DIY Life

By Heather Craven

One of the best parts about summer is outdoor dining. There is something so refreshing about eating outside under an umbrella, enjoying a fresh breeze and the scent of flowers in the air.

For all the pleasures it offers, though, eating outdoors does present a few problems. Sturdy plastic dishes and flatware are a must. And you are not too likely to leave your condiments out on the patio table throughout the hot days. This means many trips to the kitchen for napkins, extra forks and condiments.

Designsponge recently featured a clever, cheap, and super cute solution to help cut down on kitchen trips and make outdoor summer dining a bit easier and more stylish.

The process is amazingly easy; all you need is an empty six pack container, some gift wrap, a pair of scissors and some rubber cement. Then follow the simple directions and -- voila! -- you will have a stylish table caddy.

I like this project for its simplicity and the idea of using something destined for the trash as a productive household item. These caddies could be made even more personal by using a child's painting rather than wrapping paper. Or if you want to take it a step further, they could be used to organize office items such as pens, marker and the like.