4 Ways to Use a Tool Tote (Other Than for Tools)

Keeping things organized is important when you live in an apartment is imperative! Small spaces call for getting creative with your storage. Sometimes giant plastic crates aren’t going to get the job done. That’s where tool totes come in. These multipurpose tool carriers don’t have to be used just for tools. They can be utilized by everyone: kids, crafters, car enthusiasts. Check out how the folks at Apartment Therapy use theirs. Do you have anything that you use for things other than its intended purpose? Let us know on the Facebook page.


My dad recently gave me this tool tote and, organizing fanatic that I am, I immediately started looking beyond its intended use and wondering what unexpected uses I could come up with. This little thing is handier than you might think, so read on for four uses, as well as some suggestions for similar totes, in case the red and black look isn't your thing...


Kids' Tote: Keep the things that keep your child entertained handy. Because of it's portability, a tool tote is easy to take with you or to keep in the car, and the pockets are great for all the odds-and-ends that kids adore.

Some sample items to keep in the tote:

• books
• stickers
• pencils and markers
• coloring books
• earphones
• iPad or other electronic device
• small toys
• card games
• snacks
• construction paper
• stuffed animals

Craft Tote: Stash everything related to your latest project in this tote so that it's easily to handle. When I lived in a studio apartment, I used a similar tote as my mobile "craft room." It kept me from acquiring too many crafty things, but it also kept all my items organized and accessible for whenever inspiration struck. Plus, everything is easily packed up again, so your coffee table isn't perpetually strewn with yarn and paper.

Some sample items to keep in the tote:

• filing folders filled with decorative papers
• yarn
• knitting needles
• embroidery hoops
• sewing needles
• scissors
• glue gun
• glues
• craft paint
• threads
• hole punches
• stamps
• ribbon
• markers
• sketch pad

Car kit: In case of emergencies, having a designated tote means that necessary items are close at hand. Consider adding daily essentials like parking passes and a phone charger in addition to emergency items like jumper cables and a tire iron. The whole kit is easily moved from the backseat to the trunk and vice versa.

Some sample items to keep in the tote:

• jumper cables
• flashlight
• maps
• cleaning wipes
• Tide stain pen (in case of an in-car eating mishap)
• a bottle of water
• granola bars, dried fruit, or nuts
• parking passes
• a pen and notebook
• an umbrella
• flat tire emergency spray
• an ice scraper
• bungee cords
• a tire iron
• first-aid kit
• extra chargers for electronics

A Bill-Paying/ Office Caddy: Tool totes are handy for corralling the things that you need every month when you spread out to tackle the bills. Even if you pay your bills online, having important papers and mailing supplies at the ready can be handy. Plus, in a really small space, this could serve as "mobile office", filled with all the supplies you need and easily stowed in a closet or a cabinet.

Some sample items to keep in the tote:

• File folders for receipts and bills (keep separate ones for bills that need to be paid, bills that have been paid, or bills that need to be filed elsewhere)
• calculator
• pens
• envelopes
• stamps
• checkbook
• letter opener
• scissors
• computer screen wipes
• a notebook and pen

I used a small sewing caddy from the dollar store to corral things like push pens, rubber bands, Post-it flags, staples, and the like

Oh, and of course you could use it for tools. Any other alternate ideas?

Summer's Best Music Fest Takes Over the Streets

This past Sunday saw the streets of State College turned into a music festival. From local bands to bands from across the country, there was something there for everyone. Kids had a place to go in the Kids Zone, there was so much food to try and music to sample; it was endless fun for everyone! Were you there? What was your favorite musical act of the day? Let us know on the Facebook. Read more at StateCollege.com.


Downtown State College was unrecognizable on Saturday as the Summer's Best Music Fest took over town for the day.

Streets that are normally clear, save for the cars that frequent them, were transformed into outdoor music venues.

