Making rope out of coconut fiber in India

I was continuously impressed by the resourcefulness of the Indian people. They don't let anything go to waste, including discarded coconut shells. If you let them dry out in the sun they make a fibers like this.

Then they loosen the fiber up and get it prepped for the spinning wheel. A women skillfully feeds the fibers into the wheel which then made some very strong and useful rope. I saw this type of rope being used everywhere including holding many of their structures together.

Now I wonder if there is anything laying around in my yard that I could make rope out of?

DIY Gift Wrapping Idea for Musicians

Actually I think non-musicians could appreciate it as well. I made this for my roomate. Happy Birthday Hannah!


I got this idea while packing up calendars for my etsy customers. I ususally wrap twine around the package a few times and thats when I got the idea to wrap the twine around 5 times to make a musical staff. This is a great way to personalize gift wrap. Here is how I made it.

1. Use a ruler to draw the 5 equally spaced lines (use a pencil so you can erase later) on the wrapping paper. This will be a guide for where to place your notes. Mine were about 1 cm apart but this will change depending on how big your gift is.

2. Find the sheet music via the internet for the song you want to feature.

3. Draw the notes onto the package.

4. Erase the pencil guides

5. Wrap the twine around the present so the lines are in just the right spot. Then tie a knot on the back to secure the twine in place.

If anyone decides to try this project out I would love to see pics!