Remember those floppy disks that revolutionized computer disk storage? You know, those square flexible disks that holds a whopping 512 bytes!? Yeah I still have a box of those that I really have no use for anymore. Well, instead of throwing them out, grab a couple of zip ties and turn them into a DIY pen holder that pays homage to the old school method of data storage!

Basically, drill a couple of holes into the disks, fasten them together with zip ties, and trim off extra length with scissors. You can also glue them together into a cute little storage box for stationary and such. Easy-peasy, with nifty results!

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I’ve been looking all over for a simple iPhone holder that can prop my phone up at an angle so I can watch movies while I’m working on something at my desk. I’ve tried the business card holder only to be disappointed when I realized its too flimsy and could be easily crushed by the weight of my iPhone. I’ve tried twisting and bending paper clips but they snap apart too easily and warp out of shape if I’m not careful about finding a good place to tuck it away when I’m not using it.

So I’ve come up with something that’s easy and only takes seconds to put together. Behold, my iPhone holder made of two binder clips!

All you need is two binder clips: a large one and a smaller one. I had some 1.25″ and 3/4″ wide clips, so I used those. You can substitute and go with a larger binder clip but I wouldn’t recommend going any smaller than a 1.25″ wide clip for stability and support.

First, clasp the smaller clip’s hands together and then bend the body upwards. You’ll have to hold the arms, or they will flip apart.

Then, insert the small arms into the big clip’s jaws. Don’t insert them all the way because you want to create a little crevasse for the edge of your iPhone to rest into.

And that’s it! Make several and keep them at home, work, and in your backpack. Simple enough, the stand supports the iPhone vertically too and is quite sturdy.

You can now view your iPhone at a comfortable angle. Enjoy!

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My boyfriend recently lost his mother to pneumonia. We’ve been making preparations for her funeral for the past few days and have been busy folding joss paper to be burned as monetary offerings. I remember folding joss paper for my great grandmother’s funeral a few years ago but had since forgotten how to fold them into gold ingots. I figure this would make a pretty good tutorial and hopefully teach those who are interested in learning.

Joss Paper, also known as ghost or spirit money, are sheets of paper that are burned in worship ceremonies for traditional Chinese deity or ancestors during special holidays and Chinese funerals. Joss paper burning is usually the last performed act at funerals before the deceased is lowered into the ground.

There are many ways to fold joss paper. The simplest way is by rolling the joss paper into a tube, tucking the ends in to hold its form and folding the pointed ends up.

Another way to fold joss paper is in the shape of a gold ingot. Start with a piece of joss paper with the gold or silver side facing down. Fold the bottom about 3/4″ up so that you have a more rectangular piece of paper. The thicker the fold, the wider the ingot.

Now fold the entire piece of joss paper in half.

Make sure the side with more gold or silver is facing you. Fold the bottom left corner up into a triangle.

Do the same to the upper right corner. You should end up with a parallelogram.

Now comes the tricky part. Fold the parallelogram back, matching the longer sides in a straight line.

Fold the triangle back, tucking in the bottom corner to the back of the other triangle. Pinch only the bottom, leaving the top tip of the triangle curved. This will make the ingot look rounder later.

Do the same with the other side.

You should end up with something like this…

Now open the bottom of the joss paper. Carefully pinching the middle of the bottom will hold the tucked corners to make it easier to open and maintain its shape.

It’s probably easier to turn it around so that the gold is facing you as you are opening the ingot.

Push down the middle of the ingot to create a nice round center. It takes practice but gets easier after a few tries.

You should end up with little gold and silver ingots made of joss paper.

For a video tutorial, check out moodyjackhk’s youtube.

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Plastic bags end up as litter that gets buried in landfills taking up to 1,000 years to break down, and in the process separating into small toxic particles that contaminate soil and water. They also kill thousands of marine mammals every year because they’re mistaken as food floating in the water. Not to mention, the production of plastic bags consume millions of gallons of oil that could be used for fuel and heating.

Paper bags, which many people consider a better alternative to plastic bags, carry their own set of environmental problems. According to the American Forest and Paper Association, about 10 billion paper grocery bags are used each year in the United States. Which adds up to a lot of trees!

There is a solution. Embrace in inexpensive, eco-friendly shopping bags for a brighter ecological future. Grocery stores benefit when you don’t use plastic bags, so they’ll sell bags cheap, or give them away. Trader Joe’s sells them for a dollar and Whole Foods sells them for $2 plus a 5 cent refund for bringing your own bags. Keep everything in the reusable bag until you reach the car, then transfer your goodies into a special bin or set of bins in the trunk.

If you’re not a fan of carrying grocery brands and logos on your bags, you can buy from online retailers:

• Reusablebags.com offers the most comprehensive selection and replacements for produce bags.
• Envirosax.com is “The Original Designer Reusable Bag”.
• Onebagatatime.com is dedicated to supplying the very best reusable bags available.

You can also make your own reusable cloth bags! Check out these free tutorials and patterns:

• T-Shirt Bag: Turn an old t-shirt into a reusable bag.
• MorsBags.com: Offers a downloadable pattern in PDF or Word Doc.
• Pillowcase Tote: Simple grocery tote made from an old pillow case including handles!

To read more about reusable shopping bags, check out She’s A Betty.

For more patterns and tutorials on how to make your own bag, check out TipNut.com.

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Remember when you were younger and you shared friendship bracelets with your BFF? I love the idea of symbolizing friendship with a simple handmade bracelet. They’re personal, creative and they show the person you’ve taken the time to make them something unique.

A couple of months ago, I went to my local arts & crafts store and bought a starter-kit on How to Make Friendship Bracelets. I’ve already made a few for my friends and sisters but lately I’ve just been making them for myself. I’m the type of person that can’t stay idle for a long period of time so making bracelets keep me busy.

The Candy Stripe

There are various styles and patterns, but most are based on the same simple half-hitch knot. The Candy Stripe is the easiest pattern and great for beginners!

You will need 6 pieces of embroidery floss (2 each of 3 colors) cut to 24″ long.

Tie a knot about 3-1/2″ from the top.

Clip the knotted end to a clipboard or a sturdy notepad. You can also tape it to a table end or pin it to your jeans, whatever’s more comfortable for you to work with.

To simplify the instructions, let’s name the strings. Starting with the first pink string on the left, that’s string #1, then #2 (purple), #3 (white), #4 (pink), #5 (purple), and #6 (white). You will be working your way from left to right.

First, loop string #1 over and then under string #2. It’s important to hold string #2 straight and pull the knot taut with string #1.

Make the same knot with the same two strings. This is called a “double knot.”

Now move string #2 aside. Take string #1 and string #3 and make a double knot.

Keep moving string #1 through all five strings. You should end up with something like this:

Now that string #1 is all the way on the right, start moving string #2 along. Tie double knots, left to right, all the way across the other strings.

Keep moving the left strings across one at a time. You can now see the bracelet come to form.

Keep going until the bracelet is as long as you would like.

Gather the strings, tie a knot to secure and trim the ends if necessary.

Remember to be patient when you’re making your friendship bracelet. It’s easy and inexpensive, but the impact they leave on loved ones is immense.

For more bracelet styles and patterns, check out MakingFriends.com.

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