Bedecking small household objects, such as these terra-cotta planters, with china fragments adds a delightfully unexpected flourish -- and requires only a few plates per pot. 

Here, some of the pots are edged with the border patterns of china, and one wears a dainty re-creation of a flower design that was once part of a saucer. 

To replicate a plate's pattern, keep the cut pieces organized as you lay out materials. Carefully reassemble them on the pot, leaving small crevices in between, and then fill in the remaining surface with additional pieces.

Kids go through cereal fast. Make use of all the empty boxes by turning them into handy holders for their desks. Large boxes work well for books, small ones for supplies. Cut box with a utility knife at desired angle and height. Wrap decorative or contact paper around box to see how much you'll need; unwrap; cut. Secure paper with double-sided tape; trim excess.

 

Making a Button Clock
Purchase a clock movement, hands, and dial template from a clock-parts supplier or a hobby store, and find a tin lid deep enough to conceal the works.

Tools and Materials
Round cookie-tin lid
Awl
Nail set
Dial template
12 buttons in various sizes, shapes, and colors
Multipurpose cement
Clock movement

Making a Button Clock How-To
1. Poke a hole through the center of the lid with an awl. Using a nail set, widen the hole to accommodate the shaft.

2. Refer to the dial template to position the button hour markers. Affix buttons with multipurpose cement. To assemble mechanism, follow manufacturer's instructions.

Making Button Tea Napkins
Winsome tea napkins carry a harvest of buttons to the table. It takes only a bit of embroidery to flesh out the suggestion of cherries, apples, lemons, grapes, or a pea pod.

Making a Button Bag

Inspired by the basic brown paper bag, these small totes are made of canvas or linen.

Tools & Materials
12-by-24-inch piece and 3-by-24-inch strip of canvas or linen
3-by-24-inch strip of fusible webbing
Pinking shears
Sewing machine
24 inches cotton webbing, for handles
Needle and thread
100 or more buttons per side, depending on placement and button size