This post has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. This post was sponsored by Starbucks as part of an Influencer Activation. I received compensation and complimentary products to facilitate my review. #StarbucksCaffeLatte #MyStarbucksatHome #CollectiveBias

Fall is in full swing! There is nothing about this wonderful time of year that I don’t love. The changing of the seasons into cooler temperatures, gorgeous fall-colored leaves popping up all around, and the anticipation of the upcoming holidays. I love turning on the fireplace and settling down under a cozy blanket with a piping hot coffee and a good book in hand.

Doesn’t that sound grand? That’s my kind of self care. 

I also love to be creative, another of my favorite types of self care. Doing fun artistic projects really relaxes me and it’s fun to get the kids involved too. Ellie is a huge fan of helping me and it’s such lovely bonding time for us.

My brother-and-sister-in-law recently moved into a new home not far from us. It’s their first real single family home for their growing family, and we’re just so very happy for them.  I spent some time thinking about what we might give them for their housewarming party that they hosted this weekend. I didn’t just want to bring the standard bottle of wine, so I decided to create a handmade gift inspired by my favorite autumn season to give them something very useful and beautiful for their new home. 

The tutorial is pretty simple but the result is just lovely and of course it goes perfectly with a gift of coffee. The new Starbucks® Caffè Latte K-Cup® pods come in three signature flavors (Caramel, Mocha, and Vanilla) and two beloved Starbucks® seasonal flavors (Pumpkin Spice and Peppermint Mocha, available for a limited time). These delicious beverages are perfect for a cozy fall morning. They’re made from milk with no artificial flavors and are just delicious.

Rustic Fall-Inspired Stone Coasters

What You’ll Need:

Travertine Porous Craft Tile – 4×4 in

Felt pads

Paint brush

Sealer

Starbucks® Caffè Latte K-Cup® pods

Markers in fall colors

Scissors

Bowl and Drying Rack

DOWNLOAD & PRINT –>Fall Leaves Printable for DIY Coasters

Step One: Print, Cut and Color Leaves

Print Leaves  –>Printable for DIY Coasters. Then color and cut out as shown. You’ll want to leave some of the spaces blank for the antiquing process in the next step. 

Step Two: Antique The Leaves

After making yourself a Starbucks® coffee to enjoy, open up the used K-Cup® and pour the coffee grounds into a bowl. You’ll want to use one to two K-Cup® pods for antiquing your paper leaves. 

Make sure you have a large enough bowl to hold all of your paper leaves. Fill the bowl with your leaves and coffee grounds, then fill with enough water to fully submerge them. 

You will want to keep the leaves submerged for only about 10 to 15 minutes before pulling out to dry. Be careful not to leave the paper in the coffee/water for too long as they might disintegrate. Place leaves on a drying rack until fully dry. It’s OK if some coffee grounds remain on the leaves during this step. You’ll be able to brush them off easily once dry. 

Step Three: Place Leaves and Seal Stone Coasters

In this phase, you’ll first want to paint on your sealer to the top of the stone coaster in a thin coat. 

Then paint a thin coat of sealer onto the back of your leaves before placing them onto the coaster. 

Then let dry. Important Note: Do not paint sealer on top of the leaves until after you have waited for the bottom coat to dry. Sealing the top too early can cause bubbles. 

After you have waited at least 20 minutes to an hour for your first coast to dry, paint the top of your leaves with sealer in a smooth thin to medium coat as shown. You’ll want to paint at least 3-5 layers of sealer on the top and sides of your coasters waiting 20 minutes to an hour between coats. 

Let dry for a full 48-72 hours before enjoying!

Once coasters are dry and ready for use, make yourself a delicious coffee using Starbucks® Caffè Latte K-Cup® pods now available nationwide at your local grocery store. 

It’s a simple process. First pour the powder packet into your glass. Second, place the K-Cup® into your Keurig® brewer and brew a cup of coffee. Then stir to enjoy!

I just adore how these coasters turned out and Ellie had a great time helping me seal them. You could even have your kids color the leaves for you and make their own artwork coasters to give as a gift this holiday or beyond. Plus of course they’re perfect with a nice gift of Starbucks® Caffè Latte K-Cup® pods.

What do you enjoy most about Fall?

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