DIY Life

I am not a weed vigilante. I do not obsessively seek to control the weeds in my yard. "Live and let live" is usually my philosophy.

Some weeds, however, are just begging for a fight. They spread everywhere and are super-tough to eradicate. Crabgrass (Digitaria spp.) has to be one of the top weeds on most gardeners' lists. It's pretty harmless-looking, pretty even. But it spreads relentlessly by seed, taking over patches of lawn and spreading into garden beds.

Got a crabgrass problem? Check out the following tips and reign it in!

You're generally an eco-friendly sort. You try not to use that dryer much, and when you do, you cut your dryer sheets in half to make them go further.

It still rankles a bit that you then throw them right out, though, doesn't it? You could always make your own, re-usable dryer sheets, of course: they're far less expensive, less loaded with chemicals,and less wasteful.

What a concept! It's summertime and we've already got the sun's heat beating down outside, while the air conditioner struggles to keep up inside. Why make it worse by using the stove and oven? Kill two birds with one stone, by using the sun's heat to do the cooking outside!

This tip for a solar stove comes to us just in time from Craftster's "ladybuggins" -- it'll be almost 100 degrees here, and I'm hankerin' for some chili! Here's what you'll need:

• A cooking pot with a lid
• An auto windshield sun reflector
• A few clothes pins and...
• Plenty of sunshine!
  

First, curl the reflector around into a funnel shape and secure it with the clothes pins. Set it on the ground with the open funnel pointing upwards. Place the pot with the food in it down in the center, and the radiant energy will focus into the center of the parabola to cook the contents. Bon appetit!

I realize it is only July, but it is never too early to think about Christmas, or at least to get a head start on your decorating this year. If you are into recycling items some people would rather just throw away, then release the artist in you, and paint yourself some one-of-a-kind ornaments.

Since you probably throw away your old burned out light bulbs, I invite you to recycle them into handpainted Christmas ornaments, courtesy of Kraftykristen over on Craftster. Kristen cleans the bulbs with rubbing alcohol, uses acrylic paint to make a snowman, gingerbread man, or a Santa onto the bulb, and finishes up with an acrylic sealer.

Admit it; you spend a lot of quality time in your bathroom! We all do. Accordingly, it needs to look nice. And like any other part of the castle, the decor looks a little tired and dated after a while. What to do? Give the bathroom a face lift on a budget!

So, in this edition of PRS, we're going to look at some ideas on how to bring this area up to snuff without breaking the bank. Let's look at the walls first.

Lose the boring old wallpaper

That old wallpaper that once looked so stylin' now looks like something the cat dragged in. Out of style, a few stray crayon marks from the toddler days, and the steam-soaked seams are curling up like your mother-in-law's lips when she sneers at you. (I hope she's not reading this!)

(This post has been edited since publication to fix some broken links.)

Now that you are wrapping your sandwiches in an eco-friendly vinyl wrap, you can go a step further and carry those wrapped sandwiches in a neat woodgrain oilcloth lunch bag, courtesy of Derek and Lauren over at Design*Sponge.

To make the lunch bag, you'll need 1/2 yard woodgrain oilcloth, scissors, a sewing machine, thread, a ruler, and Velcro sticky dots. Derek and Lauren cut the pine woodgrain into three pieces, then sewed the pieces together. After turning the bag right side out, they attached the Velcro sticky dots, and the job was complete.

While many of the commenters like the oilcloth bag, a few think that the lunch bag really isn't eco-friendly at all. I think the bag is awful cute, and would argue the fact that if you use the bag every day, then it really is environmentally friendly, simply because you aren't using and tossing a paper bag every day.

One of the best parts about summer is outdoor dining. There is something so refreshing about eating outside under an umbrella, enjoying a fresh breeze and the scent of flowers in the air.

For all the pleasures it offers, though, eating outdoors does present a few problems. Sturdy plastic dishes and flatware are a must. And you are not too likely to leave your condiments out on the patio table throughout the hot days. This means many trips to the kitchen for napkins, extra forks and condiments.

Designsponge recently featured a clever, cheap, and super cute solution to help cut down on kitchen trips and make outdoor summer dining a bit easier and more stylish.

Mothering Magazine is my favorite publication these days. Partly because I have an all-consuming three-year-old, but mostly because of the message of empowerment it sends to parents: rely on yourselves, create your vision of parenting, and do it your own way. Talk about DIY parenting!

Mothering's website has a new article, 'Scents of Childhood,' that encourages parents to heal and soothe their kids using essential oils. If you read my Scentual Life column, you are beginning to understand the diversity and usefulness of essential oils and herbs. Now, put them to use to help your kids.

