Clothespins are among the many things that can be used to create all sorts of cool and interesting decorations and accessories and which can be incorporated into a variety of different DIY clothespin crafts.
They’re easy to work with and highly versatile and they’re also a lot of fun to work with. They’re also very accessible and affordable which is one of the main reasons why they’re so popular in the first place. If you’ve never used wooden clothespins for a craft of something other than their intended purpose, now would be a good time to try something new. You can find below a few DIY project ideas that make use of them.
What are Some of the Different Clothespin Crafts You Can Make?
Before you go out and buy a bunch of clothespins to turn into crafts, you may be wondering what type of crafts you can make with clothespins. Well, the good news is, clothespins are extremely formidable and you can make quite a few different projects with them.
Here are some of the most common types of crafts you can make with clothespins:
- Ornaments
- Paper Holders
- Wreaths
- Jewelry
- Planters
- Decorative Cards
- Clips for Food Bags
- Photo Holders
- Shelf/Hat Rack
- Magnets
- Doll Furniture
- Cake Toppers
- Bookmarks
And of course this isn’t all that you can make with clothespins, as sky truly is the limit. So don’t be in doubt and head out to buy those clothespins to make cute clothespin crafts!
What Can You Use Clothespin Crafts For?
Curious what you can use clothespin crafts for? Surprisingly, there are several uses around your home for the clothespin crafts you are going to be making—some of which you will find incredibly useful in your day-to-day life.
Clothespin Crafts To Hang Laundry
The most obvious use for clothespins around your home is to hang laundry to dry. Even if you have a dryer, chances are you have a few pieces that need line dried. This is a perfect time to pull out those cute animal or other themed clothespins—as you might as well hang laundry in style!
Clothespin Crafts for Decoration
Craft time isn’t just for kids, and there are several clothespin crafts that can be used as adorable decorations during the holiday season. A prime example of this is using clothespins to make a themed wreath.
But you can also use clothespins to make a decorative photo holder, or an easy, no-mess mini-Christmas tree!
Clothespin Crafts for To-Do Lists
How many times do you make a to-do list then it gets lost before you complete it? Probably more than once. This is where clothespins come in handy.
You can use clothespins to make a magnet to hold your to-do list to the fridge. Or even a cute holder to keep by your work computer. Wall clothespin to-do list clips could also come in handy if you place them in a high traffic area of your home.
Keep Food Fresh with Clothespin Crafts
Open chip and cracker bags are the perfect place for using clothespin crafts. This way you can use them to keep the bag shut. You should probably keep a few decorative clothespins in a kitchen drawer just for this purpose.
Use Clothespin Crafts to Keep Chords Separate
How many chords do you have behind your TV? Probably a few. Take some decorative clothespins and write each of your devices on one. Then clip that clothespin to the corresponding chord. This will save you time the next time you need to unplug a device to reset it!
How to Make a Clothespin Wreath
While you may think of wreaths solely during the holiday season, they are actually a good idea for decorating your house year-round. This is because, thanks to clothespins, you can make the wreath any theme you want!
For example, to make a 4th of July wreath, you’ll want to paint a bunch of clothes pins red and white (and a few blue!) or for a Halloween wreath, you may want to paint some clothespins orange with 1-2 brown ones for the stem. See how easy it is?
No matter what holiday you are decorating for, use these following instructions to create the perfect clothespin wreath for your front door.
Step 1: Gather the Clothespin Crafts Materials
You’ll need the following materials to make your clothespin wreath:
- Plain Wooden Wreath Form
- Clothespins (the more, the better!)
- Paint in the theme of your project
- Hot Glue Gun/Glue sticks
- Paint Brushes
- Additional Décor
Step 2: Paint Your Clothespins
Before getting to the fun part, you’ll need to paint your clothes pins in the colors you need for your project. For a Christmas wreath, you’ll paint the clothespins green.
Step 3: Paint the Base
Next, paint the base of your wreath to match the clothes pins. Let this and the clothespins dry completely before moving on to the next step.
Step 4: Glue Your Clothespins to the Base
Then, take your clothes pins and use the hot glue to affix them to the wreath base. You will want to glue the side you pinch to the wreath base. This way the clothespins in the wreath can still be used to hold items.
