My most used improvement item is definitely coasters/trivets - they’re everywhere 
and I have 100% fewer water and heat circles on my wood furniture because of them!
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I wanted this glass to vibe with my other decor. So I cut my rattan design out of adhesive foam paper and wrapped it. Quick, easy and exactly what I envisioned! @tuulestudio
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Tough call between two items i printed:
one was a request from a friend for a stand for his nintend switch that could break down into the little pocket that some of those fancy traveling cases have.
Then I simplified it by making the back support one piece now we have 'em all over the house 
(chapstick for scale)
It supports a 8x11 size ipad easily, so everyone in my house uses it to hold an ipad up for long facetime calls & it REALLY came in handy during lockdown as my youngest had calls with his kindergarten & first grade class on an ipad.
We’ve got one permanently under our own switch, a couple in the kitchen, one in my art studio XD, and it’s got 3 slots to set it at different angles. We ALL use 'em ALL the time & had no idea it would be so handy when i printed 'em! Made of 
maple ply.
the little groove also holds a phone with an attached popsocket as a bonus!
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The second thing i hacked together in a rush one day while working on a children’s book when i needed something to hold my metal watercolor mixing pan on my SLANTED drawing table 
! Plus it needed to be LEVEL! It’s not pretty, but it’s been SO handy.
It’s 8 layers of cardboard with some cutouts for magnets - i tried gluing them in, but there wasn’t enough surface area on the edge of the cardboard, so tape worked better. Plus the tape kept the char from rubbing off on my art table
Here it us pulling double duty as a temporary shelf
It would have taken all day to cut cardboard by hand & it wouldn’t be NEARLY as precise without my 
!
I could make it prettier, but it’s been working so well i don’t even think about it😅
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Here is a notebook stand I made a while back, so that I could see eye to eye in all those zoom calls!
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My mother-in-law had a stroke a while back and lost the use of her right hand and now has difficulty with basic things we all take for granted, like opening a fruit cup or a container of applesauce. I am in the middle of a Creative Engineering course and decided to do something about that. I had already designed a holder for her that kept the cups from sliding across the table while eating (with a pudding cup insert).
So I decided to work that original design into a device that would cut the top from the fruit cups instead of her fighting to peel back the plastic seal.
(Sorry for all the clear and transparent acrylic, but it was important for people to be able to see the inner workings.)
The holder gets inserted into the cutting base. The corner pads give some cushion if the lid is dropped shut and the center ones keep the cup from rotating when the plunger is turned.
Pushing down and turning the handle exposes the blades and cuts the top of the fruit cup.
And the whole thing can be operated with one hand.
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My family is less than observant sometimes, and have a hard time telling whether dishes are dirty or clean. I made this after dirty dishes had been completely put away twice. It has been HUGELY helpful!
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This is amazingly planned out and so thoughtful and loving! Such a precious thing to do!
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Hi Everyone, we are Tony and Laura from Build It Creative Workshop! We recently made these trivets and have been loving them! They not only get the job done perfectly, but when we’re not using them, they actually look like decor… no more crappy cork trivets that we need to store!
We’ve also added them to our kitchen sets for Realtor’s House Warming gifts!
Our instagram handle is Build It Creative Workshop (@builditcw) • Instagram photos and videos
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Thanks for sharing @laura.elizondo.620! We love a functional project that also looks great on the table. Welcome to the community forum!
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I love that it’s the same holder that they can use for eating that fits into the cutter/opener - as opposed to having to move the cup. That’s lovely and clearly thoughtful engineering right there!
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This is truly the epitome of a useful item. You are definitely getting the point of your Creative Engineering class and I am sure you made points with your MIL. Well done.
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She’s already asked if I can come up with something that will open her root beer for her. LOL!
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Oh, and Happy Birthday!!! 
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Neat! Is this just EVA foam with adhesive backing?
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Yes it is!
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I don’t really make things that are 3 dimensional or useful in the sense that most of the items posted are. I mainly engrave or score and then paint things for decoration and this one is one that always reminds me that something good is around the corner and to look forward to it. It helps to keep me positive…
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That is neat!!what kind of hardware did you use?
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It is brass, 1/4-20 bolts, washers, and knurled nuts. I get mine at the local hardware store, but they are also on amazon.
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I SOOOOO need to make some things like this. For like every room in the house maybe. LOL 
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