DIY Life http://www.diylife.com DIY Life http://www.diylife.com/media/feedlogo.gif DIY Life http://www.diylife.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Cheap and easy: your next craft project, not your dream date, silly!http://www.diylife.com/2007/09/19/cheap-and-easy-your-next-craft-project-not-your-dream-date-si/http://www.diylife.com/2007/09/19/cheap-and-easy-your-next-craft-project-not-your-dream-date-si/http://www.diylife.com/2007/09/19/cheap-and-easy-your-next-craft-project-not-your-dream-date-si/#commentsFiled under: ,

Want to make a homemade gift for someone but you're short on time or money? Here's a quickie craft that doesn't require special skills or talent but yields an impressive finished product.

Materials:
  • Page Pebble stickers (found in craft stores and scrapbooking shops, available in different shapes and sizes)
  • Old magazines with interesting images
  • Magnets (no bigger than diameter of your Page Pebbles)
Tools:
  • Scissors
  • Glue gun
Time: 15 minutes

Steps:
  1. Troll for cool images in an old magazine you don't mind cutting up. I find that Wired is quite the treasure trove when it comes to colorful and unusual graphics. Of course, you can use other decorative paper, such as the fancy scrapbooking stuff or origami paper with pretty patterns. You can also adorn solid-color paper with stickers or doodlings.
  2. Peel off a Page Pebble, center it over your chosen image, and press. Page Pebbles rock because not only do they already have adhesive on them, but they're clear, so you can see how your image will be framed before you commit.
  3. Trim the rest of the page from around the edge of the Page Pebble with your scissors. Variation:
    You can use a paper punch in the same size and shape as your Page Pebbles, but then you have to punch the paper first and fuss with lining the Page Pebble up perfectly.
  4. Pop a magnet on the back using a glue gun. If you don't have one, you can probably use strong craft glue, but I can't vouch for how well that works. Depends on how mighty the pull of your magnets.
  5. Repeat until you run out of Page Pebbles or lose interest.

 

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]]>craftseasygiftgiftsmagazinemagazinesmagnetmagnetspaperquicksimpleShauna Swartz2007-09-19T11:00:00 00:00The Net's 50 best cookie recipeshttp://www.diylife.com/2007/09/06/the-nets-50-best-cookie-recipes/http://www.diylife.com/2007/09/06/the-nets-50-best-cookie-recipes/http://www.diylife.com/2007/09/06/the-nets-50-best-cookie-recipes/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Good morning, boys and girls! This post is brought to you by the letter C and the number 50. C is for cookie and 50 is for the 50 best cookie recipes on the Internet.

Trolling for recipes on the Internet can be dangerous, especially when it comes to baked goods. If an ingredient is inadvertently left out of a recipe, an adept cook can usually still stick the landing. But baking requires precision before creativity, so accepting cookie recipes from strangers is risky behavior. You're better off sticking to recipes that have been vetted by a trusted source - in this case, Marye Audet of Baking Delights, a Home & Dining Channel blog.

Some of the more unusual offerings among her 50 include:
  • Meyer lemon and black pepper cookies
  • White chocolate peppermint pistachio bars
  • Potato chip cookies drizzled with chocolate
  • Malted milk ball cookies
  • Earl Grey tea shortbread
  • Homemade graham crackers
  • Orange dark chocolate chip cookies
  • Whoopie pies
  • Chai tea cookies (But I must say, the redundancy of this last one drives me bonkers! Why are so many people unable to leave it at just chai? We don't say "pasta noodles," do we? Grrr.)
For those of you who wish every month were December, Marye is also posting a new make-ahead Christmas cookie recipe each week until the holiday. She already started her Christmas baking (and freezing) in August. So, what are you waiting for, slacker? Hop to it!

 

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]]>bakingChristmascookiecookiesdessertdessertsholidashholidayholidayssweetsweetsShauna Swartz2007-09-06T15:00:00 00:00Travel Smart: Cram More Stuff Into Less Spacehttp://www.diylife.com/2007/08/28/travel-smart-cram-more-stuff-into-less-space/http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/28/travel-smart-cram-more-stuff-into-less-space/http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/28/travel-smart-cram-more-stuff-into-less-space/#commentsFiled under: ,

The first key to efficient packing is reducing your load. Of course, it's always wise to check the weather reports for your destination so you won't bother hauling that bulky fleece if it's going to be 90 degrees. And, yeah, multi-purpose items are a great space-saver. Maybe you really don't mind using a shampoo that's also a shaving foam, or rockin' the pants with legs that zip off into shorts. We can even thank TSA for getting us all used to the idea of bite-sized toiletries with its nifty "3-1-1" decree.

