USES FOR USELESS CDs

Advertisers send these in the mail all the time. Here's how you can use discarded American Online and other promotional CDs for various holidays, all year long!

New Year's Coasters
Use the CD to trace and cut out a matching circle of felt backing. Glue felt to the non-shiny side of the CD. These make wonderful glitzy coasters, simply perfect for a New Year's Eve party.

Valentines
Type or write a personal Valentine's Day message. (If you wish you can download and use CD label templates or printables from many online clip-art sites.) Trace and cut the paper to fit the CD. Glue the paper to the non-shiny side of the CD. Kids can give these unusual Valentines to their friends! They're trendy and perfect for teens!

St. Patrick's Day Mini-Platters
Trace and cut out sticky contact paper to the back of the CD. Add shamrock stickers to the shiny side, and use it to serve St. Patrick's Day hors d'oeuvres or sweets.

Easter Gift Bag Liner
Make a simple drawstring sack of colorful fabric, using the CD as the inner base. Tuck the raw edge under, and press it before stitching, to form a drawstring casing. Use a safety pin to feed a drawstring into the casing, and tie both ends together. Place the CD into the bottom of the bag. Fill it with Easter grass and candy eggs for a super teacher or hostess gift!

Independence Day Sparker-Holder
Trace and cut a round circle of cardboard to fit the CD. (Shirt cardboards, empty cereal boxes or discarded file folders work well.) Glue the cardboard circle to the non-shiny side of the CD. Use the wire end of sparkler to punch tiny a hole through the center of the CD. Have kids hold the wire under the CD, so the sparkling flickers will reflect off of the CD. Younger children are much braver with sparklers, when they don't have to worry about being burned by the sparks!

Halloween Candy-Holders
Use Sharpie permanent markers to draw a pumpkin face on the shiny side of the CD. Pop a Tootsie Roll, Bit-o-Honey or other squishy candy into the center for the nose. Pass these out to trick-or-treaters, when they come to call at your house.

Thanksgiving Place Cards
Using a Sharpie permanent marker, write each guest's name on the shiny side of the CD. Glue real or construction paper features on the back of the CD, so that they stick out like a turkey. Place one at each table setting, perhaps on top of the plate.

Christmas tree ornaments
Using a hot-melt glue gun, add pop-poms, sequins, stars, appliques, or other dcor to the CD. Tie a string through the center hole, and tie both ends together at the edge of the CD before creating your loop to hang it on a branch of your Christmas tree.

Most of these craft projects can be tailored for nearly any holiday or occasion, making those useless promotional CDs quite useful, all year long.

Learn more about this author, Linda Ann Nickerson.
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