Be Kind to the Widows and Orphans

They come into this world as part of a set - salt and pepper shakers, pots with lids, a full complement of dishes.

But then life steps in. Lids break. Someone wanders off. The dish runs away with the spoon.

What to do with the left-behind? They're perfectly fine. They're still willing to work. They just can't be what they started out as.

But with a little imagination, the lid-less salt shaker becomes a tiny vase for a single blossom. The teacup sans saucer doubles as a tea light holder. And the old pot with the broken lid spends its retirement holding a plant, protecting your end table from overflow.

Nothing is actually useless. Sometimes it just needs a different use.