But once you've done all you can to reduce the amount of stuff you have to fit into that suitcase, what else can you do to tame the heap of "essentials" mocking your lack of spatial intelligence?

Pack less air -- they have plenty wherever you're going
Not everything holds up well to rolling. Your dress shirts, for instance, might get a bit too wrinkly. Fold these as you normally would, then group them together in a large plastic bag, squeezing out as much air as possible before you seal it all the way. If you want to be fancy you can buy special compression bags designed for this purpose. They have one-way pressure valves that make it easy to chase out the excess air. But you can also just use one of those freaky big Ziplocs. Or better yet, reuse those zippered plastic bags that sheets sometimes come in. Either way, seal the bag almost completely then roll to eke out the last bits of air before you close it the rest of the way.

Join me after the jump for more packing tips.




These boots are made for stashing
Let no space go wasted. Packing one or more pairs of shoes? Stuff them with teeny things, like socks and undies. Of course, you want those clean y-fronts to stay clean, so place each shoe in its own plastic grocery bag first, using the excess bag to line the cavity where your foot normally goes. (Of course, this also keeps the cootied soles from defiling anything else in your suitcase.) You can even pack small electronics, like cameras and phone chargers, into socks that you then tuck inside your shoes -- saves space and provides some cushioning for breakable items.

Rock the roll
Your clothes will take up less luggage space if they're neatly rolled rather than simply folded. Note the word neatly. Fold in the sides and sleeves of that T-shirt as usual, but instead of then folding it in half, just roll it smoothly and tightly into a tidy taquito of a package. Do the same with pants, skirts, etc., and then distribute the rolls around the larger items (such as shoes) in your bag. They're especially handy for making use of the nooks and crevices at the ends and sides of a suitcase.

Happy trails!

 

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]]>bagbagsluggagepackpackingsuitcasetraveltriptripsShauna Swartz2007-08-28T10:00:00 00:00DIY diet: custom fit for success?http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/23/diy-diet-custom-fit-for-success/http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/23/diy-diet-custom-fit-for-success/http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/23/diy-diet-custom-fit-for-success/#commentsFiled under: , ,

According to Prevention magazine, "the most popular -- and successful -- diet today is the one we make up ourselves."

I suspect they're not talking about a donut and coffee grabbed on the way into the office, a rectangle of frozen food warmed in the lunchroom microwave, and a pizza ordered in at dinnertime and enjoyed with a chilled beer or two. I'm sure that's a popular eating plan, but I doubt it rates as successful unless we're measuring in terms of how realistically we can relive our bachelor days.

No, these guys are talking weight loss, and how to personalize nutritional lore to meet your own specific needs. To that end, they present informed, practical suggestions on how to devise your own diet consisting of healthy eating habits that will stick.

Not all of their recommendations will work for every person, but the idea is you take what suits you and leave what doesn't. So even if sticking gold stars in your diet journal for every serving of veggies isn't exactly something you find motivating, maybe their suggestion to "picture your plate as a clock and limit your carbs to the space between noon and 3 pm" is precisely the kind of portion-control advice that will work for you.

The central premise is that you're more likely to stick to a diet and reach your weight-loss goals if you adapt the rules to fit your life, as opposed to adapting your life to fit a set of rules. Makes sense to me, but have a look for yourself and tell me what you think.

 

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]]>dieteatinghealthnutritionweight lossShauna Swartz2007-08-23T16:00:00 00:00Waste less: in search of the greenest way to wrap a sandwichhttp://www.diylife.com/2007/08/23/waste-less-in-search-of-the-greenest-way-to-wrap-a-sandwich/http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/23/waste-less-in-search-of-the-greenest-way-to-wrap-a-sandwich/http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/23/waste-less-in-search-of-the-greenest-way-to-wrap-a-sandwich/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

When it comes to packing sandwiches, there all kinds of ecologically minded alternatives to baggies, foils, plastic and other disposable wraps. And they all have their drawbacks.

Those cool aluminum boxes, for instance, are kind of pricey. I'm a huge fan of traditional Indian tiffin carriers and Japanese bento boxes, but most don't provide a snug enough fit for a sandwich. There's always parchment paper, although it isn't exactly leak-proof. And while waxed paper bags that are "natural" (unbleached, non-toxic when incinerated, won't contaminate groundwater, etc.) are a convenient alternative, they aren't biodegradable -- and they're still disposable and therefore waste-generating. Most promising, there are high-tech food wraps that are edible, fortified with vitamins and minerals, and/or anti-microbial, but these aren't commercially available, as far as I know.

Oh, the agony!

