| How to Organize Magazines Posted: 10 Feb 2020 04:00 PM PST You can display magazines in your bedroom, bathroom, or living room. Neatly stack them into a pile or store them in bins, crates, or baskets. Or, create long-term storage by utilizing file holders. In addition, you can cut out helpful information from magazines you may not need to save and organize them in a binder for future use. Be sure to recycle issues you don't need! [Edit]Displaying Current Magazines - Store your issues under a table or entertainment unit for easy access. You can place the magazines you are currently reading or some of your favorite issues in easy-to-reach locations. Stack 3-6 issues in 1 neat pile, and place the pile on the shelf of your entertainment unit or coffee table. You can leave out 1 stack or a couple, depending on how many magazines you want to feature.[1]
- Alternatively, you can place the magazines on top of your coffee table as well.
- You can also place your stacked magazines on end tables in your living room or bedroom.
- Arrange your magazines in decorative bins or crates if you'd like. For a relaxed, rustic look, you can use wooden crates to house your magazines. Bins and crates are also made out of plastic or paper materials, if you prefer other varieties. Neatly stack your magazines so the spines are visible, and place several in your bin to fill it up.[2]
- The number of magazines in your bins will vary depending on your bin size and magazine thickness. You should be able to fit many magazines in 1 bin.
- You can also use milk crates for magazine storage.
- Home your magazines in decorative baskets for an inviting option. Baskets are great touches to nearly any room, and they can store quite the number of magazines as well. Buy a few magazines and place collections of issues in each basket. Place them on shelves in your living room, next to your bedroom end table, in your bathroom next to your sink, or next to your entertainment unit.[3]
- If you'd like, you can add a wooden label to the outside of your basket.
- Place your magazines on a ladder or shutter to utilize vertical space. You can set an antique wooden ladder in your bedroom, or paint over an old shutter and place it in your living room. Then, open your magazine to the middle and place the pages around the steps or grooves so they hang from the spine.[4]
- This adds a cozy, rustic feeling to your room, and you can still easily pick up and read an issue.
- You can also try hanging a bucket from your wall and placing your magazines inside of it.
- Try magazine storage bins for an easy solution. Nowadays, there are countless variations of the traditional magazine storage bin. You can select a modern style, vintage look, or standard variation. Purchase 1 that matches your style and will fit most of your magazines.
- You can place your magazine bin in your living room, basement, or bedroom.
[Edit]Storing Your Magazines Long-Term - Sort through your magazines and decide which to keep, recycle, or clip. Keep the magazines you collect or want to reread at a later time. Set aside magazines with helpful information to come back to later. Then, recycle any magazines you no longer need.[5]
- This will eliminate extra clutter from your home so your magazines will be organized and easy to access!
- Arrange your magazines alphabetically to easily locate issues. If you prefer to keep things organized in alphabetical order, then arrange your issues by title so the magazines that start with "A" are on the left side, and the magazines starting with "Z" are on the right. Then, place your magazines in their appropriate place in between.
- Organize your magazines based on theme to group hobbies together. If you have many magazines on the same subject, such as scrapbooking, cooking, or bodybuilding, then organize them categorically.
- For example, if you are looking for a new recipe for dinner, you can easily go to the "Cooking" section and locate an issue.
- Place your magazines into file holders. File holders are small boxes or racks that allow you to display files, or in the case, magazines, vertically. After you choose your organizational method, put your magazines into the holders accordingly. You can fit 8-12 magazines in a standard file holder, depending on the thickness of your copies.[6]
- For example, if you have many craft magazines and you want to organize them thematically, put all your craft magazines in the same holder.
- Label each file holder with a marker, sticker, or a label maker. After you place all of your magazines in their respective holders, you should label them so you can easily locate individual issues. Write the name of the magazine, and include the issue numbers if you'd like.
- You can write directly onto your magazine holders with a permanent marker, or use sticker labels and adhere them to the front of your holders.
