CALENDARS
#1. Jigsaw puzzle.
Glue a
favorite calendar page onto a heavy piece of cardboard, then cut into pieces.
#2. Place mats.
Use the pages from beautifully illustrated calendars
as place mats when setting table for a special party.
#3. Collage.
Glue the pages of a
calender on 1/4-inch plywood to make a collage of
memories.
#4. Greeting card.
Glue a
favorite old calendar picture on thin poster board for
an inexpensive but attractive greeting card.
CANDLES
#1. Envelope
sealer.
Reseal an envelope with a few drops of
melted wax from a lighted candle.
#2. Egg
decorator.
Drip melted wax onto hard-boiled
Easter eggs and then dye. Peel off the wax to reveal an intricate pattern.
#3. Fire starter.
Toss a couple of candle stubs into the kindling and
light.
#4. Shovel lubricant.
The snow will slide right off your shovel if you rub it down
with a candle stub before using.
CANS
#1. Plant protector.
Remove both ends and push the can into the earth as a
collar to protect young garden plants from cutworms.
#2. Pans.
Different size cans will
nestle together compactly to provide cheap, disposable
pans when camping; handle with pliers when hot.
#3. Chair boots.
Ever take aluminum lawn
chairs fishing and have them sink into the ground when
the ground is soft? Put the legs of the chair in cans.
#4. Egg poacher.
Remove the top and
bottom of a tuna can, place in a skillet of simmering
water and crack an egg into it.
#5. Seeder.
perforate the bottom of a can, fill it with grass seed, and shake over the lawn.
CARDBOARD TUBES
#1. Fluorescent light storage.
Prevent breakage by keeping unused fluorescent lamps in cardboard tubes.
#2. Light detangler.
For trouble free decorating next year, wrap Christmas tree lights around a tube and secure with tape or a rubber band.
#3. Document holder.
Before storing diplomas, marriage licenses, and other certificates, roll them tightly and insert them in paper towel tubes. This prevents creases and keeps documents clean and dry.
#4. Linen press.
After laundering table cloths and napkins, roll them around tubes so that they won't show creases where they were folded.
CARPET SCRAPS
#1. Insulation.
Cover the walls of a room with carpet scraps for sound-proofing and temperature control.
#2. Clatter killer.
Cut pieces of carpet to fit under typewritters and sewing machines, on cabinate shelves, and in tool boxes.
#3. Bed bumper.
Pad the corners of a sharp bed frame to prevent scraping or gouging the walls.
CHEESECLOTH
#1. Food tents.
Protect your food from dirt and insects at outdoor parties-wrap a piece of cheesecloth around an old wire umbrella form and place over serving plates.
Paint strainer.
Remove the clots from an old can of paint by straining it through cheesecloth.
#3. Pressing cloth.
When ironing delicate fabrics, press over a damp cheesecloth, it leaves no lint and won't overwet your clothes.
#4. Dry cleaner.
To remove oil and dirt from your hair, cover your brush with cheesecloth.
#5. Fat remover.
To skim fat from soups or stews, wrap ice in cheesecloth and draw across surface.
#6. Vacuum attachment.
Instead of removing the contents of a drawer to dust it, cover the nozzle of your vacuum with cheesecloth so that small objects aren't sucked into it.
CHRISTMAS TREES
#1. Dog repellent.
Boughs positioned vertically around tree trunks may help discourage neighborhood dogs.
#2. Fishing habitat.
If you drop a Christmas tree into your favorite fishing hole, the fish will very likely gather around it, and you'll know just where to catch them. Besides that, it gives them shelter.
#3. Bird shelter.
Make a winter shelter for the birds by piling several trees in the backyard. They'll be especially grateful if the trees were decorated with popcorn or cranberry garlands
.
#4. Bathroom freshner.
Tie a bow on a freshly cut branch and hang in the bathroom for an evergreen scent. Mist frequently.
#5. Animal deterent.
Cut off the branches and mulch flower beds and shrubs with them; they'll also serve to ward off animals.
#6. Fire starter.
Use dried-out sprigs to ignite kindling in a fireplace. Don't overdo it-they burn furiously.
CLIPBOARDS
#1. Pants hanger.
Suspend a clipboard from a hook inside the closet or on the bedroom door; hang pants overnite by clipping the cuffs.
#2. Place mat holder.
Hang a clipboard inside a kitchen cabinet door and use the clamp for convient place mat storage.
#3. Recipe container.
For easy reading of recipes cut from magazines, attach a clipboard on the kitchen wall at eye level.
#4. Travel aid.
Before starting out on a long trip, fold the map to the area in which you plan to travel; attach it to a clipboard and keep it nearby to check at rest stops.
CLOTHESPINS
#1. Fastener.
Close up packages of crackers, snacks, cereal or seeds.
#2. Paper clips.
A spring clothespin holds more than a paper clip does and is handier.
#3. Note holder.
Glue or screw to a surface to hold notes.
#4. Spark plug reminder.
Number clothespins and attach to spark plug cables before disconnecting them. Number from the front of the engine, adding D if it's on the driver's side, P for passenger's side.
#5. Paintbrush saver.
Keep your paintbrush from sinking into the solvent residue when you clean it; clamp it to the container with a clothespin.