Yesterday my first blog post was about how we spend our days. What really matters in life? How much of what we do today even matters tomorrow? It’s safe to say that at 23, Chad does not think like I think on many issues. Oh, he’s a good young man, he holds a steady job that he’s had for four years, even though it’s part-time. No doubt when I was his age (maybe still), my parents shook their heads in disbelief at some of the things I did.
Things have changed so much since my college days. I never lived in the dorm . . I always lived at home, under the very watchful eye of my mother! Not that I would ever have done anything they asked me not to do anyway! 🙂
Chad had way too much fun in school. To commemorate his time spent in college, he collected beer caps. In fact, I think/hope several of his buddies were saving their beer caps for him. He’s building a table and he’s going to pour some kind of epoxy over the caps and forever, he’ll be reminded of his fun days in school. I can’t wait til he has children of his own! Every time I’m at his house, I’m going to demand that we have dinner at the beer cap table! 🙂
He needed a total of 711 beer caps and he still needs about 60. Nope, that doesn’t make a mom too happy!
Yesterday, he spent a good chunk of time arranging his beer caps on his table top. His trusty assistant is always real close! 🙂
At least he’s creative . . I suppose!
Angie says
That is very creative! Dare I say, almost quilt-like. It reminds me of Yo-Yo’s. Maybe Chad does not know about Yo-Yo quilts. It’s going be nice when it’s finished. We made a redwood slab coffee table once upon a time with epoxy pour. I love seeing all the quilts on Chad’s bed. He sleeps like our granddaughter does with all the quilt I’ve made for her over the years. She just piles them all on top of herself. Snug as a bug! Tell Chad we love his beer cap table!
Katherine says
My 12 yo collects bottle caps and, yes, many are beer bottle caps even though he can’t legally drink for MANY years. Beer generally has more interesting caps than sodas.
bizybess says
Funny, it reminds me of Grandmother’s Flower Garden. It looks like he has enough blue ones for the “path”.
Karin says
I think that is a great idea! I love the epoxy resin stuff, it makes great ‘bar-top’ type finish, it will be fabulous! Hoping you share it when it’s complete!
I am very proud of our son too – made it through his second year of college and straight to a job for the summer (doing exactly what he wants to do!) making $16/hr. and driving a company truck already! He’s working four 10-hour shifts so he will get 3-day weekends too. Plus he gets paid holidays too! He’s very happy so far!
lw says
Remember what Ben Franklin said, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”
Sally H says
Last summer I toured a very interesting artistic house where bottle caps were used as flooring material in a bedroom. They were treated like tiles — set in thin set and then grouted. Those that did the setting chose to lay the caps out by color in swaths of red or orange or black or yellow. Other floors in this same house were covered in wine corks (laid long-ways,) broken tile (mosaics,) slices of large cow bones (circles,) and wooden blocks set on end grain. There was one huge studio wall covered in CD’s, and relish plates used as fixed windows. WAY cool house!
Karen says
All creative talents have to start somewhere! I think the table looks awesome – I want to see a picture when it’s finished.
I can just hear him stammering out an explanation to his kids someday in the future.
Audrey says
It sure looks like a hexagon quilt from a distance. I don’t suppose that would make him happy.
shirley bruner says
i think it is awesome….he must get his creative talent from you. he can put it in his man cave when he gets his own house. LOL
suzanne says
Looks like a beer top QUILT TOP!!!!! Maybe someone needs to design some fabric like that!!!! I like it….great job Chad!!
Paula says
Judy — you should see the picture Bonnie (Quiltville.com) just posted of a bin full of bottle caps she saw in an antique store in TN. I thought of Chad immediately :-).
Julianne says
Well 711 beer caps over 4 years…would be about 177.75 per year…or 3.42 per week… Less than one per day.! Does that make you feel any better? And I am sure he did not drink all that beer himself. I do like the table top, reminds me of a grandma’s flower garden. Fun idea.
Laura says
I’m sure he had all his friends saving their caps for him too, so it was probably way less than one drink a day. At least that is what I want to believe (my 2 oldest are in college now).
Shirley Albertson Owens (sao) says
Oh, I am laughing so hard……but only because I have been there, done that ………..so I am RELATING WITH YOU
……and my children are grown, married, and have all multiplied so it is easy for me to giggle!
I LOVED THIS POST – goodness, if he added a path, he could have a Grandmother’s Flower Garden Table Top……LOL.
sao in Midlothian, VA
Barbara says
Oh my gosh . . . I actually love that idea. Although, I know as a mother, you wonder how much of that beer went down his gullet. I have one son graduated from college, and one still in college. They’re good kids, but I certainly don’t approve of everything they do or every choice they make. I have to keep reminding myself that they don’t strive to live the life I would have them live. Instead, they have their own ideas about how they will spend the time that is alotted to them on this earth and how they will use their resources. When I can remember that, I’m a lot more accepting of their actions, and I worry about them less. Parenting adult children is much harder than parenting the little ones.
Anna McD says
Most college students I know would drink 711 beers a year. Chad’s table is pretty cool.
glen in Louisiana says
Well, the GOOD thing about this is that he inherited your eye for color and for putting little pieces together and making the whole look fabulous.
Then again, it is beer caps and he was away at college………..
glen: and it could be worse things…….just saying
SarahB says
One of my brothers made a bar top in the same fashion as Chad’s table top. He had a LOT of caps! Then again he was a bartender so it was easy to accumulate the caps. For Chad it requires some forethought and patience and also some choices about the beer he’s drinking. At least he’s not just pouring a keg down his throat, you know what I mean? The table will look cool and his future kids will love playing with it, just like my nephews and nieces do.
Doe in Mi says
Not to worry Judy. He’s a good guy and so will always be because of the values you taught him. Believe me, for I know!
Deb says
That is really cool. I might not want it in MY house, (even tho my husband would keep such a thing for about 40 YEARS) but it is a great idea, and someday, it WILL be an antique, and you will look at all those caps and say-“hey, I remember when they made that beer!” It does make you feel old, as we do it now…
laura says
well, he has to own at least one piece of furniture that his wife will hate….