candy heart coasters

Here’s a conversation piece for your coffee table — conversation candy heart coasters.  It’s the perfect time of year to make and use these.  You will not be able to get your hands on any of the candy after next month (and after you’ve forever set them in silicone rubber).

You will need:

a. A paint stirrer or anything disposable with a flat edge for spreading.

b. If I had the budget to buy resin, I would have.  But for now, the best I could do is clear silicone rubber caulking.  You can get a tube at the hardware store for about $3.  It doesn’t give the best clarity.  Even though it is labeled as “clear”, it is translucent (foggy).  Rubber will not dissolve the candy into a pool of sugar, unlike water soluble adhesives such as clear glue.  Please NOTE: this is not a craft for kids.  Uncured silicone rubber is malodorous and may cause irritation.

c. Conversation candy hearts.

d. Plastic lids.

1. Spread a generous layer of silicone rubber on lids (1/8″ thick)  Carefully smooth out until even.  The smoother, the less bubbles and holes.

2. Arrange your candy hearts, right side down — if you want the letters to show, they should be facing the plastic (left example); if you want only the heart shape to show, the letters should be facing up (right example).

3. Generously cover all the gaps and candy with silicone rubber.  Carefully smooth out until even.  Let dry for 24 hours or as suggested on packaging.

4. After the rubber has cured, turn the lid over and trim away the lip (only if you have the type of lid with a recessed lip).  The rubber will be cured on the plastic and cannot be removed without being destroyed.

The top of the coaster will be the plastic side and the bottom, the rubber side.  Conveniently, these coasters are non-slip!

Just don’t forget to save some candy on the side, because once they’re set in, they are there for good!