- If you want to use a label maker, turn on your machine and type in the title of your label, such as "Animals." Then press "Print" to create your label. Peel off the backing and stick your label onto your file holder.
- Line up the file holders on a bookcase or in a closet. You can situate the file holders anywhere you like. Keeping them on a bookcase is a great way to keep them organized and easily accessible. You could also store them in closet, on shelves, or even in a storage area like a basement or attic.
[Edit]Organizing Your Magazine Clippings - Skim through magazines and cut out information you want to save. As you sort through your magazines, flip through the pages and look for neat pictures, interesting quotes and stories, or inspiring recipes. When you find something worth saving, trim it off the page using a pair of scissors.[7]
- Repeat this for all the magazines you are skimming through. That way you are salvaging the helpful information.
- Make sure you only trim information worth saving and that you will reference again. You don't want to end up with a surplus of unnecessary clippings to organize!
- Store your magazine clips in labeled file folders as temporary storage. As you go through your magazines and trim out sections, place your clippings in paper file folders. Use a marker to label the tabs on your folders to keep organized as you go.[8]
- For example, write on your folder's tab things like "Recipes," "Christmas," or "Summer time."
- Alternatively, you can use a label maker to mark your folders.
- Store your clippings in a 3-ring binder for long-term storage. After you've gone through your magazines and trimmed out pages worth saving, place your clippings in plastic sheet protectors. Do this for all of your clippings, and then insert your sheet protectors into a 3-ring binder. In addition, you can use divider tabs to section off your sheet protectors.[9]
- Label your binders for particular categories such as "Holidays," "Home," or "Kids."
- Use either a marker or a label maker to name your dividers.
[Edit]Expert Advice If you're having trouble deciding whether or not to keep your magazines, consider: - Back issues of magazines are typically available online, so you can still access the information later if you want.
- Old magazines are typically not considered valuable collectibles because so many people keep them.
- Tech or business-related magazines are likely out of date if they're more than a year old.
- Stacks of newspapers and magazines generate a lot of heat as they decompose, which can cause them to spontaneously combust.
- Try customizing your magazine holders by covering them in scrapbook paper or cardstock!
[Edit]References |
| How to Air Fry Vegetables Posted: 10 Feb 2020 08:00 AM PST Air fryers have gained a lot of popularity in recent years, in large part because they allow you to cook crisp, delicious vegetables without having to deep-fry them in oil. Even better, most air fryer frozen vegetable recipes are very similar, no matter what veggies you choose. You can even make crispy air fryer vegetable chips that are perfect for guilt-free snacking! [Edit]Ingredients [Edit]Fresh or Frozen Veggies - of vegetables (potatoes, carrots, squash, broccoli, etc)
- of olive or vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp (1.5 g) of salt
- 1/4 tsp (0.5 g) of black pepper
- Your choice of other seasonings (optional)
Makes 4 servings [Edit]Vegetable Chips - of your choice of veggies
- of oil
- 3/4 tsp (4.5 g) of salt
- 1/4 tsp (0.5 g) of black pepper
- Your choice of seasonings (optional)
Makes 4 servings [Edit]Air-Frying Fresh or Frozen Veggies - Turn the air fryer to . If you'd like, you can play around a little with the temperature of your air fryer for cooking vegetables, but in general, a temp of about will work for air-frying vegetables. However, if you find your food is cooking a little too fast, you can bump the temperature down to about , and just add 1-2 minutes to the cooking time if it's needed.[1]
- One advantage of using an air fryer over a conventional oven is that an air fryer preheats very quickly, so you can wait to preheat it until about 3-5 minutes before you're ready to cook.
- Start with about of your favorite vegetables. You can cook almost any veggie you can imagine in your air fryer, from potatoes, carrots, and yams to broccoli, peppers, and zucchini. You can air fry frozen vegetables, as well. Just open the bag and pour them into a bowl to season them, then cook the same way as fresh veggies.[2]
- Air-frying veggies is quick and healthy, so this is perfect for a weeknight side dish, or even an afternoon snack!
