By Harrison Greenbaum

Magic stores sell high quality props that work under almost any conditions. However, there are some tricks that can be made or modified at home. Here's a list of some things you might want to try:

- Purchase "Touch-A-Bubbles" from Club Earth. Go to a flower store and get a clear planting stone (they're the size of a thumbnail, approximately) or by a small, clear marble.
To do the trick, palm the clear marble and blow some bubbles with the solution. Catch a marble on the hand of the finger not palming the clear marble. As you reach for the real bubble with the other hand (with the palmed clear marble), pop the bubble and grasp the clear marble. Done quickly and smoothly, it should appear that a blown bubble became solid!

* You might ask, "How come I can't just use regular bubbles?"  Actually you can, but it is A LOT harder. "Touch-A-Bubbles" won't pop when caught (they are made of some sort of plastic solution). This solution is sold with the clear marble at magic stores for about $15. "Making" it yourself, it would only cost you about $4 and you get a lot more bubble solution.

- After you are done with your floss, don't throw out the little plastic box! If you have invisible string or thread (not the ITR), open the floss and remove the spool on which the floss was. Wrap as much invisible string around this spool as you would like. After you are done, place the spool back in the floss, push an eighth of an inch of the thread through the top, and close the floss up. You now have an invisible thread dispenser!

- Take an old deck of cards. Remove four cards: the Ace of Hearts, the Ace of Diamonds, the Queen of Spades, and the Joker. Cut the Queen of Spades and afix tape on to right side of the card so that half hangs unstuck (see diagram below). Bend the tape in and attach to the Ace of Hearts.

Now you are ready to perform! Slide the Joker under the flap and place the Ace of Diamonds on top so that you are holding what appears to be a fan of three cards: the two Aces and the Queen. Turn them over and remove the middle card and place the aces on either side, remembering which card was the gimmicked card. Pick up the two aces and cover the flap with the Ace of Diamonds. Turn over the Joker. An instant change!

* You could use a "three-card-monte" routine if you wish.