Five stages were dropped into town, featuring artists from the county, state, and throughout the nation, showcasing performers who came from near and far. From the music scene to a Kids Zone to a pig roast, there was no shortage of activity in town as the festival raged on.

State College resident Ben Varner set up a folding tailgate chair on Locust Lane for The Boomers, a Johnstown-based classic rock trio that played favorites like "Spirit in the Sky" and "December, 1963." But as much as Varner enjoyed the music, he was more interested in watching people.

"This is great weather for the festival and it keeps you young being around all these young people out there," he says. "The music is good and you can just walk around and watch people."

And while Varner and his wife waited for Jackie Brown & The Gill Street band, one of the couple's favorite bands, he kept soaking in the crowd downtown.

"My wife has been doing some shopping," he says. "For me, if I’m not listening to music, I’m watching people."

Just down the street, on Calder Way, a large crowd gathered to watch Eric Ian Farmer. The State College-based singer and songwriter played a mix of covers and originals, strumming his acoustic guitar, accompanied by an accordion player and a drummer.

"He’s passionate. He’s in it. And you can see it in everything," says Nayib Felix, who watched the entire set.

It wasn't just Felix who enjoyed Farmer's performance. The entire audience seemed to be loving the music.

"People liked it. A lot of people were really into it," Felix says. "Infants were even dancing. They were like three months old and they were twerking."

Kyler Sherman-Wilkins, another festival attendee who caught Farmer's set, provided some insight into what got the crowd excited.

"I like how lost he got in his music," he says. "He just has his eyes closed. And then after the song is over he blinks a couple of times and gets back into the real world."

In that real world, something special was happening in downtown State College. The streets were filled with music and smiling people and plenty of activity.

"It brings people together," Felix says of Summer's Best. "I just talked to a woman that I never would have talked to in my life if I hadn’t come here. I spilled something on her, but still, I spoke to her."

Sherman-Wilkins was happy to see the town showcase some local artists in addition to the bigger acts, like country singer Jo Dee Messina, who played at the festival.

"It shows that State College has culture, because some people don’t think it does," he says. "It’s really important. You have these people you know from the community and interact with on an everyday basis, and then you get to come out to events like this and get to see their creative side as well."

Canoe Susquehanna

If you’ve lived in Pennsylvania your entire life but you haven’t travelled down any of its rivers, then you are not living life to the fullest! Canoe Susquehanna wants to give you that experience. To learn more about how you can take a canoe trip down the Susquehanna head to State College’s website.


Just as the Susquehanna River has helped shape Pennsylvania’s landscape, it has also helped shape the commonwealth’s culture. Its name adorns banks, universities and counties, while its majestic body covers nearly 500 miles on its way to the sea.

Betsy Quant, one of the founders of Canoe Susquehanna, says that she’s often heard customers say that they’ve lived in Pennsylvania for decades without ever venturing onto the river’s tranquil waters.

“We’ve had folks say that they’ve crossed over the river on bridges over and over while living in the valley,” Quant says. “When they finally get on the river with us, they’re so delighted and they say, ‘we wish we’d done this years ago.’”

Canoe Susquehanna is a “family business” run by Quant, her husband and their sons. She says their goal is to create “a seamless blend of learning and just having fun” while they guide public and private trips on both the north and west branches of the Susquehanna.

Based about an hour away from State College in Lewisburg, Canoe Susquehanna offers kayak and canoe rides for anyone interested in experiencing this major Pennsylvanian landmark, regardless of age or boating skill. Having already served riders ranging from two to 93 years old (and everything in between), Quant says the trip is great for the whole family.

“Our trips have always been for both beginners and the more advanced, and we’ve maintained that for forty years,” she says. “We don’t just rent you the boats, either – we go out with you on the water and make sure you have the best time you possibly can.”

Public trips are typically held once a weekend, and require at least one day’s notice so the staff can prepare the necessary boats and equipment. Private trips are also offered, which Quant says are perfect for company retreats and other organizations. Having taken trips with groups ranging from just a couple people to over 80, Quant says Canoe Susquehanna is the perfect destination for families of any size.