Remember if you are making a wreath that has multiple colors, to alternate the clothespins as you go along. When making a 4th of July wreath, you will also want to make one corner blue while alternating red and white for the rest of the wreath.
Step 5: Add Finishing Touches
Depending on the holiday you are making the wreath for, you may have some finishing touches to add. For a spring wreath, you may want to add some faux flowers in one corner. For a Christmas wreath, you will probably want to glue a red bow to the bottom in the center. A 4th of July wreath will need a few silver stars in the blue part.
There you have it, now you have an amazing wreath to decorate for any holiday!
How Many Clothespins Should You Buy?
Clothespins are necessary for every craft on this list. Not to mention that they are extremely useful around the house. For this reason, you shouldn’t be afraid to buy more clothespins than you think you will need for crafts.
Generally, you should buy at least 100 clothespins no matter which craft you plan to do on this list. This way you will have plenty in case there are any mistakes. For those that plan to do multiple crafts, you will likely want to buy even more.
How Do You Make Clothespins Look Old?
There are many clothespin crafts that would benefit from a vintage look. You can sometimes buy vintage looking clothespins, but when you are unable to find some, here is an easy DIY way to make your clothespins look old.
Step 1: Make Stain
Take a jar you don’t plan to use for anything else (you won’t want to use it for food after this!) and put vinegar and a steel wool pad inside. Shake the jar vigorously, then leave it sealed for 24 hours.
Step 2: Put Your Clothespins in the Stain
Place your clothespins in the jar so they are completely submerged in the stain. Leave them for 3-4 minutes.
Step 3: Let them Dry
Remove your clothespins from the jar, let them dry, and then check out your vintage clothespins!
Fun and Easy DIY Wooden Clothespin Crafts
1. A Starburst-inspired Art Piece
Wooden clothespins can be quite easily turned into interesting decorations, like this starburst-inspired art piece featured on DIYs for example. If you ever want to make something like this all you’re going to need is a bunch of wooden clothespins, some acrylic paint (white and gold in this case), a paintbrush, and some wood glue.
You’ll need to break apart the pins first and you won’t be using the metal springs for this project.
2. A Clothespin Crafts Napkin Holder
You can also use a few clothespins to make useful things, like this napkin holder for instance. It looks really cute and it can potentially be customized in lots of interesting ways.
This one was decorated with patterned napkins which fit the theme in an unexpected yet lovely fashion. You could make a few different napkin holders with different colors and designs for various types of occasions or events. You can find more details about the project on DIYs.
3. Clothespin Scarf Holder
For this project, you’ll actually use the clothespins for their intended purpose but in a more stylish way than expected. The idea here is to make a scarf holder and organizer using a bunch of wooden clothespins attached to a board.
You can paint and decorate the pins before you glue them onto the board and you can include as many as you think you’re going to need, depending on how big your scarf collection is. Check out the full tutorial on DIYs if you need more details.
4. A Clothespin Crafts Cardholder
A single clothespin is enough to make a beautiful cardholder. Of course, you’ll also need a few more supplies including fine particle cement mix, some tape, a paintbrush, a cup, and a bit of paint.
Make several of these if you plan to use them as card holders for the dinner table or just one or two if you want to turn them into accessories for your desk in case you want to use them for photos or notes. Check out DIYs to find out how to make them from scratch.
5. Pumpkin Pie Slice Place Cards
These place cards also use wooden clothespins and they have a really cute design. They’re made using scrapbooking paper and there are actually a lot of different ways in which you can plan this project.
One of the easiest options would be to use a Xyron® 1.5″ Sticker Maker and letter stamps but if you lack these items you can simply use glue and a pen. Either way, your pumpkin pie slice place cards will look adorable.
6. DIY Clothespin Crafts Planters
Wooden clothespins can also be used to make lovely little planters. It’s a very simple project for which you only need small tin cans, clothespins, glue, and a little bit of twine or rope.
Start by breaking the pins into halves, then glue them around the exterior of the can one by one until the whole surface is covered. Tie a piece of rope around and make a cute little bow. The clothespin planters look a little bit like miniature barrels which makes them even cuter.
7. Clothespin Storage Bucket
Similarly, you can glue wooden clothespins around the outside of a planter in order to make a beautiful clothespin storage bucket for your hairbrushes, makeup products, hair accessories, and various other things.