- Peel and cut larger veggies into pieces. If you're cooking a larger vegetable like potatoes, sweet potatoes, or squash, you'll likely need to cut them into bite-sized pieces. If you want to remove the skin, place the edge of a knife or a vegetable peeler at the top of the food you're preparing, then drag it firmly down to slice away the peel, if you'd like. Then, place your veggies on a sturdy cutting board and cut them into cubes, sticks, or slices—whatever shape you prefer![3]
- For instance, you might slice carrots into rounds, while you might cut a sweet potato into large cubes.
- Don't cut the vegetables too thin. If you're cooking potatoes, for instance, you might dice them or cut them into French fries or steak fries, but shoestring cuts will tend to burn quickly in an air fryer.
- If you're working with smaller vegetables, like baby carrots, brussels sprouts, or broccoli, or if you want to serve the vegetables whole, like carrots or ears of corn, you don't have to cut them.[4]
- Toss your vegetables in oil and your choice of seasonings. Place your sliced veggies in a large bowl and pour in about of olive or vegetable oil. Sprinkle in 1/4 tsp (1.5 g) of salt and 1/4 tsp (0.5 g) of pepper, or whatever seasonings you want to use. Then, gently toss the vegetables in the bowl to coat them evenly.[5]
- Choose seasonings that will complement the dish you're making! For instance, if you're serving your veggies alongside lasagna, you might use 1/4 tsp (1.5 g) of salt and 1/2 tsp (7 g) of Italian seasoning.
- If you're serving grilled hamburgers or ribs, you might mix 1/2 tsp (1.5 g) of salt and 1/2 tsp (0.9 g) of smoked paprika and sprinkle the mixture on the vegetables.
- Consider how the seasoning will go with the vegetable you're eating, as well. For instance, if you're making sweet potatoes, you might sprinkle them with brown sugar and cinnamon for a sweet treat, or you might use salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne if you'd prefer a more savory side.
- Place the veggies in a single layer in your air fryer basket. Slide the basket out of your air fryer and shake in some of your vegetables. Spread them across the bottom of the basket. Depending on the size of your vegetable pieces and your air fryer basket, you'll probably need to split them into 2 batches.[6]
- If you overcrowd the basket, your vegetables won't crisp up properly or evenly.
- Cook the veggies for 10-20 minutes, shaking the basket every 5 minutes. As you saute the vegetables in the air fryer, give them a good shake every 5 minutes or so. That will help ensure that they cook more evenly.[7]
- Thicker, denser veggies, like potatoes, carrots, and Brussels sprouts will take longer to cook. Soft or thin vegetables, like asparagus or bell peppers, will cook faster. Also, the larger you cut your veggies, the longer they'll take to cook.
- Check the vegetables frequently as they near the end of their cooking time, as they can go from just-done to overcooked quickly. When the veggies are browned and tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork, they're ready to come out of the air fryer.[8]
- Enjoy your air-fried vegetables while they're hot. Try to plan your meal so that the veggies will be ready at about the same time as the rest of your food. They'll taste their best fresh out of the air fryer. However, if you're making multiple batches, cover the first batch tightly to keep them warm while the next batch finishes.
[Edit]Making Vegetable Chips - Preheat the air fryer to . Find the temperature setting on your air fryer and start heating it to a few minutes before you plan to start cooking. An air fryer only needs about 5 minutes to pre-heat, but letting it come up to temperature first will help ensure that you get consistent results, even if you're making multiple batches of veggie chips.[9]
- Slice of potatoes or veggies into rounds. If you want to make vegetable chips, you'll need to cut very thin slices of your chosen veggie. Use a knife and a cutting board to carefully slice the vegetables into pieces, or run them along a mandoline placed on the thinnest setting.[10]
- Some vegetables that you could use to make chips include zucchini, squash, beets, sweet potato, and carrots.