“One of things that makes us interesting is that our trips are always in a different location,” Quant says. “We repeat ourselves maybe three times a season for public trips.”

Quant says as they rotate through their various trips, they cover long stretches of the river’s north and west branches – offering a unique perspective on central Pennsylvania and the “geologic, environmental and human history” of the Susquehanna River.

For more information, visit PaddleHappy.com or call (570) 524-7692.

Do's and Don'ts of Summer Courses

Summer courses are a great way to try and get ahead in your college career. Get that pesky public speaking requirement out of the way. Good for you! Before you start, make sure you take a look at these do’s and don’t’s of taking summer classes from Straighter Line.


This summer, invest in yourself by taking online college classes to earn college credit. By taking your summer college courses online, you can learn anywhere, anytime – and at your own pace.

Here are the essential do’s and don’ts of taking summer college courses:

DO -
Consider the flexibility and convenience that online summer courses offer a busy college student. Even if your summer plans include a job, you can still keep a full work schedule when you take classes online.

Online college courses give you the freedom to study any time of the day or night. By taking online courses this summer, you can start whenever you want and complete your required college courses at your own pace – allowing you to fit your summer academic goals within the confines of your work, family or social calendar.

"With the online revolution in education, there’s no reason to pay name brand prices for generic courses when store brands will suffice."

Want to see how it works? Take two free lessons on us today!

DON'T -
Assume that you are too busy to make academic progress during the summer. You’ll find that online college courses allow you to hunker down and move through material when you have time, and back off when you don’t.

Tip: Keep this process going, and over the course of a few weeks or months, you may be surprised by how many college courses you have successfully completed and how many college credits you have managed to earn at ultra affordable prices.

DO -
Complete required general education courses or prerequisites for your major by taking online classes this summer. With the online revolution in education, there’s no reason to pay name brand prices for generic courses when store brands will suffice.

DON'T -
Take online college classes without verifying first if the school to which you’d like to transfer will accept those college courses for full academic credit. While many colleges and universities do accept ACE Credit recommended courses for transfer, not all of them do.

Tip: It’s your job to verify that your school will accept ACE Credit recommended courses for transfer – and get it in writing to avoid any hassles later on. High quality online college course providers will have Student Advisors who can help guide you through this process.

"You can conveniently take college courses for credit online that are equal to or above the required standards at on-campus colleges and universities."

DO -
Take advantage of the low cost structure of online college course providers. These days, you can start taking college courses online for as little as $99 per month through StraighterLine and earn fully transferrable college credit.

Remember to check if your college accepts ACE transfer credits. Since over 2,000 colleges and universities do, there’s a good chance yours does as well. (And of course, if you’re taking courses at StraighterLine, those courses are guaranteed to transfer to partner colleges.)

Tip: The more ultra affordable courses you take online through low cost college course providers, the more you save on your degree.

DON'T -
Confuse the quality of learning outcomes with price.

You can take college courses for credit online that are equal to or above the required standards at on-campus colleges and universities – and save thousands towards your degree - even more when you factor in the average annual cost of tuition, room, and board is $14,300 at a public institution and $37,800 at private ones, according to the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Tip: Many accredited colleges and universities, in fact, have transfer agreements with online college course providers, community colleges, and international schools that are based exclusively on learning outcomes. These degree programs are part of the competency-based education movement.

DO -
Take online college courses you were prevented from taking at your current college due to over-subscription issues or because life got in the way. Due to budget cuts, many colleges and universities are being forced to “ration” some of their most popular and/or required courses.

DON'T -
Delay your graduation just because you don’t have access to a required course or had to withdraw. Consider this: online summer college classes don’t fill up and don’t have quotas.

