Red Damask Coasters

I have a fancy idea of what I would like to give to my employees for Christmas. I want to make something unique, fun and perhaps something they would enjoy. Since we all need a little jolt of energy in the mornings to get us through the day, I figured a coffee something or another is how we would start.

Then I got to thinking how our desks are quite sensitive to the hot/cold of drinks and always leave stains, so I figured that some nice little coasters would work for this gifting idea. I decided to make mine using fat quarters I found at Wal-Mart that were pretty inexpensive. I purchased them in red and the damask style to make the ruffles.

**Tip: You can create the ruffles by setting your sewing machine to the longest stitch and the highest tension to create easy ruffles.**

With that in mind, I decided to add a little flair to the coffee mugs I plan on giving them. The whole thing is going to be a coffee mug, some baked treats or something edible (maybe even like pretzels dipped in chocolate with green/red sprinkles or hot cocoa dippers made with marshmallows partially covered in chocolate and sprinkles), the coasters (of course), cellophane and a pretty ribbon of some sorts to top the whole thing off.

I have been looking online for some ideas and found this awesome idea to use some porcelain paint to add a little personal message or design to each mug. Therefore, making it more personalized for each employee as an individual. Perhaps different size and shaped mugs would also make this a little more fun as well.

Let's see what else I come up with? Let me know what you think?!