Lid Organizer

I used to keep our pot and pan lids in a box under the stove, but it was difficult to dig through the pile without removing all the lids. I found a dish drying rack and loaded it up small to large. Now if I could only find a solution for Tuperware, any suggestions?

Terrariums - Update

After a week in a plastic container terrarium (from a previous post) the sprouts had grown about 2 inches. I planted one in the ground and few days later it was gone...slugs.

I planted the last sprout, but this time I protected it with the top portion of a soda bottle. I kept the cap off, so the plant wouldn't overheat.

I'm happy to report the plant is doing well. Fingers crossed, we'll have fresh beans in 6-8 weeks.

Coin Holder

I've been caught standing in front of a parking meter digging through the bottom of my purse looking for spare change one too many times. I found an old (really, really old) film canister to store quarters. I keep it in my glove compartment in case of emergencies.

Lego Chess

My son recently expressed interest in learning to play chess. To make the game more fun we made it out of Lego Pieces; using square blocks as pawns and minifigures as the characters. The King has a special hat and the queen has girl hair and all the other pieces have a cape with their position written on it.

He learned the positions and movement of the pieces, but for him, it was much more fun playing with the captured minifigures than finishing the game.

Clothes to Covers

Here are a few DIY projects using clothes to cover things:

A pillow case made from my son's favorite pajama bottoms (luckily, I found this pillow at IKEA for only $1.50)

A comforter cover made out of two of my husband's old button down shirts

A bench pad from my dad's old jeans

A reusable snack bag using a super cute onesie, an empty cereal bag and velcro

A cozy for our water filter made from my husband's pajamas

The microwave, it's not just for cooking anymore.

I was pretty grossed out after watching The Mythbusters' episode Hidden Nasties. The Mythbusters thoroughly tested 8 everyday objects (cell phone, keyboard, remote control, light switch, kitchen sponge, money, toilet seat and shopping cart) to determine which is the "dirtiest." The kitchen sponge had the most bacteria, they couldn't even count how much...Yuck!

I had been microwaving my kitchen sponge for one minute on high heat for quite awhile, but after watching this episode, I wanted to be sure that a minute was long enough. I found this article on WebMD.com that recommends microwaving a wet sponge for two minutes (or longer).

...another door opens.

I love this corner cabinet in our kitchen, but I would always get my fingers pinched between the rotating door and the frame. I had my husband install an old dresser handle to the inside of the door.

He added another dresser handle to the inside of our very old backyard gate, so now I don't get splinters when I try to open it.

Fewer <@(##$(&#$!> and Band-aids...it's a good thing.

Waistband Extender

Have you ever had one of those days when you wish you had just a tiny bit more room in the waistband of your favorite jeans? Use a small hair rubber band fastened to the buttonhole then loop the other end of the band over the button for a little more give. Go ahead and have that donut; just be sure to wear a top long enough to cover up your secret.

Building Set Solutions

My son LOVES building sets, but he sometimes gets frustrated looking for specific pieces. After hearing, "Mommy, where is this piece?...Mommy, I can't find that piece..." one too many times I came up with a few things to help him organize his toys and keep me sane at the same time.

This double-sided plastic container, from Daiso, can fit two mini building sets with instructions in one container. If my son gets the urge to build something, he doesn't have to search the massive piles of pieces to find what he needs. Also, I can pop one of these in my bag to keep him entertained in the car and/or restaurants.

These stackable plastic containers are great for organizing pieces. I use the divided compartments for small parts (such as slanted bits, round bits, tiles) and bigger trays for parts like flats, windows, wheels and minifigures. I labeled each tray to make it easier to sort/find pieces.

I keep the manuals in several three-ring binders according to categories (Star Wars, City, Power Miners...) and three-hole punch plastic bags to keep the smaller manuals.

Gallon-sized plastic bags are helpful in keeping specialized sets together, again, cutting down on the frustration for both of us.

Thread in a Mug

I recently purchased thread cones for my Babylock serger machine. A thread cone (shown on the left) is taller and bulkier than All-purpose spools and is not normally used on regular sewing machines because it tends to fall off the top and/or skews the tension.

