Clever Little Household Tricks

If you’re tired of burning your fingers while trying to light a hard-to-reach candle, such as those in very deep jars or containers, here’s a little trick you’ll love:

Clothespins are the great underappreciated tool of do-it-yourself home decorating projects or organizing a home office. Here’s a way to make great-looking candle and plant holders using clothespins and tuna cans:

I live in a condo, so my washer and dryer are in a tiny space where I also keep the cleaning supplies. I’m going to have to try the trick below. Oddly enough, I do use a hanging shoe rack in the closet of the smaller bedroom which acts as my home office to keep all sorts of tech equipment:

Take some ramekins, coffee beans and that three-dollar bag of 100 Ikea tealight candles, and you can decorate a table in a way that’ll make Martha Stewart proud:

If you’ve got an empty picture frame and some superglue and drink as much wine as I do (or can get your paws on many wine corks), you can make a corkboard that works as well as and looks better than the ones you’ll find at your local Costco or office supply place:

Oh, the number of times this has come in handy:

If you want something a little different from the giant Ikea paper-covered floor lamp that everyone seems to have these days, gets some string lights and put them in a glass container, old pickle jar, vase or anything similar. It looks great, it’s cheap, and your house won’t look like everyone else’s:

And finally, a trick for those of you whose kids have outgrown the crib:

You can find these tricks and more here:

• 99 Hacks to Make Your Life Easier
• Creative DIY Stuff, Part 1
• Creative DIY Stuff, Part 2