Making Do ...

One of the most useful things I learned growing up was to "Make Do". That means when you don't have exactly what you need, you find something else that will work instead. This skill has been especially useful in the field of teaching. How many times do you find yourself without certain supplies and no time or money to run to the store? Anyway, I was in the midst of making little card game books for my kids, and found myself in need of a bunch of those metal rings that open up and allow you to bind a whole bunch of pages together loosly. Well, after seeing how much it was going to cost to purchase them, I decided there had to be another answer. This is where "making do" comes in ... I was walking through the dollar store and was on a mission for a cheaper replacement for the rings. After cruising through several aisles, I found myself in the toy section, and then I spotted the solution! A Mini Magic Spring (aka - a plastic Slinky)! Yep, what could be better? It was the right diameter, it was extremely colorful (an added bonus), durable and flexible enough to attach though the cardstock. To make it even more exciting, it turns out that the Mini Magic Springs come in 2 packs. That's right, 50 cents a spring. So I picked up a box or 5 (you can't have too many my dad would say) and smiled all the way out to my car. Upon arriving at home, I simply opened the box cut the spring a couple of coils down and slipped it onto the cards. It worked beautifully! Believe it or not, I was able to cut 24 rings out of each Mini Magic Spring. That's almost 50 rings in each box. So if you are looking for a cute and colorful way to attach things together, visit your local Dollar Tree and pick up some Mini Magic Springs.