Time Flies — And Sometimes It Has Wings Made of Vintage Paper and Buttons

You know that odd little jar of thumbtacks that somehow survives every desk clean-out? The one that’s probably full of mixed colours, bent pins, a few mystery paper clips and at least one tack that stabs you every time you reach into the drawer?

Yes, that jar.

Thumbtacks are one of those small household items that rarely get used up properly. You buy a packet for one noticeboard, use six, and then the rest sit in a drawer for the next decade. But they’re actually surprisingly useful for craft projects, especially if you like recycled crafts, quick home décor, bulletin board makeovers and small handmade gifts.

Before you start, sort through your tacks and throw away any that are rusty, bent or sharp in the wrong direction. If children are helping, keep the actual pinning, gluing and hammering as the grown-up part of the project. Thumbtacks are small, pointy and determined to end up under bare feet, so a tray or shallow bowl is your friend here.

Here are five easy ways to use that leftover jar of thumbtacks.

Make Decorative Push Pins

This is the easiest way to give plain thumbtacks a second life. Turn them into decorative push pins by gluing small embellishments to the flat top. Buttons, fabric-covered buttons, polymer clay shapes, tiny flowers, beads, mini pom poms, wooden shapes and old jewellery pieces all work beautifully.

This fabric-covered button thumbtack tutorial is a lovely example of how simple this idea can be. It uses covered buttons and strong glue to turn plain thumbtacks into pretty little noticeboard pins.

These are perfect for corkboards, sewing-room boards, office spaces, family command centres and kids’ artwork displays. A set of four or six decorative thumbtacks would also make a cute teacher gift or craft-room stocking stuffer.

If your leftover tacks are mismatched, this is even better. Once the tops are covered, no one will know they came from the sad little junk drawer jar.

Create Thumbtack Wall Art

Thumbtack art is one of those projects that looks more impressive than it really is. You can press tacks into a canvas, cork tile, foam board or soft wooden panel to create a shape, letter, word or simple design.

This metallic thumbtack art tutorial shows how thumbtacks can be used to make a monogram-style art piece on canvas. A similar idea works for hearts, stars, initials, arrows, simple flowers, house numbers or even a small craft-room sign.

Gold, silver or brass thumbtacks look especially good for this, but coloured plastic ones can be fun too. If your tacks are a strange mix of colours, spray-painting them first can help the finished piece look more intentional.

Try a simple word like MAKE, CREATE, HOME, LOVE or CRAFT. You could also make a small framed initial for a teenager’s room, a handmade office sign, or a quirky little gift for someone setting up a new craft space.

Use Thumbtacks As Mini Furniture Trim

Thumbtacks can mimic the look of nailhead trim on small projects. Think picture frames, corkboards, wooden boxes, trays, old stools, plain lampshades, bulletin board borders or thrifted storage pieces.

The trick is to use them in a neat line or repeating pattern. A ruler and pencil will save you from the classic “I eyeballed it and now it slopes downhill” situation. Ask me how I know.

For furniture-style projects, this guide on decorating furniture with upholstery nails and tacks is useful because it explains the basic idea of placing tacks neatly and tapping them in carefully. Standard office thumbtacks are lighter than upholstery tacks, so they’re best for small decorative surfaces rather than heavy-wear furniture.

Use thumbtacks around the edge of a plain frame, along a wooden storage box, around a corkboard, or on the front of a small drawer unit. It’s a cheap way to add a little metallic detail without buying proper hardware.

Turn Thumbtacks Into Magnets

If you have a magnetic board, fridge, filing cabinet or metal craft-room shelf, thumbtack magnets are surprisingly handy. Remove or flatten the sharp pin if needed, then glue a small magnet to the back of the thumbtack head.

This thumbtack fridge magnet tutorial shows the general idea of turning a tack into a magnet. You can keep them plain or decorate the tops first with buttons, clay shapes, beads, tiny resin pieces, bottle caps or fabric scraps.

Use them for holding notes, recipes, school papers, shopping lists, appointment cards or small craft templates. They’re especially good for craft rooms because you can make a batch quickly and keep them on a magnetic board near your desk.

Just be sensible with magnets around small children and pets, especially strong magnets. These are best for adult craft spaces or supervised use.

Make Gift Tags, Labels And Corkboard Markers

Thumbtacks are perfect for small organising jobs. Use them to pin labels onto baskets, corkboards, ribbon spools, fabric swatches, inspiration boards or project boards.

For a prettier version, glue a small paper flag, punched shape or mini tag to the tack head. Then use it to label sections of a corkboard: sewing, quilting, recycled crafts, receipts, deadlines, ideas, patterns, supplies or “things I swear I’ll finish one day.”

They can also become cute gift tags. Cut a small tag from recycled cardboard, old greeting cards, book pages or packaging, then attach a decorated thumbtack as a tiny embellishment. Obviously, don’t use the sharp end on anything being posted or handled by children, but for hand-delivered packages, bulletin-board gifts or craft-room displays, it’s a sweet little detail.

You can also use thumbtacks to display lightweight garlands, pin up printable patterns, hold ribbon ends on a corkboard, mark places on a map, or organise small sewing notes near your machine.

Safety Tips For Crafting With Thumbtacks

Thumbtacks are small and sharp, so sort them before you craft. Toss anything rusty, bent or damaged. Work over a tray so loose tacks do not roll onto the floor. If you’re gluing embellishments to the tops, let them dry fully before using them.

For kids’ projects, an adult should handle the tacks. Younger children can decorate paper shapes, buttons or clay pieces first, and then an adult can glue those decorations onto the thumbtacks later.

If you are making magnets, be extra careful with small magnets around young children and pets. For furniture or wood projects, avoid pushing tacks into surfaces that are too hard, because they can bend or snap.

Why Thumbtacks Are Worth Saving

A leftover jar of thumbtacks may not look very exciting, but it’s exactly the kind of odd little supply that can solve a craft-room problem. They can become pretty push pins, cheap wall art, tiny magnets, decorative trim, labels, markers and gift embellishments.

And let’s be honest, there is something deeply satisfying about using up one of those random little containers that has been sitting in a drawer forever.

So before you toss that odd jar of thumbtacks, tip it onto a tray, sort out the good ones, and see what you can make. Sometimes the smallest leftover supplies are the ones that spark the most unexpectedly useful projects.

For more quirky recycled craft ideas, you may also like Recycled Crafts’ post on upcycled keyboard key crafts and floppy disk crafts for retro tech lovers.