Hello my crafty friends. It really feel great to be back on the blog of Connect4Sale once again. I am so grateful to the team of Connect4Sale for giving me this opportunity and having all the faith in me. This is the season of rain and I love this season. Peacocks and rains are deeply connected and peacock is my favourite bird. So I have designed a beautiful set of acrylic coasters with peacock theme in mind. So without wasting any time, lets start the tutorial. step 1 – I have received 6 hexagon shape transparent acrylic coasters in my guest designer kit. I loved the shape and size of these coasters. step 2 – There are endless possibilities to work on these coasters. Decoupage crafters or resin artists can do wonders on this type of base. I am a decoupage crafter so I decided to give it a try. Transparent acrylic base always comes covered with brown sheet. The easiest way is that place a damp cloth or wet wipe on top of it. Wait for a few minutes and then just peel off the brown sheet from one corner. It will come out very easily. I removed the brown sheet from all the coasters and then cleaned the surface with wet wipe to get rid of any adhesive particle. step 3 – I was having transfer sheet in my stash. Beautiful designs of transfer sheets are available in the decoupage section on the website of Connect4Sale. Don’t forget to check out that. I fussy cut the images for all the coasters. step 4 – I remove the transparent plastic film from the image and place the image face down. Press down the image from all sides to make sure that there would no air bubble.. Now dab the image with wet sponge till the white paper slides off easily. If you are unable to slide paper, do not force and again dab the wet sponge. Leave it to dry.

step 5 – I want to add some interest to the coasters. I am having Rose Gold Gilding Flakes which i bought a few days back from the store of Connect4Sale. Gold and Silver flakes are also available. I apply gilding glue rendamoly on the edges and leave it becomes tacky dry. Then I spread gilding flakes and brushed off the excess using a dry brush. Gilding flakes not only enhance the look but gives a rich look also to any product. step 6 – now it comes to apply colors. Acrylic is a non-porus surface so acrylic colors does’nt work well on this type of surface. So I have used Chalk Paints. After blending the chalk paints I left it to dry and then rubbed metallic wax on the edges. Final step is to apply varnish. I apply 4 or 5 coats of varnish to make my products long lasting. In this weather it is important to give sufficient drying time between each coat.. Beautiful and colorful coasters are ready. They makes a perfect gift for upcoming festive season. These can be used as fridge magnets also. Just fix a magnet on the back and add a chipboard or vinyl sentiment on the front side and a cute gift is ready. I hope you my project and tutorial and find it inspirational. All the supplies are available on the Connect4Sale. Do not forget to check the awesome range of supplies available in the store. We would love to see your beautiful creation. While sharing your creations on Instagram, make sure to tag Connect4Sale. Sharing a few more images of my project. Explore, Create, Inspire

About The Artist

Vidhu Thareja is a crafter from Noida, born and brought up in Delhi. She had completed her studies from Delhi. She began her career as a freelance translator and worked with many reputed publications. She has also worked in the Insurance Sector for many years.

Due to personal reasons she had to give up her job, which actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The turning point came when she got the golden opportunity to work with Madura Coats Pvt. Ltd. as a Craft Consultant for their Anchor Thread Craft activities in reputed schools of Delhi/ NCR Region. Although it was not a very high paying job it gave her all the confidence and a feeling of fulfillment, which made her realize the crafter hidden in her.

Since her childhood she was very much interested in crafts. Growing up, there was not that much exposure to tv or computer and she used to do embroidery in her free time or during vacations. Her biggest inspiration was her mother who is her motivating force. At the time of conducting Anchor thread craft workshops, she started doing DIY activities and decided to learn more.

From then there was no looking back and today she is doing what she loves to do. Although every new technique and art form attracts her but Decoupage and Sospeso are the two crafts, that she enjoys the most. She never lost a chance to learn anything new because she believes that learning never stops.

She follows her fellow crafters because she feels every person teaches you something. To all upcoming crafters she has this to say “That whatever you do, do it with love and passion, follow others but make your own style statement. Be confident but never be over-confident. Share your knowledge, that is what makes you grow”.

You can follow Vidhu Thareja on her Facebook and Instagram on the below mentioned links…

Vidhu’s Crafts – Making Crafts From Heart

https://www.instagram.com/vidhus_craft_handmade/