How to Build a Cup Holder

When it comes to inventions that are every bit as simple as they are useful, it's hard to beat the humble cup holder, keeping drinks both close at hand and upright. Though many vehicles are fitted with cup holders, having a holder that's movable and custom-fit to your favorite beverages allows convenient refreshment wherever you need it. Create your own cup holder that's ready to be attached to any piece of vertical framework.
Select a cup to use as the frame for the holder. Use a cup that's cylindrical, rather than flaring upward from the base and one that's slightly larger than most of the cups you want to store. You may find that using a glass food jar or tin can gives you the best shape.
Cut a piece of foam 5 inches tall and at least 15 inches long using scissors. Make it longer if you're using a really fat cup for your frame piece. Wrap this piece around the cup and trim it at the point where it meets itself, leaving just enough space for the ends to overlap very slightly.
Duplicate the strip of foam. Use the first as a pattern to make another of the same size and shape.
Cut a piece of paperboard in the same size and shape as the two foam pieces.
Glue the three sheets back to back using spray adhesive, sandwiching the paperboard between the foam sheets. Let dry.
Use the leather awl to punch four holes in the middle of the joined sheets. Position the four holes in two rows of two making square corners. Space them an inch apart from each other both horizontally and vertically.
Roll and join the ends of the strip of material into a cylinder. Fasten in place with hot glue, overlapping the ends by about a 1/4 inch. Hold firmly in place until the glue hardens.
Trace a round piece of craft foam using the existing cylinder as a guide, tracing the base of the cylinder. Glue this to the bottom of the foam holder.
Weave the pipe cleaners through the holes in the side of the cup holder. Insert them from the inside, poking them through to the outside. Thread one pipe cleaner through the top two holes centering it between them with the tails poking out. Thread the other the same way with the bottom hole. Wrap the pipe cleaners to attach the cup holder wherever you want to store a beverage.