Dab some rubbing alcohol on a clean rag and gently wipe the surface of your leather chair to clean it before you begin the repair process. Be careful not to rub too vigorously or to use more potent cleaning materials as this could discolor your leather or further damage it. Push the nose of your glue dispenser inside the crack of the ripped leather and apply the glue to the underneath side of the tear on both sides. Make sure to get as little glue as possible on the visible outer surface. If the tear is very small, you may need to apply the glue with a cotton swab or toothpick to make sure you can insert it in the ripped area and apply it to the back side of the tear. Holding your hands firmly on the leather material, push the 2 ripped edges together so that they are touching and push down against the leather backing. This will connect the 2 sides together and glue them to the leather backing for more support. Be sure to wipe up any excess glue with a clean rag or paper towel so that it does not dry in place. In order to blend the dried glue into the surface of the leather, you'll need to sand it very gently. Use a 320-grit piece of sandpaper and rub it softly over the surface of the tear. You should continue sanding until there is no obvious sign of the adhesive bubbling out from the rip and no cracks in the surface of the leather. Be sure to sand in the direction of the tear (if it's a rip, not a circular hole). Commence the sanding as soon as you glue the pieces together so that the glue doesn't have time to fully dry. This will help the finished product look more natural, as you'll have to sand less vigorously than if there were big splotches of hardened glue to sand down. Use a sponge or clean rag to apply some leather finish to the repaired rip in the leather. Carefully dip the sponge (or rag) into the top of the leather finish canister until it is covered with a thin layer, but not dripping. Dab a thin layer of the leather finish onto the surface of the leather. It's important that you let the first coat of the leather finish dry completely before moving on to the second layer. It will typically take about 2 hours for each layer to dry completely. Use a hairdryer on the lowest setting to speed up the drying time. Direct the heat at the surface of the leather for 5 minutes or less at a time. You will probably need a half dozen or more layers of leather finish before the repaired portion begins to blend with the rest of the leather chair. Be sure each previous coat is completely dry before starting on the next coat. The finish acts as a protective seal for the leather, much like stain on hardwood floors. Applying several layers of finish will help protect the surface of the leather and make your repair last longer.

Summary: Wash the torn area with rubbing alcohol and a clean rag. Apply furniture glue to the bottom side of the torn leather. Push the ripped sides together. Sand the surface of the leather and the adhesive glue gently. Dab the first coat of leather finish on with a sponge. Let the leather finish dry completely before moving on. Apply several layers of leather finish, letting each layer dry in between.

Use a piece of rebar (a steel bar commonly used as a tension device to reinforce concrete) to break the bamboo's internal nodes. This is done by shoving the rebar in and out of the bamboo pole on one end, then the other. You should end up with a hollow tube. Vapor builds up during the application of heat to the bamboo pole. In order to let the vapor escape, it is recommended that you drill a few holes at the nodes. Take your torch and begin applying heat to the pole with the flame, continually moving from the widest part of the bamboo, to the thinnest. The heat should be above boiling temperature. This achieves two things: The heat coloring of the bamboo. Application of the heat acts as a stain on the bamboo and gives it a warm, coffee color. The lignin and pectin in the bamboo becomes soft and pliable allowing you to more easily mold the bamboo. Using a wet rag, sweep down the bamboo pole, wiping moisture over surface. Test the flexibility of the bamboo by bending the pole slightly. It should give fairly easily. Hit the bamboo with the side of your hand or the side of the small shovel to move the sand all the way to the bottom of the pole. The sand stabilizes the bamboo so the walls do not buckle when you bend it. Dig a hole in firm earth that is 6"-8" deep and slightly larger than the circumference of the pole. Holding it firmly for leverage, you are now ready to shape the pole. Begin by torching the pole again. Concentrate on the area you wish to bend, and keep the flame moving. Periodically wipe the pole with a wet rag. The water prevents the bamboo from drying out and becoming brittle. Dried bamboo can break or split easily. As you work the pole with the torch, begin to bend the bamboo pole into your desired shape. Repeat torching, bending, and dampening until you finesse the bamboo into the desired shape. This may take time. It is at this point that bamboo often splits, due to all of the stress it is under. The more time you take shaping the bamboo gradually, the less chance you have of splitting your pole. These larger poles are used primarily for furniture, but can also be made into a variety of crafts.

Summary: Hollow out your bamboo poles. Drill some vapor holes. Heat your bamboo. Check the bamboo for flexibility. Plug one end of your bamboo and fill it with fine sand. Prepare to bend the bamboo pole. Enjoy your newly-bent, heat-colored bamboo pole!

A good memoir isn't a life story; it's a peek into a time in your life when you had genuine feeling, a genuine experience. Try to keep your memoir to a narrow focus on one time period or aspect in your life, ultimately drilling home a larger message. If written well, this one topic or time you went through will become universal and all audiences will be able to relate. Start thinking of writable material. What's something you can't deny? What or who did you leave behind? What's something you did that you no longer understand? What are you sorry you never did? What physical characteristic are you proud to pass on? When did you unexpectedly feel compassion? What do you have too much of? When did you know you were in trouble? They will bring to mind the experiences you could write about. If possible, go to the scene and relive the events in your mind. Just because you can't remember it off-hand doesn't mean you shouldn't write about it. Memoirs are all about self-exploration and there's more to you than just you, after all. You are the places you go, the people you love, and the things you have, too. This is one moment when your mind should be playing second fiddle to your heart. And if the emotions are scary, nonsensical, painful, or downright terrifying, all the better. Bringing these to the surface will help you stay in the moment and write with passion, purpose, and clarity. If a train of thought gets close to a nerve, don't close the doors and draw the curtains. If you stop, your writing will go flat and you'll end up dancing around subjects. Take your mind to a place it may not want to go. Hiding behind those first thoughts may be something worth knowing, worth writing about. Listen to music that can metaphorically take you back in time or noticeably changes your mood. Anything that stirs your emotions and allows your mind to be absorbed back into that moment can shed light on the past. This not only gives you one or two hours a week to get mindfully organized, but it allows your writing to be organic and creative and not the therapy itself. A memoir is not to find closure, it's to be shared with others, to expose a bit of yourself. It's totally normal to feel like you're going crazy. Digging around your old emotions will surely bring them to life and make them feel real. All you have to do, then, is write them down on paper and soak in the catharsis. You may even find that the story is writing itself and the conclusion you never even saw coming is looming right in front of you.
Summary: Start narrowing it down. Pull out old pictures, diaries, and objects of nostalgia. Allow your emotions to flow. Give therapy a shot.