Office boredom has given us all a greater gift: some creative hacks for using and reusing paper clips and binder clips. From decor to art, read on for a few uses you might not have thought of for your lil’ clips.
1. Put it on display. Photos or pithy quotes can be propped up for easy viewing using a basic binder clip.
photo: Heartlover1717 via flickrÂ
2. Give props. Binder clips work wonders for a quick and easy phone stand cool enough to replicate at home or the office.
photo: Rich Sipe via flickrÂ
3. Cute it up. If you want your memos to be memorable (wait, you still use paper?) try adding a vintage button to your paper clips.
photo: heather via flickr
4. Say anything. Just stretch ‘em out and bend ‘em back. This might seem silly but it’s another cool way to get kids to learn letters.
photo: leah1201l via flickr
5. Art around. Use them to form a wire animal or vehicle, like a deer or a ship. Do a little sketch on a piece of paper to follow or just freeform it. You can even have the kids compete to see who can make said object first. (Congrats: you just bought yourself 5 minutes of down time.)
photo: Rakka via flickrÂ
6. Eat over your desk. Use an unbent paperclip to pop off the key to your keyboard so you can clean underneath. This genius technique has been used by bored office workers for years, but it really is handy.
photo: Travis Nep Smith via flickr
7. Accessorize! Use a binder clip as-is to make a perfect Barbie purse(also works for GI Joes). Mini clips can be use for Sylvanian Family or other small creatures.
photo: Simon D via flickrÂ
8. Stash your cash. Aka, the world’s cheapest wallet. You’ll save so much money using a binder clip as a money clip you might need two to hold all your riches.Â
 photo: Eric Jusino via flickrÂ
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Know any sweet paper or binder clip hacks? Share in the comments below!Â
—Amber Guetebier
