Put Those Buttons and Paper Clips to Good Use!

Most hard-core crafters like myself have drawers full of stray scraps of ribbon, buttons and other small items just waiting to be used for something.Well I’m going to give you a few ideas of alternative uses for your buttons and large paperclips and small scraps of ribbon and tool. First, there are plenty of things you can do with old buttons—especially if you are a scrap-booker or if you make your own greeting cards, etc. But here are a few more ideas that you can use loose buttons for. First, I found this really neat and easy idea that uses buttons to make napkin holders. Ideally, choose buttons that match the napkins that you will be using. Elastic works best for the base of the holder, but if you don”t have elastic you can create the same effect with cardboard rings by using a strong (but not messy) glue to attach the buttons. However, the end result is much more pleasing if you use 6 inch long pieces of 1 ¼ wide elastic. Hand-stitch the ends together, as well as the buttons to completely cover the band of elastic. This unique idea can really brighten up a table setting! A more functional use for buttons is using them as earring holders. Most buttons have holes and the holes on larger buttons are far enough apart to clamp an earring in each. Large paperclips can be decorated and used as bookmarks—Especially great for planner bookmarks. (Metal paperclips work but plastic coated paperclips are less likely to tear pages). Gather your paperclips and those stray scraps of ribbon and tool and simply use a few different colors of ribbon or tool to tie knots at the end of the paperclip. Trim the ribbon so that the tails are only about a half an inch long. For an additional flare, tie a longer piece of ribbon to the end of the paperclip with one tail about 3-4 inches long. You can string small beads or charms and knot them off at the end of the ribbon. Let us know what you think about these ideas to utilize scraps of clutter!

Written by: Karly Poole