I'd nearly given up when Jennifershmoo from Vegan Lunch Box turned me on to the Wrap-N-Mat, a reusable sandwich wrap made from a coated fabric that doubles as a placemat when it's unfolded. But the off-gassing smell she reports sounds more than just off-putting. Then along came one of her crafty readers to the rescue, suggesting a DIY version of the Wrap-N-Mat using PUL (polyurethane laminate) fabric that you can purchase to sew your own cloth diapers (so it's supposed to be leak-proof and non-toxic). Something I'm definitely going to try.

Do you have any good sandwich wrap solutions?

 

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]]>foodgreenlunchmatnon-toxicreusablesandwichslashfoodwrapShauna Swartz2007-08-23T10:00:00 00:00Exercise your mind: 12 ways to think differentlyhttp://www.diylife.com/2007/08/22/exercise-your-mind-12-ways-to-think-differently/http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/22/exercise-your-mind-12-ways-to-think-differently/http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/22/exercise-your-mind-12-ways-to-think-differently/#commentsFiled under:

For me, the phrase "think differently" immediately brings to mind that late '90s Apple marketing campaign featuring famously renegade thinkers. Next I think about how that slogan was actually "think different," rather than "think differently," and how it isn't as ungrammatical as it is grammatically unorthodox -- itself an instance of thinking different. And that's about as far as my slapdash noggin will go before flitting off to something equally inane but entirely unrelated.

Which just goes to show that I'm someone who could really benefit from "Twelve Ways to Think Differently," author/blogger Dave Pollard's essay on how to broaden your thinking.

Pollard refers to his 12 tips as "mental stretching techniques" that help you condition parts of your brain that probably aren't getting enough exercise. They're supposed to make you more creative as well as more understanding, and I'm all for that.

Some of his suggestions are very concrete: learn a new language, read/write fiction. Others less so: do "impulsive and serendipitous things," reconnect with your intuition. And one would make Timothy Leary proud but put Nancy Reagan's knickers in a twist. And if that's not enough to get you to take a look, you just might be beyond help.

 

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]]>AppledifferentmentalmindthinkthinkingthoughtthoughtsShauna Swartz2007-08-22T10:00:00 00:00Itching to etch? Make drinking glasses out of wine bottleshttp://www.diylife.com/2007/08/21/itching-to-etch-make-drinking-glasses-out-of-wine-bottles/http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/21/itching-to-etch-make-drinking-glasses-out-of-wine-bottles/http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/21/itching-to-etch-make-drinking-glasses-out-of-wine-bottles/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Finding new life for materials that would otherwise be headed for the city dump is always such a satisfying endeavor. It's recycling at its most instantly gratifying. Plus, people come up with such clever repurposing projects. Case in point: this slightly dangerous Instructable on turning a wine bottle into a drinking glass.

This project requires some specialized equipment, but what better excuse to acquire some new tools? For starters, you'll need a bottle cutter, which you can purchase new for less than $30 and used for considerably less. (The clever being responsible for this Instructable, fstedle, recommends getting a cutter with a metal frame rather than plastic.)

The priciest parts you'll need are a rotary tool with a grinding bit and drum-sanding attachments. You might also want to invest in some etching cream and glass stencils to decorate your glasses (fstedle suggests initials, and you also can find stencils for all kinds of decorative designs). Bottles, of course, you can get for free from wine-guzzling friends, relatives and neighbors. Oh, and don't forget a mask! There's nothing good about inhaling ground glass.

On the other, um, hand, if you prefer things you can make with no tools other than your own lovely mitts, try this Instructable (more like a Destructable) on how to break a beer bottle with your bare manos. Not as functional but such good fun!

 

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]]>bottleetchingglassrecyclingShauna Swartz2007-08-21T17:30:00 00:00Slice like a pro: off-label uses for truffle shavershttp://www.diylife.com/2007/08/20/slice-like-a-pro-off-label-uses-for-truffle-shavers/http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/20/slice-like-a-pro-off-label-uses-for-truffle-shavers/http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/20/slice-like-a-pro-off-label-uses-for-truffle-shavers/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

You might not have the knife skills of an Iron Chef, but don't let that crush your dreams of ever managing those paper-thin slices of garlic you've seen clinging to the linguine in swanky restaurants. And you don't even need a pricey mandoline slicer to pull it off. All it takes is a simple kitchen tool designed for shaving truffles that happens to work wonders on other foods as well. Formally known as a tagliatartufi, luckily this device is much easier to use than pronounce.

But before you go Googling "tagliatartufi," or even the less expensive-sounding "truffle shaver," be prepared for prices as high as you'd expect for something meant for use with rare fungi that have been sniffed out by specially trained sows in the forests of Italy. It's not unusual for specialty shops to list them around $35, and some cost upwards of $60.

Here's a little tip: When called a "chocolate shaver," the same little puppy will set you back a mere 7 to 10 bucks. And it certainly works wonders for coaxing delicate curls from a hunk of dark chocolate to sprinkle on cakes and other desserts.

