Jewellery

• Buttons for your wrist

If you like to make your own bracelets and necklaces, alternating beads with some spare buttons that you’ve collected can make an unusual accessory. String buttons and beads of different colours and sizes onto two strands of dental floss, fishing line or heavy-duty thread. Then experiment with a variety of combinations until you’ve fashioned a piece of jewellery worthy of a chic boutique.

• Magnetic brooch holder

When it comes to silk blouses, dresses or jackets, the last thing you want is to poke tiny holes in the smooth, expensive fabric with a pin. Instead, use magnets to attach the brooch. Remove the shaft of the brooch and attach one magnet to the back with Superglue. (Make sure that the glue dries completely before wearing the brooch.) Place it in the desired location on the garment, holding it with one hand. With your other hand, place the opposing magnet behind both fabric and brooch. The magnets will securely lock the brooch in place.

• Buttons for your toes

Don’t think that adding a bit of glam to plain pumps isn’t accessorising … it is. Rummage through a button collection for two oversized and interesting ones; then glue-gun them to the vamp of your shoes and give them a new life.

• Wristwatch earring holder

If you’ve ever left your pierced earrings in a hotel room or had one mysteriously disappear from a dressing table never to be seen again, keep them safe and secure with another accessory: your wristwatch. After taking off your earrings, insert them into the holes of a leather or plastic watchstrap or between the links of an expandable metal band. You can now rest assured that they will still be there in the morning. If you don’t have a watch, use the holes of a belt as a temporary earring holder.

• Unstick a stuck ring

If you’ve got a friend’s ring stuck on your finger and it’s time to hand it back, what should you do? Get some mayonnaise and rub it onto the finger in question, then make a fist to help the mayonnaise to seep under the band of gold or silver. The ring should now slide off easily. Wash your hands afterwards to clean off the oil and smell of the mayo.

• Make a noticeboard jewellery holder

If you’re tired of having to empty out all your precious jewels to find the one necklace you really want to wear, buy an inexpensive noticeboard and some colourful drawing pins. Then paint the board in your favourite colour and hang each necklace and each ring on the board to prevent them from getting scratched and to keep them organized.

• Fix necklace knots with powder

It takes a lot of patience to untangle a knot in a necklace chain. Here’s a handy way to complete the task in less time: sprinkle the knot with talcum or baby powder, cornflour or vegetable oil and use a straight pin or two to prise the knot apart. The powder and oil lubricate the links, helping them to slide and separate more easily. Afterwards, wash the untangled chain with a mild detergent, rinse and pat dry.