10 Novel Uses for the Classic Clothespin

The first clothespins served the sole purpose of hanging laundry. But today, these humble wooden clips inspire all sorts of home improvement projects, from managing missing socks to storing string.

By Tracy Anderson | Updated Aug 18, 2015 01:19 PM

Hang Time

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Frame Ideas

If you frequent antiques markets or secondhand shops, you may have a few vintage frames (sans glass) lying around waiting for inspiration. With some twine and a few clothespins, you can create a canvas upon which to perch notes, photos, and other small objects that move you. 

Morning Creativity

Seed I.D.

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DIY Plant Markers

When you start seeds from scratch, marjoram looks no different from mint until the plant finally breaks the soil and takes shape. Until then, to identify your greenery, write the names of your future herbs on common wooden clothespins and clip them to the planter rims.

Eat Drink Better

String Storage

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String Storage

The cat may be disappointed, but you’ll be purring with pleasure at the sight of your tidily stored yarn, string, and ribbon. Just wrap your yarn (or other easily tangled supplies) around a closed clothespin and tuck the loose end inside the clamp.

Enchanted Mama

Handy Nail Guide

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Nail Guide

We’ve all banged a finger or two trying to drive an itty-bitty nail into its final resting place. Again, the ever-adaptable clothespin comes to the rescue—use it to steady your nail and keep your fingers at a safe distance while the hammer does its job.

MyUsefulIdeas.com

Flower Turkey Place Cards

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DIY Placecards

These adorable turkey place cards would love a seat at your Thanksgiving table! To assemble, cut red and yellow silk flowers in half, then glue two of the halves together to make the colorful turkey "feathers." Cut out a brown felt turkey body and glue it to the feathers. A clothespin, glued to a wooden block for weight and clamped to the tail feathers, provides the perfect spot for a guest’s name.

Our Best Bites

Page Holder

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DIY Bookmark

The possibilities are endless: mark your last page in a novel, hold a cookbook open, keep your place in sheet music at the piano. Clothespins do the trick when you need to read hands-free.

Real Simple

Home for Wayward Socks

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Missing Sock

What the dryer swallows up, it eventually spits out—and when it does, here's how you can make sure your single socks meet their match. Glue some decorated (or not) clothespins to a painted piece of wood, a chalkboard, or even the top of an old holiday popcorn can, and you'll have a designated spot for socks to await their sole mates.

Decorganizecrafts.blogspot.com

Keep Cords in Line

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Cord Organization

Coil, clip, categorize...done. Use clothespins to organize stray cords from your computer, DVD, TV, monitor, printer, smartphone, and more.

Simply Modern Mom

Clothespin Tree

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Clothespin Tree

Pull together a few pieces of wood, some nails, a handful of clothespins, acrylic paint, and some holiday spirit...and you’ve made yourself a charming DIY clothespin tree from which to hang your Christmas cards.


Related:  5 Creative Ways to Display Your Holiday Cards

Babble.com

Cramped Clamp

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Clothespin Clamp

If a project is relatively bite-size, who needs a vise grip? Clothespins are great for securing the various stages of small household repairs and crafts.

Crafty Journal

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