It takes no more than a few touches to give your home a summery feel. These coasters will do the trick, suggesting the casual atmosphere of the seaside with their cheerful hues and nautically inspired coils of cotton rope. Since they are inexpensive and easy to make, you can have plenty of them on hand to put alongside all of the iced drinks that you'll soon be serving.

Begin by preparing a cardboard work surface and template for each. Using a compass, trace a circle about 4 inches in diameter onto a piece of corrugated cardboard. Snip the end of a ball of cotton clothesline at a 45-degree angle. Dab the end with craft glue, and fold it over onto itself. Fix to the cardboard with a pin. Carefully coil the rope around, gluing as you go, and secure with a pin every 3/4 inch. At the edge of the template, cut the rope. Let dry overnight. Remove pins, and coat both sides with acrylic paint.