Ordinary Items, Extraordinary Uses!

Resourceful, and organized- two words that quite possibly should always be paired together in the same sentence. Above, as you can see there are five different pictures, of very normal everyday objects found at home- used in very unorthodox ways. Sometimes, all it takes is a little bit of creativity to find the perfect way to accomplish any organizational challenge your faced with. 

1. Yep, you guessed it- the first image pictured is your everyday, average american straw. Typically found popped in your glass at a restaurant- here we see this straw accompanied by a necklace. I would hardly think to use a straw as a way to store my necklace during travel, but consequently this little number does the trick. Generally when I travel, aside from my never fail ability to overpack, my biggest dilemma comes to the question "What jewelry should I bring?" For two reasons, the first being the concern of lost luggage on an airline, and the second being the condition of my precious gems once I arrive at my destination. For those of us out there who have traveled with necklaces or bracelets ever, you know how the simplest movement can cause a knot. With this technique of using the straw, by feeding one end of your necklace through the straw, and attaching the clasp at the other end of the straw, it become impossible for the piece of jewelry to  tangle and form knots in travel. A special note, when traveling with bracelets the technique still works, just cut down the straw!
2. The center image focuses less on organization, and more on resourcefulness- picture you see what seems to be a very typical egg slicer, however in place of an egg, there is a strawberry! Not only is this a brilliant way to repurpose a culinary tool found in practically every kitchen, but its a simple and quick way to dice up strawberries without the hassle of using a pearing knife. Be sure to wash your strawberries before dicing, I would recommend removing the leaves from the berry before sending it through the slicer. Whether you want to garnish a plate, add a pop of color to a salad, or just plain snack on something sweet- this method will surely do the trick!
3. Next up, a common but not necessarily imperative household item- the flat iron. Generally only thought of as a tool for your hair, this little heating machine is the perfect solution for crinkled fabric ribbons. With birthday celebrations around every corner, and a new holiday every other month- we find ourselves wrapping gifts more than anticipated! I have always found that using fabric ribbon is not only a more green choice, but more cost effective considering your supplies last longer when your able to reuse them! With this handy trick of using a flat iron to smooth the wrinkles and bends out of your ribbon, transforming it back into the crisp and clean cut shape it originally started out as- one ribbon can go a long way! 
4. This next tip is not only resourceful, but aesthetically pleasing home decor!  String a few lines of butcher string across any wall, clip on some clothes pins, carefully select your favorite photos and voila! No picture frames necessary, no need to get out the level and make sure everything is straight- with this simple, and resourceful method you can add a bit of decor to any room in your home. I like this tip because it's also useful when your not quite sure how you want to decorate, for example maybe you just bought new furniture and aren't quite sure how the layout of the room will work best- instead of withholding from hanging all your more permanent wall decor, this allows for decoration without the permanence. Be creative with your photo choices and most of all have fun!
5. Lastly, and probably one of my favorites is a new use for your paper towel holder! Now we've already talked about how to make sure your ribbons stay good as new, but how do we store them? With any spool of ribbon there are always free roaming ends with no where to stay put, most often all jumbled in a drawer somewhere becoming intertwined and tangled with all of the other different colors and sizes in your collection. The use of a paper towel holder to store your ribbon not only organizes the different colors making it easy to use any particular one, at any time- but it keeps the clutter out of your drawers! 

All of these ideas I have seen in numerous places, be it in friends homes, magazines or online- but I wanted to mention one really great resource, that goes far beyond organizational creativity. Real Simple  a monthly magazine featuring articles revolving around anything from food and recipes, home and organization, to beauty and fashion or work and life. The motto of this publication reads, "Life Made Easier, Every Day." The magazine is offered to subscribers in print or digital format, but if your not interested in subscribing- the website is a wonderful way to enjoy this publications interesting and useful finds.