Solution for Benno CD tower height problem under pitched ceilings

Materials: several Benno CD towers, metal strips (or wood if you prefer)

Description: I love the Benno CD tower. I had several in my old house and when I moved them to my new house, I found that I couldn't fit them under the pitched ceiling in the attic where my music room is located.

So I just stacked them horizontally and fitted either end together using some metal strips.

Now it's a low but wide CD tower.

~ Ronald de Graaf, Groningen, the Netherlands

365+ fruit stand

Materials: 2 365+ plates, other small similar plate, 2 N�RHET dessert wine glasses, 7 min epoxy (or similar epoxy glue) and toothpick

Description: We have the IKEA 365+ porcelain dishes for everyday. We buy the boxes that have side plates, dinner plates and bowls. We go through the bowls much quicker for some reason.

Soooo when I decided we needed a better way to store fruit that made it more accessible and less prone for bad fruit to spoil other fruits I remembered the homemade cupcake stand craze.

~~

Find middle of plates (I used the logos and a ruler to help). Very lightly mark where the glasses will go (you won't be able to remove this so make it really unobtrusive. I put the glasses upside down because I liked the look better that way.

Mix two equal and small amounts of glue together with a toothpick and then very carefully spread on edge of the base of a glass.

Turn smallest plate over and place in correct place with a tiny wiggle to make sure the glue is connecting the two pieces. Repeat with second glass and middle sized plate. Allow to set up for ten minutes without being disturbed. Check they are completely set before you move them.

Mix up a new batch of glue and use the toothpick to put a small amount of glue around the rim of the glasses. Place glasses upside down in center of the next biggest plate. Leave to set up overnight and you are done!

~ Scarlet, So Cal.

Dipper hanger

Materials: white kitchen cabinet door Stad, Lansa handle, Lillanger towel hanger.

Description:
I didn't want make any new holes on the wall of my kitchen and I had only a little space available so I had this idea to arrange my dippers.

I took: a white kitchen cabinet door Stad (found in the bargain area: 2.90�, a Lansa handle 5,00� and a towel hanger (included to Lillanger wash basin). To hang it I used only a little nail which was just there. Very simple, very useful.

~ Ildabella, Rome, Italy

Let them eat cake!

Materials: Lampan Table Lamp, Tin Tray

Description: The IKEA Lampan shade is removable for bulb replacement, and the shape of the base resembles the pedestal of a cake stand. It just so happened that I needed a cake stand, or more specifically, a cupcake stand.

I began by disassembling and removing the electrical and lighting components. Next, I spray painted the base, shade, and food tray orange. Gorilla Glue was applied to secure the tray on top of the base. To add visual interest, and a layer for food safety, I cut a circle of scrapbook paper for the tray top. The shade found a new life as a vase - the perfect accompaniment to some Halloween cupcakes.

See more here.

~ Melissa, Austin, TX

Ride around Wine Glass Rack

Materials: F�rh�ja and two pieces of L�mplig

Description: I had some empty space in my kitchen and was looking for both some storage space as well as a wine glass rack. Since regular stores couldn't supply this for me I decided to hack one myself.

The hack is simple but elegant. Starting with a F�rh�ja kitchen cart I added a wooden bar on the upper inside.

After that I prepared two L�mplig trivets and cut of all the rods at the end including the right-angled rod. This created the perfect 'rack' for the wine glasses. Since the cut-off rods are hollow, I push some gray caps in the holes

On the bar in the F�rh�ja kitchen cart I screwed the base-holders. The L�mplig trivets are placed in these 'sockets'. Since these holders are not firm enough, I also screwed on a u shaped metal holder from my local hardware store.

The result is simple, but very effective wine glass holders which also looks great in my kitchen.

~ Chris van Baal, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Dream tree night light

Materials: Utensil holder used as lampshade, reclaimed tree stump

Description:
My friend Nick Lombardo and I have started a company called Evolving Habitat. Our philosophy is "Reclaim. Reuse. Relive" designing and creating furniture and housewares made from reclaimed goods,wood and found treasures. Right now we are working on our '' Elements of Nature" collection, where our main ingredient is reclaimed trees. We have contacted a tree cutting service so we can recreate pieces from cut down or rotted trees instead of them being copped for firewood. We are reincarnating these trees in a way and giving them a new life form to last a lifetime. Trying to spread the awareness of a the importance of a green future, and how important trees are for our species and planet. And also using nature to have fun and get creative! There's nothing more inspiring to me than trees.

Here's is just one of many lamps we have created from our this collection. The lampshade is a repurposed utensil holder that gives this lamp a dreamy feel, and the bulb holder is made from electrical piping.We had to drill a hole to insert the piping and run the electrical chord through the tree stump and electrical piping. And Wah-lah! I hope you like them.

~ Meri Vallo and Nick Lombardo, NY

Tray table

Materials: Ikea Stockholm tray, Hutten wine rack, paint, double adhesive tape

Description: In Sweden it's very popular with tray tables (= Brickbord). The price is about 100 EUR/140 USD or more. My tray table cost 25 EUR/34 USD. (I already had the paint and the tape)

Instructions:
Paint and assemble your wine rack. (I left out the middle shelf). Attach the tray with some double adhesive tape, and put some magazines on the shelf. Done!

See more of Rebecca's tray table.

~ Rebecca, Sweden