Clothespins are a simple contraption with 2 pieces of wood and a spring (and some versions are just a piece of wood split at one end that slides onto the clothes. A very environmentally friendly and cost-effective item, clothespins can have more uses then just to hang clothes on a line.

Chip Clips:

Perhaps the most common use for a clothespin is as chip clips. In a pinch (pun intended) a clothespin works wonders for closing up a bag of chips. Simply roll the open end of the chip bag down a couple of inches, and snap on the clothespin.

Hanging Artwork:

Children love to draw and color, a string or thin rope hung up in a corner of the living room or child’s bedroom (high up to avoid injuries) works great to hang a few of their most recent pieces of art. Switch out pieces weekly for constant-changing décor.

Letting Art Dry:

Additionally, a clothesline hung in a porch or kitchen area can be used to hang artwork to dry (provided it is not too gooey with paints or glues). Many photographers who develop their own film will use clothespins to hang pictures to dry in their darkroom.

Crafts:

There is no end to the crafts that can be done with clothespins. Check out the link http://familycrafts.about.com/od/clothespins/Clothespin_Crafts.htm for some great ideas! Clothespins can be turned into refrigerator magnets that hold artwork or important notes, they can be decorated and used as Chip Clips, animals or flowers, dolls, recipe holders and a wide variety of other fun and unique crafts.

Games:

A popular baby or wedding shower game involves clothespins. In one such game every participant is given a clothespin. Throughout the course of the shower, any person who catches another person saying a particular word (baby for a baby shower or wedding for a wedding shower, for example) or doing a particular action (crossing legs or arms, for example) gets that persons clothespin. For example, if Mary catches Susie saying “baby” then Susie has to give Mary her clothespin. By the end of the shower whoever has the most pins wins the game. There are also great games for kids to play involving clothespins, check out this site.

Open-Book Bookmarker:

For keeping open a cookbook or text book so you can work from it can be difficult. Hands are otherwise occupied in taking notes or cooking and cannot hold the book open. Two clothespins will solve this minor dilemma. Simply clip a few of the pages on the right-side of the book with the pin and a few pages on the left-side with another pin. This will keep the pages from flipping over.

Hat Organizer and Mitten Dryer:

In the wintertime, mismatched mittens and missing hats are a common occurrence. To make a hat organizer simply get a wooden yardstick and 6 of the spring-type clothespins. Nail the clothespins onto the yard stick, evenly spaced. Hang the yardstick on your wall and start clipping hats to it! For a Mitten Dryer you need a square piece of wood and some clothespins. The size of the board and the number of clothespins will depend on how many mittens you want to hang (ideally, 1 space per family member), but you will need 2 clothespins per pair of mittens. Nail the clothespins close together on the board and hang up mittens in between uses. Not only does this keep them organized but it also helps them to dry out in between uses!