Cup Cozy Hacks

We end up collecting cup cozies with the same vigor as rubber wristbands, because if there's anything people like giving out at conferences and conventions as much as those branded rubber wristbands, it's branded cup cozies. And just like those wristbands, those cozies seriously pile up.

After wrenching open a stuck kitchen drawer recently, we discovered the problem: a serious cup cozy jam. So we decided to see if there was something more useful we could do with this thick pile of neoprene and foam drink bottle and can insulators that we hardly ever use for their intended purpose.

If your cozy collection is out of control, the following random assortment of solutions might help keep the cozies out of the kitchen drawers and getting some real use.

Cozies!

And some scissors.

Needle and thread

Maybe a sewing machine.

Perhaps a fishing rod.

By golly, our Moto G phone fits perfectly into a cozy! Stitch a belt loop on from some leftover material from another cozy project, and you've got that total geek look going!

For other projects, you might need to dissect your cozy. Flip it inside out and you'll see the seams on either side of the foam insulator. You can open with a seam ripper or just cut off the edge.

Then cut off the little circle at the bottom that forms the base for your can or bottle to sit on.

Now you've got a little foam rectangle to play with - go wild!

Stitch two open cozies together and you have a very functional mouse pad!

Cut your rectangle in half, and you've got a couple of nice cozy coasters.

Stitch together two open cozy rectangles with a base piece, and you've got a cozy cube. It can be a big pencil holder, or a 2 liter bottle cozy. You can also attach a cozy square piece on the top, and now you've got a neat little foam gift box.

Cozy scraps are springy and fun to pounce on. Ask our cat. Put your cozy scraps on a length of fishing line and you'll have hours of entertainment and so will your cat.

Speaking of fishing line, much to my surprise, when I created a fishing lure out of a cozy, I actually caught a fish!

Make something like a cozy squid, and tie onto a hook, with a small sinker. Douse with a bit of fish oil for a scented lure and give it a shot!

So what kind of cozy curiosities can you come up with? Love to see more - and get the rest of those things out of our kitchen drawers!

Thanks to thoughtful commentors, this idea came up - and it works like a charm on my Canon lenses. Keep 'em comin'! We'll leave no cozy un-repurposed!

This one warranted it's own Instructable, especially since there's a "Feet" Contest underway!