Tip: With online college courses, you can quickly and affordably take the courses you need this summer, transfer the credits back to your college or university, get back on track to earn your diploma on time – and avoid a mountain of student debt.

Do you have experience with earning college credit over the summer? What are your favorite tips for taking online courses?

#Creamery150: Celebrating 150 Years of Icy Treats

You could choose The Penn State Berkey Creamery’s next ice cream flavor! Starting this weekend a social media contest will be held to determine the newest flavor. To celebrate their 150 year anniversary, they will be holding all sorts of festivities this week and for the rest of the year. Make sure you use #Creamery150 to celebrate the excitement. For more information check out Penn State News.


The Penn State Berkey Creamery is celebrating 150 years of service and will kick off anniversary festivities Sunday, May 24.

Memorial Day weekend will mark the launch of a social media contest, allowing fans to select the Creamery’s special anniversary flavor, as well as the unveiling of designs celebrating the sweet occasion.

“The Creamery’s dairy plant has been in continual operation since Civil War veterans returned to Centre County in 1865,” said Tom Palchak, manager of University Creamery Services. “We're excited to reflect on 150 years of memories, and look forward to Penn State students, friends and families selecting the ice cream flavor to help us celebrate."

Fans will be able to vote for their favorite from among three celebration-themed flavors through Penn State's Facebook, Twitter (@penn_state) andInstagram (@pennstate). The voting starts on May 24 when the flavors will be announced via social media; the most popular flavor will be sold at the Creamery, debuting at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in July. The hashtag #Creamery150 will be used for contest updates, Creamery trivia, and for Penn Staters to share their stories through social media. A contest to name the flavor will launch later this summer.

Anniversary graphics, which will appear on promotional items throughout the year, will be on display for the first time May 24.

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has teamed with the Creamery to offer events and activities throughout 2015 to celebrate 150 years of dairy production and food science advancements. Promotions include a limited edition Flavor Passport, coming in July, that gives Creamery patrons the chance to track all the flavors they’ve tried; the launch of the new http://creamery.psu.edu website later this summer; an attempt to break the Creamery’s record for most cones and bowls sold during Arts Fest; ice cream socials organized by the college; and an exhibit of Creamery artifacts in the University Libraries from August to December.

In 1865, the first Creamery was established inside a barn on campus, producing and selling dairy products such as fresh milk and cheese. It wasn’t until 1920 that the Creamery added ice cream to the menu. The Creamery moved to its current location on Curtain Road on Sept. 29, 2006. Notable visitors range from Bill Clinton to Martha Stewart and, most recently, Jeff Gordon.

For more information on Berkey Creamery, visit http://creamery.psu.edu/.

Get the Most Out of Your Summer Vacation

Summer break is upon us! That means it’s time to kick back and relax and forget everything you learned this semester. Right? Wrong! Get the most out of your summer vacay by getting involved! Put your best foot forward for your future. These tips from Hack College will help you get the most out of your summer vacation.

If there’s one thing you’re going to miss most of all once you graduate from college, it’s probably going to be your summers off. Even though plenty of us take classes or work, there’s nothing like having a nice three-month break from monotony every year, so you might as well take advantage of it while you have the chance.

There are plenty of different ways to spend your summer vacation, depending on what kind of summer person you are, so here are a few of the ways to make your summer valuable and more memorable!
Making Connections

We don’t really want to think about making connections and planning our future when we’ve got a three-month break from reality; but we should. We can take this opportunity to really shine in our jobs or just in relation to our various connections.

Professionals love eager undergraduates — mostly because college students provide bored professionals with an awesome ego boost. Finding somebody to give you an internship or to be your mentor can be the difference between McDonald’s and Merrill Lynch when you start searching for that first job. Take a little time to connect with your friends’ parents at BBQs, or with your professors at end-of-semester and summer events, and you might have a job before you graduate.