- You can also make kale chips in an air fryer—just cut the leaves off of the stalk instead of chopping them.[11]
- Place the slices in a single layer on the air fryer tray. Once you get your vegetables cut, lay the slices in your air fryer basket or tray. Try not to overlap them, since they'll cook more evenly if they're in a single layer.[12]
- Work in small batches if you're making a lot of chips.
- Cook at for 25-30 minutes, shaking every 5 minutes. Turn on your air fryer and set the temperature to . Then, place the basket in the air fryer and set the timer to about 25 minutes. Every 5 minutes or so, lift the basket and shake it back and forth to shift the chips around. This will help ensure the chips crisp evenly.[13]
- Thinner, more delicate vegetables, like kale chips, might only need 7-10 minutes.
- Check the chips frequently near the end of the cooking time. During the last 5 minutes or so, keep a close eye on your vegetable chips. Once they get crispy, the edges can start to burn easily, so you'll want to pull them out right away once the chips appear to be thoroughly cooked.[14]
- The chips should have a relatively uniform toasty color when they're ready.
- Toss your chips in a bowl with oil and seasoning. After they're finished cooking, transfer your veggie chips to a bowl, then add about of canola or vegetable oil, along with seasonings like salt and pepper. Gently shake the bowl to coat the chips evenly, then serve and enjoy![15]
- For a simple, tasty treat, season the chips with 3/4 tsp (4.5 g) of salt and 1/4 tsp (0.5 g) of black pepper.
- If you love the cool tangy flavor of ranch, try shaking on 1 tsp (2 g) of ranch powder.
- Make craveable savory chips by mixing 1/4 tsp (1.5 g) of salt, 1/8 tsp (0.25 g) of garlic powder, and (5 g) of grated parmesan.
[Edit]Things You'll Need [Edit]Fresh Veggies - Air fryer
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Bowl
[Edit]Vegetable Chips - Air fryer
- Knife and cutting board or mandoline
- Bowl
[Edit]References |
| How to Identify Raw Diamonds Posted: 10 Feb 2020 12:00 AM PST Diamonds which have not yet been cut are referred to as 'rough' or 'raw' diamonds. To identify whether the stone you have is a diamond, you can do a quick visual evaluation to rule out other gemstones. From there, you'll want to perform a more precise test with a piece of corundum or an electronic diamond tester. You can also perform a gravity test to determine the specific gravity of the stone, which will tell you whether it is a diamond. [Edit]Performing Simple Tests at Home - Look down at the top of the crystal and count the sides. Diamonds are cubic, while other similar stones like quartz are hexagonal. Look down at the point of the crystal and count the number of sides. If there are 4 sides, there's a possibility the crystal is a diamond. If there are 6 sides, it means that it's likely a quartz crystal.[1]
- The visual test is a quick way to rule out other gemstones but is not a definitive test.
- If you see 4 sides in the crystal, use additional methods to verify that it is, in fact, a diamond.
- Scrape the crystal against a piece of corundum. Corundum is another kind of crystal that's slightly less hard than a diamond. Purchase a cheap piece of corundum or buy a mineral testing kit that includes corundum. Hold the corundum firmly against a table and scrape the suspected diamond against the corundum. If it creates a visible scratch, the crystal is a diamond. If it doesn't create a scratch, then it is a different mineral.[2]
- The Mohs Hardness Scale scientifically rates crystals by hardness. Diamonds are a 10 on the scale while corundum is rated a 9. This is why it creates a scratch when you rub the two crystals together.
- Use a diamond tester instead of using a scratch test. You can purchase a diamond tester online. Check the device to see if it has a full battery by making sure that the green light is on. Then, press the tip of the tester against the suspected diamond. If it makes a noise and lights up, the mineral is a diamond. If it doesn't, then it is a different kind of gemstone.[3]
- Diamond testers use thermal and electric conductivity to determine whether your gemstone is a diamond.
