Squeeze and Snap: 30 Ideas for Creative Uses of Clothes Pegs

You'll be surprised how many things you can make with clothespins. If they lie on the shelf idle and are not used for their intended purpose, quickly take out the glue and have fun creating practical devices or original decorative items. Or you can please the children with funny toys and educational games.

Practical use

Unnecessary clothespins can be used for small household needs. We bring to your attention 14 practical ideas:

1. You can wrap pieces of thread, ribbon, fishing line, and wire on pieces of wood.
   
2. Use to store headphones, chargers and wires. Place 2 clothespins on top of each other and secure them together with glue. Use the holes as wire clamps. Now they definitely won't get confused.
   
3. If you tie a small flashlight to a clothespin, you can read books at night without attracting attention. Simply attach the flashlight to the top board with hair ties.
   
4. Using a clothespin is very convenient to fix books on the desired page. For example, to do homework or prepare a recipe.
   
5. A clothespin will help keep the pan lids slightly open.
   
6. With its help, you can build a simple apron by attaching a towel to your pants or skirt.
   
7. Clothespins can be used to mark linen and pieces of fabric. Write the relevant information at the top.
   
8. You can make an excellent “brush” from a clothespin and a piece of foam rubber (sponge).
   
9. Plastic products can serve as toothbrush holders.
   
10. And if you hold a nail with a clothespin, you will never hit your finger.
    
11. Use the items as fabric clips while sewing.
    
12. Or close opened food packaging. For example, with cereals.
    
13. Using 6 clothespins and 1 handle, you can whip up a phone stand. Now you will be able to watch movies comfortably.
    
14. Unnecessary clothespins can be used in tandem with a hanger. They will fit perfectly on pants, skirts, scarves and any other clothes.
    

We create decorative items

Wooden clothespins are an indispensable item for decoration. You can cover them with stain, paint them in different colors or use them in their natural form.

To glue pieces of wood together, it is best to use wood glue or household PVA.

What you can make with your own hands:

• Hot coasters and napkin holder. Before starting work, you must remove the staples. Then the halves of the clothespins are glued together with opposite sides. To avoid holding them with your hands, press the pieces of wood with rubber bands. When they are dry, you can assemble the design - a circle, a rectangle or 2 semicircles for a napkin holder.
  
• Chandelier or table lamp. You will need a mesh frame (you can make it yourself from garden mesh). Then clothespins are pinched onto it in tiers, and the entire structure is hung on the lamp. To make a lamp you will have to work with glue. Disassemble the products and glue 4 rectangles from pieces of wood. Connect them together and cover the table lamp. The creative lamp is ready!
  
• Decorative wall clock or mirror. Clothespins make a very interesting round frame for a mirror or watch.For production you will need thick cardboard. Cut out a base from it and tightly place clothespins painted white on it.
  
  
• Photo frame. There are many variations of clothespin photo frames. You can hang pictures on a frame board. To do this, you need to drive nails into the board, wrap pieces of twine (15–20 cm) around them, and tie clothespins to the end. Another interesting idea is to make a photo frame from an old window profile. Paint it, nail the edges with nails, and stretch some twine. Pin the pictures on a string and hang the frame on the wall.
  
• Flowerpot. For the craft you will need a frame - a can of canned food - and a package of clothespins. Pinch them close to each other. For strength, the joints can be coated with glue. To make the flowerpot look original, decorate it with pebbles, buttons or paint it in different colors.
  
• Here's how clothespins can be used for wedding decor:
  

Crafts for children

Children love to make things with their own hands together with their parents. Options for crafts made from clothespins:

1. Funny toys. To make this craft, you will need a clothespin and an image of the animal's face on thick cardboard. You can draw a picture yourself or print and cut it out. Next, the drawing is cut in half. One part is glued to the top board, and the other to the bottom (side). If you click on the toy, the image will move.
   
   
   
2. Furniture for a dollhouse. Wooden clothespins make excellent doll furniture. There is no need to saw anything. Arm yourself with glue and assemble tables, chairs, and a bed from pieces of wood in the manner of a designer. Be creative or use the idea in the photo.
   
3. Jewelry for girls. Little fashionistas will be delighted with handmade beads and earrings. To make it you will need Moment glue, paints, various beads, laces, hooks for earrings and the clothespins themselves. First you need to disconnect the metal brackets. The wooden parts should be glued together, as in the photo below. Then you need to pierce holes along the edges with an awl and insert a lace. Now you can color the necklace to your liking. How to make earrings from clothespins is shown in detail in the photo.
   
   

Creative activities and games

Children 1–2 years old can use clothespins to develop fine motor skills. Opening them and attaching them is already a difficult task for the baby. To make learning more interesting, you should decorate the pieces of wood in different colors. The attachment point can be a stretched rope, a pot, or a sheet of colored cardboard. Show your baby how to do it, and he will definitely want to repeat it.

Game "Learning colors"

You will need:

• 12 clothespins,
• thick cardboard,
• compass,
• pencil,
• 12 sheets of colored paper,
• glue,
• scissors.

Draw the cardboard into 12 small circles and 1 large one, cut them out. For small circles, cut out appropriate sized circles from colored paper. Glue them together and then attach them to the tops of the clothespins. Now divide the large circle into 12 sectors. Cut and glue 12 multi-colored pieces of construction paper. Ready! The child’s task is to attach a clothespin of the desired color to each sector. During the game, you should clearly and legibly name the colors.

Game "Who eats what"

Materials:

• 1 sheet of white cardboard,
• 12 clothespins,
• 12 pictures with animal faces,
• 12 pictures of the food they eat,
• pencil,
• ruler,
• scissors,
• glue.

The faces need to be glued on top of clothespins, and a large circle should be cut out of cardboard. Using a ruler and pencil, divide it into 12 parts. Stick a different food on each part. Now attach the animal faces along with the child to the food they eat. Tell us who eats what. When the baby understands the principle, he will be able to play on his own.

There are many similar educational games you can come up with. By sticking numbers on boards and making a sign with different numbers of circles, it is very easy to learn counting. Or you can teach letters with kids. To do this, images of different objects starting with A, B, C, D, etc. are placed on cardboard, and letters are written on clothespins.

A clothespin is not something you can just throw away. It will always come in handy on the farm. And if not, pieces of wood can be used as a material for crafts and room decor. Take our ideas or come up with your own version of an interesting and functional application.