Related: LinkedIn for College Students: The Importance of a Professional Online Presence
Extracurricular Activities

There are no excuses for not working out during the summer. You don’t have 12-page papers and all-nighters. You have beautiful morning weather and plenty of time to nap. Now is the perfect time to join that Flag Football League, or the Half Marathon Training Group.

You can get a buddy to do it with you and then make plenty of friends along the way. It’s a great way to burn off some of those extra beers from the previous semester and a fun way to stay active!
Traveling the World

You see those people who had the extra cash to spend a semester in Europe or Spring Break in Mexico, but you know what? It’s possible for you too! Now is the time when you really want to get a few solid weeks of epic traveling in. It willteach you so much about yourself along the way.

If you want to take a week at Lake Havasu instead, go right ahead, but if you can swing the plane ticket, you should get as far away from your home country as possible and really experience life in another country. Grab friends for a two-week vacation in Southeast Asia, or join some sort of exchange or study abroad program in Europe. With student discounts and exchange programs, you’ll never get the opportunity to travel so cheaply again!

Related: 7 Unconventional Ways To Save Money While Traveling
Volunteering

This can go hand-in-hand with the traveling, or you can do it in your own community on Saturday mornings, but volunteering is an excellent addition to your summer holiday. It might be an early weekend day here and there, or you might have to do some unpleasant work, but it will reward both your mind and your resume. We all spend time donating canned food during the holidays, but what about summer?

There are plenty of children and adults who need help all year, so grab Costco-sized cans of soup, fruit, or vegetables, and see if your local pantry could use some help this Saturday afternoon.
Catching Up

If you go to school far from your hometown, this might be a good time to decide which location you prefer. Some of us never return after leaving for college, while others spend every spare break with their high school friends.

Your summers are a good time to figure out where you might want to make connections and find a job after college. It’s also a good time to catch up with your oldest friends and introduce them to your newest ones!

Finals Week: Studying Tips

Finals week is upon us! If you’re still trying to squeeze some last minute studying in you’re probably burned out. These tips will help you get the most out of the limited amount of time left for studying. For more tips check out Greatist. Good luck on finals!

1. Study when sleepy

Bedtime stories are for wimps. Instead of reading The Berenstein Bears, try studying for a few minutes right before hitting the hay. During sleep, the brainstrengthens new memories, so there’s a good chance we’ll remember whatever we review right before dozing off . (Just try not to bring work into the actual bed, since it can make it harder to get a good night’s sleep.) And though bedtime is primo study time, it might also help to crack open the books after cracking open those eyes in the A.M.—in the morning, the brain still has lots of room to absorb new information.
2. Space it out

A relatively new learning technique called “spaced repetition” involves breaking up information into small chunks and reviewing them consistently over a long period of time. So don’t try to memorize the entire periodic table in one sitting—instead, learn a few rows every day and review each lesson before starting anything new.
3. Tell a tale

Turning the details you need to remember into a crazy story helps make the information more meaningful. For example, remember the order of mathematic operationsPEMDAS this way: Philip (P) wanted to eat (E) his friend Mary (M) but he died (D) from arsenic (AS) poisoning.
4. Move your butt

Research suggests studying the same stuff in a different place every day makes us less likely to forget that information. That’s because, every time we move around (from the library to the coffee shop, or the coffee shop to the toilet seat), we force the brain to form new associations with the same material so it becomes a stronger memory.
5. Switch it up

Don’t stick to one topic; instead, study a bunch ofdifferent material in one sitting. This technique helps prepare us to use the right strategy for finding the solution to a problem. For example, doing a bunch of division problems in a row means every time we approach a problem, we know it’ll require some division. But doing a series of problems that require multiplication, division, or addition means we have to stop and think about which strategy is best.
6. Put yourself to the test

Quizzing ourselves may be one of the best ways toprepare for the real deal. And don’t worry about breaking a sweat while trying to remember the name of the 37th U.S. president (fyi, it’s Nixon): The harder it is to remember a piece of information in practice mode, the more likely we are to remember it in the future.
7. Write it out

