Traditional dizis are made of bamboo, while historically, dizis and other flutes have been made from bone, jade or other stone, or pottery. Be sure to take into account being able to acquire and prepare the materials. Choose a piece of material that is about ¾” to 1” in diameter. Bamboo is the ideal material for a homemade dizi, as it is easy to acquire and easy to manufacture into a dizi. It is also lighter and will likely be easier to play, which is useful if you are a beginning player. Bamboo can come from a regular bamboo plant with any extraneous leaves removed, or you can repurpose another bamboo object, such as an old bamboo fishing rod. There are different strains of bamboo that can be used; purple bamboo is typically used in the northern regions of China, while white bamboo is typically used in southern China. The size of the flute will determine the musical key in which it plays. Flutes are typically available in the following keys (from longest to shortest): F, G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F and F#. A good length is approximately 18-20” long. Longer flutes may have an additional finger hole (the larger dizi has this), and they play lower octaves. Small flutes with higher octaves are smaller than 16”, while longer flutes are ideally 24-26” long. Choose ringed ends, capped ends, or no ends for the dizi. These will determine how long-lasting your flute is, as well as how susceptible to cracking or molding it may become. The materials for the capped or ringed ends, called ferrules, can be made of brass, bone, plastic or wood.  Ringed ends: Some flutes have a brass ring around the end. This helps the flute (especially those made of bamboo or other wood) from cracking. Moisture can get underneath the ring, however, and cause molding. These can also be installed on a flute that did not previously have a ring in order to stop a crack from getting bigger. Capped ends: These ends are often made from plastic, cow bone or horn. Flutes with capped ends typically make brighter tones. Moisture can get underneath the cap, however, and cause molding. No ends: You do not need to have any rings or caps on the end of your flute. Instead, you can paint the ends to add decoration, or you can leave them bare. However, bamboo flutes especially may be susceptible to cracking more easily than flutes with ringed or capped ends. Find the correct size of plastic or metal ring or cap to fit this diameter at a hardware store. If you are not using any ends, you can also opt to wrap string around the dizi to prevent cracking.
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One-sentence summary -- Select the type of material for the dizi’s body. Choose the size of your flute. Determine the style of ends for the dizi. Carefully measure the outside diameter of your flute body.


Some book clubs are mainly meant to be fun and relaxed. The book is discussed, but the literary discussion may not be very serious and in-depth. Other books clubs are more serious and highly academic. Choose what type of book club you’d like to have.  An academic book club would be more focused on aspects about the book such as meaning, plot, and character. A social book club would talk about the story and feelings about the story, but it wouldn’t be a problem if conversation got carried away from the book. You can focus on one literary genre, such as adult fiction, romance, or horror. Or, you can choose to read books from a variety of genres. Typically, however, it is a good idea to not mix genres too much so that the members will join knowing that they will be reading books they enjoy. Book clubs are typically held at meeting points, like homes, bookstores, or the local library. The meetings can change location every so often, but it is usually easier to keep them at one or a few regular locations. Contact the location to inquire about holding your book club there, or ask potential members if they could commit to hosting a club every so often. If a physical meeting point isn’t an option, you can also have an online book club. An online book club can be held on a chat room, social media application, or even through group video chats. An online meeting point is also a good option because it allows people from all over the world to join the club. If the meeting will be held at a physical location, consider how large or small you’d want your club to be. 8 to 16 members is a good number because it is not overwhelmingly large, but there will still be enough people for a meeting if a few members don’t show up.
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One-sentence summary -- Decide how academic or social your book club will be. Choose what type of books you’d like to read. Choose a location for your club. Go for an online club if you don’t have a location to meet. Decide how large you’d like your book club to be.


Choose a large decorative tray that's wide enough to hold your necklaces length-wise. Lay them out in a row in the tray, organizing by color or style as you go. The tray doesn't need to be made for jewelry. Try using a vintage serving tray, for instance. No matter where you buy jewelry, you often end up with small cardboard boxes. Use paperclips to attach them together. Set 2 bottoms side-by-side, and put the paperclip over the joined edges. Lay the boxes out in shallow drawer or tray. Place a necklace in each jewelry box. It's fine to let costume jewelry be out in the open, but you should protect more expensive jewelry from dust and damage. Place each necklace in its own jewelry box, and put the boxes away for safe keeping. You can also use jewelry boxes that have individual spaces for necklaces. Many of these are decorative and will look lovely sitting on a dresser or vanity.
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One-sentence summary --
Pick a decorative tray for an easy way to lay out necklaces. Organize necklaces in the cardboard boxes the jewelry came in. Hide more expensive pieces in individual jewelry boxes.