you how many times these have saved me from having to wipe off rings left by mugs on my desk. Plus they just look really nice by themselves! So if you’ve found yourself in a bind trying to find gifts for everyone you know, make a few coasters and gift them as a set. 

Hopefully this DIY will help ease the financial and mental burden that gift giving can sometimes incur. Or just have fun making them for yourself! So take it easy, pick up some free tile samples, and get crafting. Happy Holidays! 

(All photos are my own)

Hannah is a Senior at the University of Utah studying Kinesiology and Sports Nutrition. When she isn’t in class or working at one of her jobs, you can find her hiking with her dogs, reading, or fervently adding more pictures to her Pinterest Style board with a chai latte in hand. Find her on Instagram @hannahjanelangley
Her Campus Utah Chapter Contributor