- Cheaper diamond testing devices may not be as accurate as more expensive models. #*Read customer reviews before you make your purchase.
[Edit]Performing a Specific Gravity Test - Weigh the crystal on an electric scale and record the weight. You can purchase an electric scale online. Place the stone on the top of your scale and record the weight on a piece of paper.[4]
- Some electric scales are more accurate than others. Find one that goes at least 2-3 decimal places after the whole number.
- Fill up a cup with water and zero the scale. Take a paper or plastic cup and fill it up with enough water to fully submerge your crystal. Then, place the cup with the water on the scale and hit "tare" to zero it out.[5]
- Zeroing out the scale will enable you to determine the specific gravity of the diamond without including the weight of the cup and water.
- If you don't have a plastic cup, you can also use lightweight Tupperware or plastic bowl.
- Make sure that the container doesn't hang off the edges of the scale.
- Wrap a paper clip around the crystal so you can hold it in the air. To determine the stone's specific gravity, it must be suspended in the water without sinking to the bottom or touching the sides of the cup. Completely unbend a paper clip, then wrap one end tightly around the widest part of the stone. Suspend the stone by picking up the other end of the paper clip.[6]
- Submerge the entire crystal in the water and record the weight. Hold onto the end of the paper clip and dip the crystal into the cup of water, making sure not to hit the sides or the bottom of the cup. Record the weight on the same piece of paper that you used to record the stone's weight.[7]
- If you hit the bottom or sides of the cup, the scale will give you an inaccurate reading.
- The weight of the tip of the paperclip is negligible.
- Divide the weight of the crystal by the weight of the crystal in water. If you divide the weight of the gem with the weight of the suspended gem in water, you'll get the gem's density. Diamonds have a density of 3.5 - 3.53 g/cm3. If the results are less than this number, you have a different gemstone. If the number is close to this figure, there's a good chance your stone is a diamond.[8]
- For example, if your stone weighed and the weight of the suspended gem was you'd get 2.625, which would be the approximate density of quartz, not diamonds.[9]
- Determine whether the specific gravity falls in the 3.5 - 3.53 g/cm3 range. You may have a diamond if your equation gives you a number within the range of 3.5 - 3.53g/cm3. For example, if your stone weighs and the weight of the stone suspended in water is , you would calculate /=3.51 g/cm3. This would verify that the density of the stone you have matches the density of diamonds.
- If you determine that you do have a diamond, you can get it appraised by a professional jeweler.
[Edit]Doing More Advanced Tests - Determine whether the diamond was found near kimberlite pipes. Kimberlite pipes are igneous stones, or stones that formed from molten magma, and can found under the surface of the soil. Naturally occurring diamonds are mostly found in these kimberlite pipe deposits. If your crystal was originally sourced from a kimberlite pipe, there's a greater likelihood that it is a diamond rather than another stone.[10]
- Use a telescope or 10x loupe to examine the stone closer. A loupe is a special magnifying glass that jewelers use. Put the diamond under the loupe or microscope and look for rounded edges that have tiny indented triangles. Cubic diamonds, on the other hand, will have parallelograms or rotated squares. A real raw diamond should also appear like it has a coat of vaseline over it.[11]
- Cut diamonds will have sharp edges.
- Take the diamond to a professional for evaluation if you're still unsure. If you performed the tests and suspect that you have a diamond, take it to get graded and verified by a professional jeweler to ensure its authenticity. They can also obtain a letter of authenticity and specific report number through GIA or another diamond grading organization.[12]
- Getting your crystal professionally evaluated is the most definitive way to determine whether it is a diamond.
[Edit]Things You'll Need [Edit]Verifying a Raw Diamond [Edit]Performing a Specific Gravity Test - Electric scale
- Cup
- Water
- Paper
- Pencil or pen
- Calculator
[Edit]Doing More Advanced Tests [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
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