Some would say so. I became more convinced after I read an article expounding on 10 reasons to shave with a straight razor. The reason I was so interested is that I've been a cup 'n brush man since I was 17 years old. I won't say how many years it's been since then. I was forced to use the foaming goo in A.F. boot camp and hated it.

The 10 reasons are compelling:

1. Save money. I can relate; I use a Merkur safety razor. You know, the double-edged blade like gramps used? About a buck and a half for 10 blades.
2. Go green. It's true, why keep throwing away all that plastic?
3. Be a macho man. Or babe.
4. Pamper yourself. True, like using real shaving soap, you'll get a real shave, not a scrape job.
5. Get in on the ground floor. Like the man said, straight razors are on the cusp of cool!
6. Embrace danger. Are you bold enough after watching Sweeney Todd? Where's that jugular again?
7. Make new friends. Hey, if people can get together to make scrapbooks, they can get together to shave.
8. Take up a new hobby. Shaving as a hobby? Why not?
9. Learn a new trade. What, you've never fantasized about living the exciting life of a barber? Liar.
10. And (drum roll), channel your Grizzly Adams. Don't try to tackle that mane with a disposable razor!
    

[Via onlyknives]

(This post has been edited since publication to correct a photo error.)

I know, I know, you're hearing about the green movement everywhere, and it's even more prevalent now that the gas prices have risen sky-high. You want to do your part, but sometimes it's hard to know where to begin.

You want to start where it will do the most good and save you the most money, right? Green Home has put together a table that can help you figure out the best ways for you to go green.

I'm concerned about gasoline right now, as I drive a (smallish) SUV -- my next car is a hybrid, I promise! I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I could save over $2000.00 over the next five years if I just drive more slowly (under 60 m.p.h). Tell that to my lead foot, then join me after the break for more green money-saving tips.

So you're fed up with your monthly gas and electricity bill? Or you're building a new abode and you want to get off on the right track with controlling how much utility power you have to buy from an outside producer?

What you need are alternate sources of energy. There are several ways to do this and you're free to mix and match in order to reach your energy freedom goals. No, I'm not recommending that you do any strip mining for coal in your backyard or install a nuclear reactor. (Might be a good idea, though.)

Choices for alternative energy sources

When it comes to providing some or all of your own energy sources, you have options, and the viability of these will vary according to where you live. Live out on the open plains? You're a good candidate for windmill type power (wind energy).

At my house, we really try our best to live in an environmentally friendly way, for our health and the Earth's. We eat local, fresh food as much as we can, we never use chemicals on our lawn or plants, we don't clean the house with chemicals, and we have quite the raging compost pile.

It seems that we got a bit overzealous with the composting, in fact. Last fall, after carving a stunning Jack-o-lantern, we responsibly dumped the innards of the pumpkin into our composter.

Throughout the autumn, we had several pumpkins displayed on our walkway and stoop. When it was time to put up the Christmas decorations, we plopped the pumpkins in the composter. Follow me after the break; I'm going somewhere with this...

Green? I bet you thought red, white, and blue would be the appropriate colors for an Independence Day BBQ, not green.

Think again. Clearly, most people are interested in doing even little things to help keep their families healthy and preserve the environment in this age of toxins and pollution. Here are some things you can do to help while throwing a bang-up July Fourth party:

• Skip the plastic plates and cups. Go for anything recyclable or reusable, even bamboo.
• Natural gas grills pollute the air less than charcoal grills.
• Don't shoot off polluting fireworks at home. If you'd like to enjoy the big boomers, find a town celebration nearby.
• Serve up local, organic food, which causes less transportation pollution to the environment -- and your food will be super-fresh.
• Throw a potluck party to share resources.

You'll find more details on how to have a greener Independence Day in Greenzer's article. So fire up that barbie with a clear conscience!

Bikes. They're everywhere. Mountain bikes and road bike sales started trending up about a decade ago (thanks, Lance), and recently sales got an additional bump because of rising gas prices. Do you own one? If so, you're familiar with the expensive pricing structure at the bike shop.

You really should get a complete tune-up on a yearly basis. And if you do the work yourself, you can save bucks big time. This used to be a case of reading confusing manuals with substandard illustrations. But no more! At this excellent bike repair online resource, you can do it all.

The instructions are clearly written and the photos are well-done and informative. So get out the tool box, surf over there, and get started! This is a great time to replace a freewheel, adjust your brake calipers, or adjust a headset!

[via Lifehacker]