What is it?:
A set of coasters created from some old CDs and a few embarrassing party photos of your friends.
Usefulness factor:
Not only does this craft help to protect your finest coffee table from the perils of drink spills, it also helps to rid your CD collection of those what-were-you-thinking musical selections. And last, but not least, it immortalizes inside jokes spawning from you and your friends' hilarious party moments.
Items needed:
• Four or five old CDs from your collection, or those free AOL trial CDs will work as well
• An assortment of scandalous party pictures
• Clear packaging tape
• A pair of scissors
• Markers
• Scrap paper
Get started:
1. Spend some quality time with your friends at home or head out for a night on the town. Don't forget to bring your camera to capture some of the night's best moments.
2. Select your favorite snapshots of the night, the ones that illustrate your friends' "finer" moments.
3. Trace the CDs onto the pieces of scrap paper and cut out the circular shapes.
4. Cut your selected photos to size and arrange them on the shapes you just cut out. Next, using the markers, decorate the photos and add witty captions. (Use your imagination, these captions can be a cute little phrase to describe your friends during their progressive stages of partying or, for the creativity-challenged, you can simply write down the names of your friends.)
5. Use strips of the clear packaging tape to affix the decorated scraps of paper onto the CDs and to laminate the photos to protect them from drink damage. Use the scissors to trim any access tape from the sides of the CDs.
5. Find a spot on your coffee table for your new Coaster Candids, grab a beverage from the fridge and put them to good use.
Total cost:
True frugality at its finest, this craft is free. Well almost free, if you're not weighing in the price of friendship that may be on the line if you capture your friends at their worst.
Challenge level:
On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the Martha Stewart Challenge, this is a 1. In less than two minutes we were able to create a whole set of these personalized coasters to rest your favorite drinks on.
Our thoughts:
The Coaster Candids add a touch of originality and nostalgia to any characterless coffee table. Not only do the coasters protect against those dreaded water rings, but they also help to serve as an instant trip down memory lane when you have your friends over for a drink.
