How to PIT CHERRIES Without a Cherry Pitter

I'm a gadget girl.  I love kitchen gadgets.  I especially love ones that have more than one purpose or make a task that I do often easier.  What I don't like is a cluttered drawer full of gadgets that have only one purpose that I maybe use once every ten years.  Our market had the most beautiful, plump juicy cherries and I couldn't resist picking up a couple of bags.  Of course I don't own a cherry pitter and I was dying to get in the kitchen a bake something, not run out gadget shopping so I improvised.  The first recipe I made I used a small paring knife.  It worked but it was slow and made a HUGE mess.  Then I tried the star tip from my pastry set.  I simply set it flat on the cutting board and pushed the cherry down onto it.  The pit came cleanly out.  I pitted two cups of cherries in no time!  By all means if you have cherries in abundance and use them on a regular basis, invest in a cherry pitter.  They are very handy, and do a quick, clean job.  (You can also pit olives with them.)  But if you're impatient like me, and impulsively buy things at the market that you can't wait to bake with, then this method is for you!