5 Creative Uses for: CDs

I still remember my first CD: En Vogues' Funky Divas. I think this artifact of my preadolescence is probably still somewhere in my parents' basement, not having made the cut of stuff I wanted to cart back and forth across the country with me. (It's not that the music didn't withstand the test of time. Try "Never Gonna Get It" next time you do karaoke. Trust me.) For my parents' sake, it's high time I figured out something else to do with Funky Divas. Some ideas from AltUse and Squidoo:

1. Make a coaster. Decorate it...or for a music-themed coffee table simply plop it down.

2. Scare off birds: Take old CDs and hang them with fishing line. As they twirl in the breeze, they shoot small reflections around your garden. These reflections scare off the birds.

3. Bike safely: Tape a CD to your bike wheel as a reflector.

4. Create Christmas ornaments or party decorations: Take two CDs of the same size, put the printed sides together, tie them in two-to-four places with pretty ribbon, and hang them outdoors or dangle them from your balcony.

5. Catch candle drips: Place your candle over a CD to save your table. Works well for short, stubby candles that don't fit in holders.