The Simple Life: Eggs, wonderful eggs

Unpacking my groceries tonight, I realized that there are many things you can do with an egg carton rather than toss them out. But, first you have to take those wonderful little eggs out!

Have you ever gotten home with a carton only to find that all of the eggs won't come out? You can't use force to get them out, they'll only crack under the pressure. Should you throw the stubborn ones away? No, that's a waste of money. Next time that happens try soaking the carton in lukewarm water for about 30 minutes. The eggs should come straight out after the soaking. Just rinse them and put them at the top of the stack to use first. (The warm water may cause them to age prematurely, so be sure and follow this step!)

On to the carton!

Marvelous little things, these egg cartons! Think of the possibilities -

An artists paint tray - if it's Styrofoam, you can even wash it and reuse it.
A jewelry holder - perfect for earrings, charms, necklaces and bracelets. You can even cut a small slit in the edge and dangle the end of the necklace to avoid tangles.
An office organizer - it would fit in most center drawers in a desk and you could split up your paper clips, push pins, rubber bands, etc...
Chalk or cray-pas holder - another idea for the artist.
Pet feedings - I know it would have to be a small pet, such as a bird or fish. This would be great for pet sitters or children helpers because each feeding could be rationed and overfeeding wouldn't be a problem.
Seed starters - start your spring seedlings here. If you use the cardboard egg carton you wouldn't even need to transplant them. You could just cut the carton up, plant each cup and let the carton bio-degrade in the ground.
Bead container - take a plastic shoe-box size container with a lid and place a 18 egg-carton shell in the base. Fill it with you beads and then keep layering. I think you could fit 3 carton in one box with the lid closed. Heck, that's 54 bead cups!