Americans call it a cellphone, the British call it a mobile, and the Chinese call it a shou ji (hand instrument). Whatever you call it, finding a convenient place to stash it while it's charging is a global problem. After all, more than 5.6 billion cellphones are in use worldwide. (If all of those phones were on a single bill, the total monthly usage would surpass 1 trillion minutes--or about 2 million years.)

My hand instrument sat on the kitchen counter while it was juicing up, right in the way of the toaster oven and in constant danger of getting juiced up by actual juice. To keep it safe and out of the way, I converted an empty plastic baby-shampoo bottle into a charging station. First, I trimmed the bottle down to a size that would hold both the phone and the charger, and then I cut out a hole for the plug, which in this case doubles as a wall hook--although you must make sure that the case rests atop the plastic charger and not the plug's metal prongs. Finally, I covered the container in stylish fabric so it goes with the rest of my glamorous kitchen.

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: 1 | CONSTRUCTION TIME: 1 hour

It's a simple cut-and-paste job.

Step 1: Roughly measure how tall you want your cellphone holder to be by holding your cellphone up against the bottle (you want just the top to peak out). At the best spot, draw a straight line across the front of the bottle. On the back of the bottle, curve the line upward and back down the other side. This will be the handle of the cellphone holder.

Step 2: Cut along the line you have drawn. Draw a square in the middle of the handle and cut out the plastic. This is where the plug of your charger will pass through.

Step 3: Tear off any labels and/or sand the surface of the bottle to remove any lettering. You don't want it to show through the fabric.

Step 4: Trim the fabric roughly down to size (make sure you have enough to cover the bottle plus some extra to be safe).

Step 5: With the foam brush, apply Mod Podge evenly all over the outside of the bottle. Stretch the fabric taut all around the sides of the bottle so it is wrinkle-free — this takes some work. Trace the bottom of the bottle on a leftover piece of fabric, and cut out the oval shape. Apply Mod Podge to the bottom of the holder and attach the piece of fabric. Apply another layer of Mod Podge on top of the fabric.Place the holder upside down on something narrow and sturdy, like a glass bottle, and allow it to dry for a few hours.

Step 6: Once it's dry, trim the fabric away from the edge of the handle and from around the hole in the middle of the handle.

Step 7: Put your cell phone inside, run the plug through the handle and plug into the wall. Make sure the holder is hanging from the insulated part of the plug and not touching the metal prongs.

Based on a project by Ashley Johnston at makeit-loveit.com.