Store Toilet Paper in Tall Vases
Original Purpose: Showing off all those long-stemmed roses from gentleman callers.
Aha! Use: Helping toilet paper hide in plain sight.
Reward: Guests don't have to root around for a new roll in your not absolutely, positively tidy vanity, and you always know when you're running low.
Toilet Paper Roll as Cord Holder
Original Purpose: Moving the toilet tissue round and round.
Aha! Use: Storing an extension cord. Coil the cord into a hank about 1 1/2 inches thick, then slide it through the tube for a neat package that won't come unwound.
Reward: Tangle-free power wherever you need it.
Store Laundry, Pantry, and Garden Items in a Shower Caddy
Original Purpose: Shelving all your suds, salts, and scrubs.
Aha! Use: Stocking extra supplies in your laundry room, pantry, or garden shed. Use the dead space around the doorknob when the cabinets can't take anymore.
Reward: No need to tip this caddy to keep your tools handy.
Remove Sticky Labels with a Hairdryer
Original Purpose: Blowing out your hair before dashing out the door.
Aha! Use: Removing labels that are stubbornly stuck on bottles, bowls, and picture frames. Heat the labels for a few seconds to release the adhesive, then peel them off.
Reward: No more pick-pick- picking at tags when you buy new juice glasses.
Plastic Wrap as Package Handle
Original Purpose: Covering last night's lasagna.
Aha! Use: A super-strong handle for carrying awkwardly shaped packages. Pull out the length of wrap you need and twist it to make a rope. Wrap it around the box, then create a handle or a tie.
Reward: A handle for things without handles.
Photo Album as Business Card Organizer
Original Purpose: Flipping through memories.
Aha! Use: Organizing business cards. Just slide them, two to a page, into a convenient purse-size book.
Reward: Cards are all in one place, instead of being scattered among various pockets, the bottoms of three handbags, and the black hole of the nightstand drawer.
Organize Art Supplies with a Dish Rack
Original Purpose: Drying dinnerware.
Aha! Use: Organizing coloring books and art supplies. Stack the books like plates, between the prongs. Store markers, crayons, and pencils in the utensil caddy.
Reward: A neat way to serve up art supplies at playtime.
Magnetic Clip as Recipe Holder
Original Purpose: Keeping the office phone list within easy reach.
Aha! Use: Holding your recipe at eye level while you're standing at the stove. Stick the clip to the stove hood and your recipe is exactly where you need it.
Reward: An end to the daily dinner dance from recipe to stove and back.
Hold Recipe Cards in CD Cases
Original Purpose: Keeping that Van Morrison disc scratch-free.
Aha! Use: Displaying a recipe card during meal prep. Open the case and bend it back as shown, then place the card (after cutting it to fit, if necessary) on top.
Reward: Easy-reading reuse of that easy-listening-album hold
Film Canister as Stamp Dispenser
Original Purpose: Keeping that roll of birthday snaps safe from harm.
Aha! Use: Dispensing postage stamps. Cut a slit in the side of the canister and tuck a roll of stamps inside. Thread the end of the roll through the slit.
Reward: Stamps stay neatly coiled.