Most truffle shavers are adjustable so you can determine the thickness of the slices. Tighten it up and you can quickly turn a clove of garlic into dozens of wispy slivers that will make even simple soup and pasta dishes look glitzy. It's definitely easier than chopping, and the results are so much more impressive. Try sprucing up your salads with a topping of ultra-thin slices of garlic or shallots that you've fried till crispy in a small amount of olive oil.
Other stuff ripe for the slicing:
  • Mushrooms -- Not just the posh, dried, imported kind this nifty little contraption is designed for. Adjust it for thicker cuts and use it to quickly get perfect, even slices from an unassuming button mushroom.
  • Radishes -- Now you can get them ultra thin even if you don't own (or don't want to bother dirtying) a food processor. Same goes for fennel and cucumbers and carrots and celery... You get the idea.
  • Chiles -- Delicate slices not only look good, but help distribute the heat more evenly throughout a dish.
  • Ginger -- This fibrous root is not the easiest thing to slice, but if you peel a hunk of it and run it against your truffle shaver along the grain, you can then easily cut these slices into thin matchsticks with a knife (again, working along the grain rather than against it). Excellent in stir-fries.
  • Limes -- Paper-thin citrus... slices floating in water... an elegant touch (and a bad haiku).
  • Cheese -- Unlike your average cheese slicer, a truffle shaver enables you to determine the thickness of your slices. Plus, it's the perfect tool for getting wide shavings of hard cheeses, such as parmesan and asiago. You can sometimes use a vegetable peeler instead, but that would be too narrow if you're working with a big hunk of cheese.

 

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]]>chocolatecookcookingslicetrufflevegetableveggiesShauna Swartz2007-08-20T12:00:00 00:00Mind-blowing origami: Make a baby hedgehoghttp://www.diylife.com/2007/08/17/mind-blowing-origami-make-a-baby-hedgehog/http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/17/mind-blowing-origami-make-a-baby-hedgehog/http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/17/mind-blowing-origami-make-a-baby-hedgehog/#commentsFiled under: ,

Just when I thought I was pretty good at origami, I saw this and realized my efforts only amount to a faint crease in the vast art of paper folding:


In a small suburb of Paris, Eric Joisel creates works of staggering origami genius that really are heartbreakingly beautiful. Note to Tolkien fans: don't miss the hobbits and dwarves in the "faeries" section of his website.

It's hard to believe he creates each of these 3D paper sculptures with a single sheet of paper, but the guy is legit. He does make an exception to the single-sheet rule for his musician series: the musicians' instruments are made from a separate piece of paper.

In case you want to give it a go, he provides instructions on how to make a baby hedgehog, a design that took him more than five years to develop. Let's just say it's not for novices. For now I'm content to simply gaze on with envy and awe.

 

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]]>Eric JoiselEricJoiselfoldingorigamipaperShauna Swartz2007-08-17T10:00:00 00:00Make Your Own Church Signs Without Even Leaving Your Seathttp://www.diylife.com/2007/08/15/make-your-own-church-signs-without-even-leaving-your-seat/http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/15/make-your-own-church-signs-without-even-leaving-your-seat/http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/15/make-your-own-church-signs-without-even-leaving-your-seat/#commentsFiled under: ,

Have you ever harbored delusions of church-sign grandeur? Unless it's legitimately your job to slap a message onto the ministry marquee, you'd either need a lot of chutzpah or halfway decent Photoshop skills to get your message onto one of those bad boys. Until now.

The Church Sign Generator provides the nifty medium so you can focus your energies on the message. Just select one of five designs (which appear to be photos of actual church signs), type in your own text and viola! Your divine creation manifests itself on screen. The site says it's yours to save, send or post wherever you please. If you're particularly pleased with your own work, you can pay for the image you designed to be printed on a magnet, a trucker hat or even a beer stein.

Much like the Church Sign Generator's creator -- Ryland Sanders of Austin, Texas -- I've often gotten a kick out of (often inadvertently) funny church signs. Nothing cracks me up like a good typo, but sometimes I can't help but snicker even at the groan-worthy, corny ones. For a while I lived near one that read:

BEEN TO CH RCH LATELY?
THE ONLY THING MISSING IS U!

Some of my other favorites:

FEELING FAR FROM GOD?
GUESS WHO MOVED?

DON'T LET WORRY KILL YOU.
LET THE CHURCH HELP.

SIGN MAKER ON VACATION.
COME INSIDE FOR MESSAGE.

Feeling inspired yet?

Via seattlepi.com

 

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]]>sign, signs, church, churches, religion, bloopersSign,Signs,Church,Churches,Religion,BloopersShauna Swartz2007-08-15T08:00:00 00:00