When you've finished stringing all of the flowers, adjust the placement of the first and last flowers so they're nested together, and then tie the ends of the string in a square knot. Leave the hanging ends of your knot in place until just before you present the lei this way you can hold it by these strings and avoid touching the flowers. Cut off the excess string and, if you like, add some curling ribbon for extra adornment. Now your lei is ready to be presented to its recipient! A lei can be worn more than once. Store it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator between uses to keep it fresh. Mist lightly with water to keep it hydrated.
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One-sentence summary -- Finish the lei.

You'll need some fake flowers from the craft store, green floral tape, wire cutters, and a pen (or however many you're looking to make!). If you're looking to make a bouquet or give a variety to different people, it's best to buy a bulk pack of cheap pens are your local dollar store. If your fake flower has a wire in it, use a wire cutter to clip it or it may be brittle enough to just wiggle back and forth and break. If there are leaves attached to the stem of your fake flower, you can cut them off with scissors or keep some for your desired effect. Leaves can easily be pulled off the main stem or cut off but be sure to leave a bit of stem at the end of the leaves if you plan on wrapping them back up into a bouquet. Before cutting the ink cartridge, measure how deep you want to place your flower stem and leaves. Using your wire cutters or sharp scissors, cut off about 1 inch from the ink cartridge (long enough for the flower stem to fit after it in the pen). Using green floral tape, make sure you wrap any leaves with your fake flower stem as tightly as possible to ensure that they will fit down the shaft of the pen. If you want to include a lot of leaves or the shaft of the pen is too small to fit the wrapped flower stem, you can also use the green floral tape to tape the flower stems outside the shaft of the pen. The green floral tape will be wrapped along the entire shaft regardless where you place the flower stems. Use scissors or the wire cutter to adjust the length of either the ink cartridge or flower stem. You may also place the tape flush against the pen as you wrap tape to bind them together. Hold the bottom of the pen to make sure your wrap is as snug as possible. Tape slowly and make sure to tape over the drop of the stem to create the illusion of a single stem. Keep a consistent wrap pattern as you make your way downward. Also, be sure to keep your wrap as tight as possible as you cover any sign of the pen shaft. If you have the time and skill, you may also attempt a pattern with your stem wrap. For example, you can create a zig zag or layers of parallel lines. Use double sided tape if you find that your floral tape is not sticky enough. You may leave space for your grip if you intend to use the pen for writing rather than display.
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One-sentence summary -- Gather your materials. Cut the flower stems to 1.5 inches. Take out the ink cartridge. Wrap any extra leaves with the stem of your fake flower. Put the ink cartridge back and stick the flower stem in after it. Starting at the top, near the flower, wrap the green tape around until you hit the tip of the pen.

Add about a half cup(120mL) of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfide) with equal parts hot water. This will create a saturated solution. A solution is considered saturated when no more solids can be dissolved into the liquid. Add a few drops of food coloring to the mixture if you want your crystals to have some color. Use a spoon to stir the mixture until the salt is dissolved. It should only take about a minute. If some of the salt crystals are left in the bottom it is still going to work so don't worry about it. Cooling the mixture rapidly will help the crystals form more quickly. Water dissolves more salt when the temperature of the water is higher because there is more space between each molecule. Since there is less room in cool water, the salt will revert back to a crystal form as it cools. The salt molecules will stick together, forming a pattern. This is how crystals occur. You should have a nice collection of crystal needles forming. You can scoop the crystal out with a spoon and take a closer look, or pour out the remaining liquid. The crystals will be very fragile, so handle them with care.
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One-sentence summary -- Combine the ingredients in the container. Stir the ingredients. Place the container in the refrigerator. Check back on the container after about 3 hours.

When you are writing about subjects like darkness, sadness, loneliness, and death, it can be hard not to fall into cliches and familiar language. A cliche is a description that has been so overused it has lost its meaning. Many readers will gloss over a cliche and/or question the poet's creativity when they come across a cliche. Avoid leaning on cliches in your writing and focus on creating more unique and unfamiliar ways of approaching darkness. Try to stay away from cliches like "dark as night", "lost and alone" or "so lonesome I could cry". Come up with more original descriptions and images in your poem, especially when you are addressing dark themes and elements. One way you can address cliches in your writing is to go over your poem and look for any familiar terms or phrases. You should then underline them and focus on replacing certain words or replacing the phrase so it is less familiar and feels more original. Make sure you are using sensory detail in your poem, as this will make the poem come alive and contain descriptions that are memorable. Think about how a moment looks, sounds, tastes, smells, or feels. Use all five senses to create detailed moments in your poem. For example, maybe you are writing a poem about your grandfather's death. You may focus on the smell of the white lilies at his grave or the gray, thin appearance of your grandfather in his casket. You may also describe the food you ate at his wake and the feeling of holding your grandmother's hand at the funeral. Literary devices like metaphor, simile, and rhyme can help to strengthen the language in your poem and add depth to your writing. Try to use literary devices strategically, especially in a shorter poem. Every line should not be full of metaphors or similes only. You should vary up how you use these literary devices so your poem still flows well and does not seem wordy or long-winded. For example, you may use a metaphor to describe the loneliness of standing in the girl's bathroom at school. You may write, "The stalls are blank eyes in the face of this room". Or, you may use a simile to describe the look and smell of the bathroom. You may write, "The floor is as slick as the surface of a lake" and "The sinks smell like rotten eggs". Some poets, such as Rossetti in "Song", also use rhyme in their dark poetry. Rhyme can be useful for adding some levity and lightness to a poem about heavy, dark subject matter. But it can also make your poem sound too sing-songy and silly. Use rhyme sparingly. Once you have written your first draft, you should read your poem out loud to yourself or to a sympathetic audience. Listen for any awkward phrases or words and highlight them. Ask the listener for feedback on your writing. You should also pay attention to any images that are confusing or lines that are not as strong as they could be. Make sure you are not using cliches in your writing. Your poem should use unfamiliar and interesting images and descriptions that are true to your style and voice. You should go back and edit the poem for clarity once you have read it out loud. Adjust any problem phrases or words you identified and make sure you are using strong, interesting language throughout the poem.
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One-sentence summary --
Avoid cliches. Add sensory detail. Use literary devices. Read your poem out loud.