Personalized Foldable Drink Coasters

Have you ever had a cold drink completely soak the table around it when you put it down?

Look no further than the Personalized Foldable Drink Coasters. I was inspired to make these after one of my friends told me about his house rule: no glasses anywhere without a coaster. I the thought back to myself and realized I have the same problem his house rule prevents when bringing a cold glass of water up for the night. Most coasters are boring, so I decided to take it up a notch. These coasters provide practicality through their unique storage abilities (they can fit in your pocket!) and diversity through their personalized art.

• Cardboard
• Exacto Knife
• Measuring Tape/Ruler
• Acrylic Paint + Paintbrushes
• Sealant/varnish (for waterproofing and to prevent paint damage)

I tried numerous different prototypes to see which one would fold better/more comfortably, on which side the art would look better.

• Prototype 1:
  • Ripped edge (did not fold well, broke easily after photo was taken)
• Prototype 2:
  • Cut through the light side of the cardboard in a "T" pattern (this makes folding very easy and intuitive)
• Prototype 3
  • Prototype 2 style
  • Planning and explaining
  • Writing, brainstorming
• Prototype 4
  • Prototype 2 style
  • Began trying art on the black side, ultimately ditched idea as paint was hard to see

Steps for this stage:

1. Cut 10cmx10cm cardboard squares
2. On the darker side of square, cut a line 5cm from the sides that goes from one edge to another (if sides are the same darkness, it does not matter). The cut should be about a quarter to halfway deep into the cardboard
3. On the same side, cut a single line 5cm from an adjacent side to the line cut previously. (Should look like a long "T" shape).
4. Paint whatever you want on the other side!

This is prototype 5 showcased in the pictures. I flipped the sides with the cuts and cut on the black side instead of the light side. This allowed me to paint on the light side and get much better paint quality.

I applied clear, non reflective varnish to both prototypes 5 and 6 (both with different, custom art) and set them out to dry. The varnish allows the paint to last longer and resist damage, and also allows the coaster to be waterproof and therefore protects its integrity.

1. Wait for paint to completely dry
2. Apply a coat of varnish that completely covers all edges of the cardboard square.
3. Wait for varnish coat to dry.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 once (2 coats of varnish).

These are prototypes 5 and 6 all finished up.

Whenever you want to go out with friends and have a place to set your cup down, your Personalized Foldable Drink Coaster is there to help you out! Put it in your pocket, in your backpack, or pull it out of your coaster drawer to impress your friends with that custom art!

1. Use this coaster and impress your friends!