Creative re-users love anything with little compartments and subdivisions, so a classic cutlery tray, whether wood or stainless or mesh, is an organizer's dream. Recently, I found a bamboo one on the cheap at Lowe's; set into a bookshelf-cum-dresser, it functions as a little tray for all my baubles. Follow suit with one of the five uses below.

1. Take a cue from our friends at Laughing Daisies, who turned a white cutlery tray into a stylish jewelry holder. Use contrasting shelf liners to spice it up a bit, just as they did. Cabinet pulls work as the hooks—the more mixed-matched, the better!
2. Placed in the top drawer of a desk, it can hold pens, pencils, small Post-Its and more.
3. Fill with sand and place tiny votive candles along each channel—makes a gorgeous centerpiece for a dinner party.
4. Keep it on the coffee table in the TV room; stash remote controls, pens, a deck of cards and coasters out in the open.
5. Use it to organize a perpetually disheveled collection of cosmetics—line nail polishes and eye shadows neatly and use remaining rows for long brushes and eye pencils.

(Images: Laughing Daisies)