The following Instructable was created during a middle-school innovations class. The design challenge: to find a way to make use of empty and discarded film holders for the Instax Mini 8 Camera.

Some students elected to store their photos in a "deck" - using the empty film holder to hold the exposed film. I thought that was pretty good. The following is another solution.

Step 1: Introduction

To check that this Instructable is for you, answer the following two questions:

Do you have an Instax Mini camera?
Do you spend all your money on film, only to discover you have a pile of empty film trays you don't know what to do with, and you can't really recycle?

This is life in my classroom, maybe it is life in yours as well? Next time you open up the back to change film, consider the following steps.

Step 2: Take Out the Film

It's not hard. Just press the tab and remove the film case.

Step 3: Find Old Business Cards

I'm almost embarassed I had these old cards still sitting around, but they served a purpose in the moment that my students and I were looking for something we could do with these old cases.

You'll notice, a standard business card will slide in, but won't seem to fit perfectly. Don't fret! I have a solution...

Step 4: Bend the Cards... But Just a Little.

Like a magician prepares to shuffle, just bend the cards slightly and they should drop inside no problem.

Step 5: Impress Your Friends

I don't have any friends to impress, per se, but my Jr. High Students were reasonably attentive.

On the back of the film canister is a slot for your fingers. You'll find it helps to press up on the back of the card holder while simultaneously pushing with your thumb. There is a slot with black "tape" over it that feeds out the cards one by one.