Make Goggles From Paper Coffee Cups

by sylrig in Craft > Costumes & Cosplay

4073 Views, 5 Favorites, 0 Comments

Make Goggles From Paper Coffee Cups

coffeecup17.jpg
Whether you want to slink around town incognito or put the finishing touch on a special costume, there are times when you find yourself needing a quick, cheap pair of goggles.

These are made from the ubiquitous paper coffee cup and can be finished in well under an hour. They are also customizable. You can take off the Starbucks logo, enlarge the lens opening, and decorate as desired to fit your party theme. Play around and have fun with them.

Gather

coffeecup1.jpg
2 small paper coffee cups, rinsed and dried
scissors
X-acto knife
utility knife
paper glue
tape

You can probably do the entire project with a pair of scissors, but the X-acto and utility knife will make certain cuts easier.

Cut the Temple Pieces

coffeecup2.jpg
coffeecup3.jpg
coffeecup4.jpg
The cup is naturally reinforced at the seam overlap. Cut along both sides of this seam and fold down.

Trim the Excess Paper to Create a "lens"

coffeecup5.jpg
coffeecup6.jpg
coffeecup7.jpg
Using your utility knife or another flat blade, trim off the paper along the cup's base. Be sure to leave the temple piece intact.

When you're finished, you will have one lens and one temple piece.

(Optional) Add Embellishment

coffeecup9.jpg
coffeecup10.jpg
coffeecup11.jpg
Noticing that the Starbucks logo was the same size as the lens, we decided to cut it out and glue it to the front. A couple of 5 oz. condiment bottles turned out to be the perfect size to weight the pieces while the glue dried.

Add a Bridge Piece

coffeecup12.jpg
Cut a piece from the body of the excess cup to be a bridge across the nose. Any piece about 1-1/4"L X 1/4"W will work. Make it shorter for a smaller face, and longer for a larger one. Glue to to the sides of the lens pieces and clamp while drying.

Cut Out Your Eye Holes

coffeecup13.jpg
coffeecup14.jpg
For these secret spy glasses, we chose to cut out only the Starbucks mermaid's face. You can cut out a regular lens hole if that suits your purposes better.

As an additional step, you can use a dab of glue to hold the temple strap against the lens.

Use the Plastic Lid to Make Semi-rigid Earpieces

coffeecup15.jpg
coffeecup15a.jpg
coffeecup16.jpg
The earpieces are made from the edge of the plastic lid. This is where the size of the cup becomes important, as a smaller diameter lid will curl more tightly around one's ear.

Trim off the outer edge with your X-acto or a pair of scissors and cut in half.

Tape each half to the end of one temple strap, checking the curve if you have a design with a top-bottom orientation, and you are finished!

Wear Proudly

coffeecup17.jpg
With a few well-placed snips and a little adhesive, you've given these paper cups a second life as a stylish fashion accessory. Congratulations! I'm sure you'll look stunning.