Coasting Requires Genius

God bless the great creatives.

The people for whom "boring" or "tacky" just won't do - not in ANY area of their lives. From socks to cars to business cards, they just don't let weak design or "less than" in the door to roost.

I always want to know what they are up to.

I'm particularly enamored with creatives who design things that perform marvelously AND sweeten life a bit. Think of the good folks at OXO, developing tools for the kitchen that are incredible improvements on the implements our grandmothers used.

Examples:

- The pizza cutter that won't scar your cookie sheets and is child-safe, yet can still tackle your Chicago deep-dish delight.

- The apple slicer that perfectly cuts and de-cores an apple in less than a second, producing eight exactly even, bite-ready slices…the thing lasts for years, needs no sharpening, is a breeze to wash and is about $12! Superbo!

Recently, when having a few friends over, I realized I owned a rather rag-tag assortment of coasters. A few of this, a few of that, but not a complete set of anything. I've moved about fifty times in the past 5 years, so perhaps ghost-coasters are to be expected. And so I went in search of the perfect beverage coaster. There are so many on the market - wood, stone, paper, rubber, glass - you can pretty much have your pick of style (from modern to traditional) and pricepoint. I wanted to find something crazy COOL (or, at the very least, non-dorky and tasteful) that WORKS.

Most coasters are either:

- Too cutesy: angels? I love 'em, but they are not a decor item. Please!

- Rough surface: absorbent, but can scratch your glasses

OR, my greatest peeve:

- Non-functional: smooth glass and wood coasters tend to be so slick that they adhere, with condensation, to the bottom of your beverage, ensuring a built-in party foul: shedding water everywhere when you raise your glass, followed by an awkward coaster crash to the ground.

In general, I have a real issue with a coaster that doesn't know it's place is on the TABLE, and not sticking to the bottom of my beverage when I walk around. Grrrrrr.

I need a coaster to do three things well:

- handle the water (either by absorbing or just holding) and keep tables dry

- release the beverage effortlessly

- look just as good as the magazines sitting next to it

After an extended search, I found what I now call Coaster Greatness.

And in this product lies something for everyone. Men. Women. Every style of decor (except Frenchy-French, perhaps). Every age group. Ready for it?

It's the Vintage Vinyl LP Record Coaster. They are the REAL centers of vinyl albums, culled mostly from the 50's to the 80's. They come in a set of six, and are a random mix of albums - mine included Cristopher Cross, The Little River Band and Diana Ross. The big fun is that you don't know what you'll receive in your assortment. Could be a long-time fave, or music that reminds you of someone you like. Either way, fun and fabulous!

The album coasters are laminated (to protect these babies from water damage) and arrive in a cute (and very gift-worthy) round case. They are the genius of designer Jeff Davis, with a company aptly named Vinylux. Only $18 a set, and handmade in Philadelphia. Available from great sources such as UncommonGoods.com, ModernArtisans.com, and, in limited quantities, on Amazon.com.

I can't imagine a more fun (and useful!) Christmas present or hosting gift. Coasters that keep your tables dry, won't stick to glasses, and are a fab conversation piece. Mmmm!

Bonus: they are infinitely green (hello, recycling!) and support creatives - both the ones who make the coasters, and, in a way, those who made the music! After a few minutes of gazing at your new LP coaster set, you might just find yourself inspired to download an MP3 or two from prom - no matter how long ago it was!

Cheers!

Love,

Melinda

Photo Credit: Amazon