Put those third-grade penmanship lessons to good use.Research suggests we store information more securely when we write it out by hand than when we type it. Start by recopying the most important notes from the semester onto a new sheet of paper.
8. Make me wanna shout

Reading information out loud means mentally storing it in two ways: seeing it and hearing it . We just can’t guarantee you won’t get thrown out of the library.
Stay Focused
9. Come together (right now)

Group work doesn’t fly with everyone, but for those who benefit from a little team effort, a study group’s the way to go. Pick a few studious pals and get together every few days to review the material. Put one person in charge of delegating tasks (snack duty, music selection) and keeping the group on target with its goals.
10. Treat yo’ self!

A healthy holiday cookie, a walk around the block, five minutes of tweet-time: whatever floats your boat. Knowing there’s a little reward waiting for us at the end of just a few pages makes it easier to beat procrastination while slogging through a semester’s worth of notes.
11. Drink up

Sorry, not that kind of drink. Instead, hit the local coffee shop for something caffeine-filled; there’s lots of research suggesting coffee (and tea) keeps us alert, especially when nothing seems more exciting than the shiny gum wrapper on the library floor .
12. Take a time out

Taking time to plan is one of the most important skills a student can have. Don’t just start the week with the vague goal of studying for a history exam—instead, break up that goal into smaller tasks. Pencil it in on the calendar like a regular class: For example, allot every day from 1 to 3 p.m. to review 50 years’ worth of info.
13. Gimme a break

The KitKat guys said it, and so does science: Taking regular breaks can boost productivity and improve our ability to focus on a single task . For a real productivity boost, step away from the screen and break a sweat during a midday gym sesh.
14. Work it out

Get stronger and brainier at the same time. Research has found just half an hour of aerobic exercise can improve our brain-processing speed and other important cognitive abilities. Jog a few laps around the block and see if you don’t come back with a few more IQ points.
15. Daaaance to the music

As anyone who’s ever relied on Rihanna to make it through an all-night study session knows, music can help beat stress. And while everyone’s got a different tune preference, classical music in particular has been shown to reduce anxiety and tension. So give those biology notes a soundtrack and feel at least some of the stress slide away.
16. Nix the ’net

We’ve all been there, facing the siren call of a friend’s Facebook wall on the eve of a giant exam. If a computer’s necessary for studying, try an app (such asthis one) that blocks the Internet for a short period of time and see how much more you get done.
17. Say om

Just before staring at a piece of paper for three hours, stare at a wall for three minutes. Research suggests meditation can reduce anxiety and boost attention span. While those studies focus mostly on regular meditation, there’s no harm in trying it out for a few minutes to calm pre-test jitters .
18. Doze off

When there’s a textbook full of equations to memorize, it can be tempting to stay up all night committing them to memory (or trying to). But all-nighters rarely lead to an automatic A—in fact, they’ve been linked to impaired cognitive performance and greater sensitivity to stress . In the days leading up to a big exam, aim to get those seven to nine hours a night so sleep deprivation doesn’t undo all the hard work you’ve put in.
19. Own the Omegas

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in certain fish, nuts, and olive oil, are known for their brain-boosting potential. One study found that eating a combination of Omega-3-and Omega-6 fatty acids before an exam actually reduced test anxiety .
20. Feel free to inhale

Dusty old library again… or spa day? Research has found that catching a whiff of essential oils (like rosemary or lavender) can help calm students down before a big exam . Skip the frantic last-minute review and try a few minutes of aromatherapy instead.
21. Practice your brain pose

Hardcore yogis tend to have better cognitive abilities—especially attention span—than folks less familiar with Down Dog . A few daily sun salutations may be all it takes to keep centered during finals period.
22. Learn what works

Some people are early birds; some are night owls; some prefer to study with a pal; others need complete and total silence. Experiment to find what’s most effective for you, and then stick with it!