Use a plastic pot with a rim or a lip at the top and make sure it’s a bit taller than the pins. This way you’ll be able to add a layer of rope and lace to cover up the top and the interior of the pot.
8. A Fun Table Lamp
You’ll need quite a few wooden clothespins for this project but in the end, you’ll get a really cool table lamp out of it. Glue the pins into sets of four with the flat sides together and then combine the sets to make four equally-sized sections which will become the four sides of the table lamp.
You’ll need a square piece of wood for the base as well. It could be nice to paint the clothespins or to stain them before gluing them together. You can place it inside a battery-operated light or you can run a cord through the base to complete the lamp.
9. A Clothespin Lamp Using LED Lights
There’s another way to make a clothespin lamp and this time the plan is to use a string of mini LED lights rather than a bulb. Start by gluing together three clothespin halves to make a triangle, then repeat and place the second triangle on top in such a way to create a star shape.
Repeat these steps and add more triangles until you create a tower. Take a thick dowel rod slightly shorter than the tower and wrap the mini LED lights around it, then insert it at the center of your clothespin tower. You can add a few popsicle sticks at the bottom for extra support or create a solid base if you want to.
10. DIY Clothespin Picture Holder
Arranging a bunch of clothespins in a circle to make a starburst-inspired frame is pretty easy. You can use it as a standalone decoration which you can hang up on a wall but you can also turn it into a picture holder by taking advantage of the clothespins.
You don’t need any glue or adhesive for this project. The only other things needed besides the clothespins are a piece of cardboard and a pair of scissors.
11. A Clothespin Candle Holder
Another lovely idea is to make a clothespin candle holder by upcycling an empty tin can. Find a small and short tin can (from tuna for example), clean it up and remove the labels, then take a handful of wooden clothespins and clip them all the way around the can to cover all the sides.
Before you do that you can take some time to stain or paint the clothespins and potentially the tin can as well.
12. DIY Table Name Place Holder
The humble wooden clothespin can also be used as a place card holder and you can make it look chic and stylish by simply adding a few little decorations such as leaves, flowers, berries, and so on.
Go ahead and spray paint the clothespins first to give them a nice shine and to change their look a little bit. Balancing each one on the plate can be a bit tricky but it definitely looks really beautiful. This idea comes from onebroadsjourney.
13. Artwork Display Frame Using Mini Clothespins
Mini clothespins are really cute and very useful for a lot of different DIY projects. For example, you could make a display frame for photos and artwork and other such things and you can use rope and mini clothespins to create several layers inside.
It can be a cute project for a home office or for the kids’ bedroom so they can display their creations. If you’re interested in making something like this, there’s a tutorial on makeit-loveit that you can follow.
14. DIY Polaroid Photo Frame
Similarly, there’s a tutorial on rockmywedding which explains how you can make a polaroid photo frame using mini clothespins and rope or twine. In this case, the frame is custom-made which is great if you want it to fit into a particular space or to be able to accommodate a specific number of photos.
This is a nice way to display a few mementos from special events.
15. DIY Clothespin Home Office Organizer
The project featured on chickabug requires a lot of wooden clothespins (around 200) as well as a few other supplies such as spray paint in a few different colors, a clothesline, a cork board, and push pins.
This is a sort of organizer for the home office for example and the clothespins are both decorative and useful. They can hold photos or cards and they create a colorful and beautiful backdrop at the same time.
16. A Simple Clothespin Headphone Organizer
If you have a pair of wired headphones or earbuds then you’re aware of how annoying the cable is when it gets all tangled up. An easy way to avoid all that is by making this super simple headphone organizer out of two wooden clothespins.
Glue the pins together facing opposite directions and that’s it. You can paint and decorate them in any way you want to. Check out makesomethingmondays if you need more details.
17. Recycled Plant Markers
Wooden clothespins can also be used as plant markers. Theoretically, there’s no need to decorate or to make any changes to the pins whatsoever but it can be nice and fun to customize them in some way.
You can use washi tape or paint and a label maker or you can come up with your own design plan. Once you have the pins ready, attach each one to a wooden dowel and insert the dowel into the pot. More details can be found on creativegreenliving if needed.
