Mama Did a Life Hack

When I was growing up, my mom often used straight pins to hang things on the walls. Not heavy things, obviously, but light-weight and often seasonal things. The straight pins allowed her to secure the items without leaving a big nail hole in the wall.

Now that I have my own home, I have straight pins hidden all over my house. They're like my dirty, little secret. Minus the dirty. 

I have a set of pins hanging over both bay windows (in my living room and in my kitchen) so I can easily hang garlands that fit the season.

I have two sets of pins hammered into the top of the living room mirror (to accommodate different sized banners). 

I have some straight pins on the wall in the stairwell so I can string these Christmas card holders every year (they're from Dollar Tree, and they've served us well for three years!) 

This year, straight pins are also holding our Christmas stockings in the basement. 

I love using straight pins when I can because they are discreet and inexpensive. The holes are so small that they usually fill in when we paint, and we don't have to repair them. I just hammer the pins in with a light tap. Some of them (over the windows, for example) I leave there even when I don't have anything hanging on them. Others (the stockings) I remove when I take down the decor, but I leave the holes. Then I put fresh pins in when I need them again.

So thanks, Mom, for this little life hack. Now let's go hang all the things!