Coasters and Fun Stuff

I read about photography every day, so it's not surprising to me that I see and hear about new ideas (new to me, at least) often. On LinkedIn, I came across a post from a woman asking about companies that make custom coasters from pictures. I thought - what a great idea! I could really get into that.

Well, easier said than done. A few casual observations:

1) UK companies seem to have a better presence than US ones, based on my search results.

2) There is apparently a way to do this myself, but ... I'm really not that handy or crafty.

3) The US offerings vary wildly in price - from 65 dollars a coaster (which seems excessive) on the high end, to around 4 dollars a coaster. I have to think that there's a huge difference in quality there.

As a result, I'll need to go and see these for myself. I can't recommend an online option. My plan is to check out Ritz Camera and Penn Camera. I can walk to Ritz Camera, and I'll have to drive to Penn Camera. At least that way, though, I'll make an informed decision.

In a perfect world, here's what I'd do with these products:

1) Order custom mugs for my Mom - she'd love one with a picture like this:



2) Coasters for me - mine are really old. I'd want pictures like these:



In other words, something bright and pretty.

Tomorrow, I'm going to discuss some photo challenges I've seen, and whether or not I think I can handle them.