18. A Large Pendant Lamp
Another great idea for a project involving clothespins comes from recyclart. Here you can see a bunch of wooden clothespins which were used to make a large pendant lamp.
This pendant lamp has five different layers but you can choose to have fewer if you want to keep the design simpler or if you don’t have a very tall ceiling in the room where you’re planning to hang it.
19. Colorful Decorated Clothespins
A lot of the projects mentioned here involve decorating the clothespins in one way or another. That can actually be a fun little DIY project in itself. Go ahead and gather a few plain wooden clothespins and come up with ideas on how to decorate them.
You could use a variety of different supplies that you have at your disposal, like tape, paint, markers, stickers, and so on. Check out creativeinchicago for a few creative and inspiring ideas.
20. A Wedding Cake Topper
You don’t have to leave your clothespins looking their plain wooden color, and instead, they can be painted to create fun designs and characters. We love this painted kissing cake topper from The House That Lars Built, which would be the perfect finish to a wedding cake.
It’s a simple and quick project to complete but adds plenty of character to a wooden clothespin. We love the addition of the veil to the female side, which helps bring the topper to life a little more.
21. A Clothespin Mirror
Brighten up a mirror in your bedroom or entryway with this clothespin mirror design from Mod Podge Rocks. You’ll need a good collection of clothespins to get started with this project, and the clothespins are then placed all the way around a small mirror.
Each clothespin is covered in patterned paper, which helps to bring it to life and add more fun to the design. You can, of course, use any color scheme you like in this project and could create a really bright and colorful design for your child’s bedroom.
22. A Clothespin Chandelier
Joann shows us how to make this incredible clothespin chandelier that would make a great addition to a home office or kid’s playroom. While this design uses more neutral colors, you could add a brighter splash of paint to each clothespin.
The pattern uses 120 clothespins in total, so you’ll want to gather quite a collection to create this light fixture.
23. Clothespin Jewelry Organizer
For anyone who struggles to organize their jewelry collection, you’ll love this clothespin jewelry organizer from Modern Parents Messy Kids. It would be great for teenage girls or adults, and you’ll use mini clothespins to organize and secure your jewelry in place.
This project will cost very little to make and will save you from losing necklaces and bracelets in the future.
24. Chip Bag Clips
There’s nothing worse than opening a huge bag of chips, only for them to go stale because you didn’t seal it up properly. This DIY project from Mod Podge Rocks will cost you barely anything to create and yet will make something that you’ll use almost every day.
Kids and teens will love getting involved in the fun, and you can decorate each clip to fit your kitchen décor.
25. Clothespin Airplanes
This is the perfect project for kids to enjoy during the summer break, and they’ll love displaying their new clothespin airplanes around their bedroom. One Little Project shares these adorable airplanes, which are made from just clothespins and popsicle sticks. You could even hang them up from the ceiling to create a mobile, which would be a fun bedroom or playroom decoration.
Clothespin Crafts FAQ:
Can You Use Food Dye to Color Clothespins?
Actually, yes you can! Food dye is the easiest way to color clothespins when you have a lot of them to color. Be aware though, it is harder to control the look and shade of the final product with food dye than it is with pain.
Can You Use Kool-Aid to Dye Clothespin Crafts?
Yes, you can use Kool Aid to dye clothespins. You will need 3-4 packets for each container of color, however, so it is probably more efficient to just use food dye or paint to dye your clothes pins.
How Many Clothespins Does it Take to Make a Clothespin Wreath?
It takes approximately 100 clothespins to make a clothespin wreath.
Are Clothespin Crafts Recyclable?
Yes, the best way to recycle a clothespin is by making it into a cute craft! But they are made of wood and can be recycled in any bin that accepts wood for recycling.
Are Clothespin Crafts Expensive to Make?
Clothespin crafts are easy and cheap to make, therefore they are the perfect craft for someone on a budget.
Which Season is Best for Clothespin Crafts?
Clothespin crafts can be tailored for any season. This means it is best to make clothespin crafts at any time during the year!
All of these wooden clothespin projects will barely cost you anything to create and yet will make a fun addition to your home this year. The next time you find you have some spare wooden clothespins, consider creating one of these DIY projects. Clothespins are also incredibly easy to paint, so you can adjust the color and style of any project to fit your home décor.
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