To prevent this, I place the cone in a coffee mug in back of my sewing machine and thread the machine as I normally would. This holds the cone in place and allows the thread to unravel without tugging on the tension.

I like to store the cone and the bobbin together in the mug, so I don't have to search for the matching bobbin.

Pixos and Play-Doh

My son got a set of Pixos last year. Pixos are small, colored, plastic-like balls that stick together when sprayed with water. They usually come in little non-resealable plastic bags, so storage becomes an issue.

Last year for Halloween I gave out Mini Play-Doh as an alternative to candy. Unfortunately, not too many trick-or-treaters came by, so I had a lot left over. I gave them to my son and eventually most of the dough got put into "The Brown Bag" and the empty containers became Pixos holders. The colored lids and the Pixos match - the perfect storage solution!

Tank Top Bag Keeper

I turned a racerback tank top into a plastic bag keeper. I sewed the bottom hem together and tah-dah...It even hangs on a hanger in the closet!

"Free Gift With Purchase"

My auntie gave me this "free gift with purchase" bag. The moment I saw it, I knew it had great potential even though I wasn't sure how I was going to use it.

It didn't take long...It makes an awesome knitting bag! It's big enough to fit a project (I'm currently working on a sweater) and the companion bag makes a perfect catchall for stitch markers, tapestry needles, scissors and measuring tape.

I can also fit my wallet in it when I meet my knitting buddy for coffee.

Plant Markers - Rock!

I'd been searching for a long time to figure out a way to mark plants in my garden. I tried using metal and plastic plant markers, but after one rainy season the ink wore off. I found this idea for a natural plant marker on the Martha Stewart website.

Bento Containers

My family enjoys eating bento lunches from our local Japanese Market. Basically, bentos are small portions of tasty food packed in plastic divided trays.

The empty trays are perfect for sorting my 5 year old son's building sets. Before he begins to build, I sort the parts by color, size, and/or use into compartments. This makes it easier for him to spot the pieces he needs.

Tradeshow Badge Holder

I use this tradeshow badge holder to carry my son's immunization and medical membership cards. If you have more than one child you can change the strap to each child's favorite color, or have them add their own "bling", to identify whose is whose.

Organic Peanut Butter

Several years ago I switched to organic peanut butter. The first couple of times I attempted to use a knife to mix it in the jar, but that made a huge mess with oil oozing over the sides.

It's simple enough...empty the jar into a large bowl and mix it with a wooden spoon. It should only take a couple of minutes until it becomes smooth and creamy. Return the peanut butter back into the jar. You can use a spatula to scrape off the sides of the bowl, but I prefer to use a piece of chocolate.

Water Bottle Cozy

Hot Summer days are just around the corner. It's easy to make a water bottle cozy by covering a cold water bottle with an infant sock. You won't have to worry about condensation or cold hands.

Teacher Appreciation Day

J chose to give his Kindergarten teacher, Mr. D, pencils for teacher appreciation day. My challenge was to make them into a presentable gift. I purchased three boxes of no. 2's from Dollar Tree along with a little wooden cat curtain tie. I was originally going to have J string up an alphabet rope made with foamy letters, but since Mr. D has a pet cat I thought this might be more personal.

Anyways, I secured the pencils (60 of 'em) around an empty Frappuccino bottle with a couple of rubber bands and wrapped the curtain tie around the outside. I added water, fresh roses from my garden and a handwritten note from J, "Thank you four beeing a good teecher!".

Unexpected Vases

Beverage Cup

I often indulge in a latte freeze from the food court of my local Costco for two reasons: the tasty beverage and the cool plastic cup.

The empty cup makes the perfect vessel to transport cut flowers. The straw hole is big enough to fit a few stems and since it's a cup it fits in a car cup holder! I've used them to send flowers home with my mom and also transported a few to my father's niche at the cemetery.

Toothbrush Holder

While at Dollar Tree looking for pencils for another project (more on

that later), I found this plastic toothbrush holder which turned out to be a great vase. The removable top makes it very easy to clean the inside. The toothbrush holes are angled in such a way that they hold stems upright and apart preventing the blossoms from bunching up; same engineering that prevents toothbrushes from "kissing".