How to make pebble and clay coasters

Bring nature into your home with pebble crafts. This coaster has the added element of clay, another earthy material. Nature heals us, so it's beneficial to incorporate bits of it into every day life. Coasters can be used every single day, so they are the perfect craft to highlight nature.

These coasters are surprisingly simple to make. No adhesives are required. Instead, you will learn a simple pinch-and-roll technique that secures the pebbles inside of the clay. It's easy enough to include kids of almost any age in the crafting. Each coaster will be slightly different than the others, adding an organic feel to the finished set.

Materials
- Cardboard, ~ 6 in x 8 in
- Ball of white clay, ~ 1 fist-sized ball per coaster
- Black pebbles, 1/2-in diameter, 15 pebbles per coaster

Instructions
1. Lay down a flat piece of cardboard to use as your work surface.

2. Roll the ball of clay around in your palms, pressing it together.

3. Lay the ball of clay on the cardboard. Use your fingers to press it into the flat shape of a coaster.

4. Press the first pebble into place on the surface of the clay, on the right side of the coaster, 1/4-inch away from the edge.

5. Use your fingers to gently pinch the clay up to create a small lip around the pebble. Press the pebble deeper into the clay.

6. Add the other pebbles in the same manner. Work from the right to the left of the coaster, adding pebbles 1/4-inch apart from one another. As you press each pebble into the clay, the clay may shift and disrupt the pebbles that you've already placed. If that happens, just press them gently into place.

7. Discard the cardboard. Use your coasters.