How to Make Quick & Easy Koozies From Foam
Beverage koozies make easy gifts or fun decorations for a summer party. This particular craft is also a great playdate or after-school activity: It's easy enough for young children to help out with yet still allows great creativity for older children. Packages of multicolored sheets of craft foam are cheap and easy to find in hobby shops or any store that sells basic art supplies.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Aluminum can or other beverage container
- Tape measure
- 11-inch-by-6-inch sheet of craft foam
- Scissors
- Double-sided tape
- 6 brads (optional)
- Hole punch (optional)
- Stickers
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1
Wash the craft foam in warm, soapy water prior to cutting it. This will help stickers and double-sided tape stick better. Allow the foam to dry completely before proceeding.
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2
Measure the beverage container you wish to cover. For example, use an empty aluminum can as a guide, measuring its height and circumference. Add 1 inch to the circumference and use these measurements to trace a rectangle on the craft foam — the height of the container is the width of the rectangle, and the circumference plus 1 inch is the length.
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3
Cut out the rectangle. Wrap it around the container and mark the spot where the foam overlaps to close up the koozie. Make sure the koozie is snug, but not so tight that it is a struggle to slide the container in and out.
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4
Decide if you want to use brads to secure the koozie or just rely on double-sided tape to do the job. As long as the foam is prewashed, there is an 85-percent chance that the koozie will stay sealed with tape. If you're adding brads, mark the spots where you will place them on the outer piece of foam.
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5
Assemble the koozie. If you're just using tape, remove the craft foam from the can and apply a strip or two of tape to the outside of the shorter end of the koozie. The tape should catch the underside of the slightly longer, overlapping piece. Once the tape is affixed to the shorter end, you can assemble the koozie simply going by the marks you made, or you can wrap it around the can once more and attach the two ends while the foam is on the can.
If you're attaching brads, unroll the craft foam and use a hole punch or sharp tool to punch holes in the proper spots. Note that you must punch holes in both ends of the foam, the bottom piece and the piece that overlaps it, and these holes must align. Assemble the koozie so that the holes match up, feed the brads through the holes and open the arms of the brads.
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6
Decorate the koozie with stickers or any other stick-on embellishment, like rhinestones or googly eyes. Just make sure that the decorations don't interfere with holding the can comfortably.
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1
Tips & Warnings
You can purchase brads in tons of fun colors at craft stores. Look in the scrapbooking section.
If you do not use brads, border stickers that wrap around the entire koozie will help ensure it stays sealed as it should.
When made using brads and no stickers, these koozies last a long time and are hand-washable.
