A Few Useful Things

Giant paper clips and a better mouse trap? That's only part of the miscellany you'll find at the Museum of Useful Things, reports The Saturday Early Show. Actually, it's a store in Cambridge, Mass., that is dedicated to the beauty and function of everyday objects. The store contains a collection of some modern but mostly vintage tools that are still being produced.

Here are a few examples:

• Four-Way Rubber Bands: Used mostly in libraries to bind books. These bands could work around the home as well in crafts projects and to to bind newspapers and keep boxes closed.
• Teeter Pong Mouse Trap: For a more humane way of removing mice, place a bit of cheese at one end o fthe trap. If all goes as planned, the mouse would crawl inside and teeter forward, forcing a ping pong ball to trap the mouse inside. When you are ready to free the mouse, simply remove one end of the trap. The mouse will not be harmed.
• Measuring-Tape Tape. Made for stage and television sets, this tape is used to mark off sets for the stage crew. It has many other applications and could also be used for clever gift wrap.
• Balancing Teaspoon. This is a traditional European spoon made to rest on the edge of a cup. It's often used for adding honey to tea.
• Giant Paper Clips. Holds a great deal of paperwork and keeps its shape.

©MMI, CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved