DIY Life

Every week, I eagerly look forward to Wednesdays and head over to Design*Sponge to see what has been created that day. Derek and Lauren never cease to amaze me, and this week is certainly no exception. Once again they have come up with an excellent DIY project.

A simple piece of wood, a clock mechanism kit, and a wood-burning tool are materials necessary in making this gorgeous little clock. Derek and Lauren provide complete and detailed instructions and pictures describing the process of putting the clock together.

Attracting birds to your yard can bring so much enjoyment. They are so much fun to watch, and my son loves naming the different types he sees at our birdfeeder -- goldfinch, robin, sparrow, blue jay....

We've shown you how to build a bird house with scrap wood; now I'll share some ideas on how to build a bird bath with materials you may have around the house.

You could use some chicken wire and cement for the bath part, some metal for the support post, and rocks for the edges, suggests Las Pilitas. Or how about an old cake pan, an old garbage can lid, or even a beat-up hubcap? If those are too crazy for you, a soft, flat rock or even a terra cotta pot's saucer will make an effective birdbath.

Has the summer bug bit you yet?

If it has, you may be itching to try a new outdoor activity. Hiking and biking may have become passe, so get yourself a skateboard and wheel off to enjoy the great outdoors.

Expert Village has created a skateboarding video series that will teach you the basics, like how to stand, push, and turn on your new board. When you are ready for the fancy moves, watch their videos on the Ollie tricks and how to skate on ramps.

Heck, as a self-proclaimed DIYer, you just may want to build yourself a skateboard ramp. There are lots of free ramp plans available on the internet, and wikiHow even gives you step-by-step instructions on how to build your ramp based on your own plans.

So fire up that enthusiasm for your new hobby and learn to skateboard in style!

There are many times when you need to drill a hole only so far -- and no deeper. Either it's a "break-through" issue, or you're doing some production holes that have to be the same equal depth. This is easy enough with a drill press fitted with a dial-in depth stop.

But what to do if you don't have a drill press, or just as bad, the workpiece won't fit in it? This can easily be the case with a tabletop drill press.

You just have to DIY. All you need is your hand-held drill, the proper drill bit, and a roll of tape: electrical tape, duct tape, or masking tape -- your choice.

Simply measure the depth of the desired hole from the tip of your drill bit, and make a couple of wraps of tape around the bit. When your drill bit is spinning, the tape will blur into a perfect line. All you have to do is drill slowly, and back off just as you approach it!

Cupcakes have come into vogue as a sweet alternative to the traditional wedding cake. No fussing with cutting the cake, and guests can choose from a variety of flavors. Besides that, a well-decorated cupcake is just plain adorable!

If you have a couple hundred guests, though, that's a couple hundred cupcakes, at least. Where on earth do you serve them? Cupcake stands are the norm, but generally these hold only a couple of dozen.

If you're an enterprising DIY bride, however, you might just want to craft a cupcake stand to beat all cupcake stands, and put a solid 375 cupcakes on the one, enormous tree! You could consider it the centerpiece to the reception hall!

My three-year-old loves playhouses. Even if it's really just a cardboard box that he can fit into, it qualifies as the coolest toy in the northern hemisphere.

In fact, we have finally found the right plans to fit our yard, and we plan on building a playhouse for our fanciful child soon. We were actually steering clear of themed playhouses, so that Owen could let his imagination run wild; knowing him, it will be everything from a firehouse to the Hall of Justice.

If you have a little one who adores Disney's many jungle-themed rides and movies, though, this may be just the playhouse for you to try building.

The birds are back. I know this, because every morning at 4:30, they sing me awake. Hundreds of them. It was cute at first, but now I am thinking I really need to stop sleeping with the windows open....

I jest, because I really do enjoy having a yard full of birds. Our bird feeder is crowded daily with goldfinches, robins, sparrows, chickadees, cardinals, and other species of feathered friends. The conservation land our house borders has special houses just for the bluebirds, which are always a spectacular sight.

You can build a bird house from scrap wood for your yard, and hopefully attract some of the fascinating and colorful birds pictured in the gallery. You'll need a hammer and nails, waterproof glue, scrap 1/2-inch and 1/4-inch plywood, and some dowels.

The step-by-step instructions at All Free Crafts are very clear and there is a helpful diagram included. A good tip they mention is to think about the size of the hole you make, as that will determine what type of birds you attract.

Happy hammering!

Summer is here, and about this time, you should be sending the kids off to summer camp. That means free time to get the house spruced up without little tykes underfoot. That doesn't mean lazing around on a hammock all summer, though; it really means getting out the paint brush.

If your stairs are looking beat up from constant foot thrashings, you can give them a makeover by painting a stair runner in vibrant colors that will be sure to have the kids tiptoeing around for a time. Domino says this is a project that will take you a few days, so it would be great to get started on the project this weekend, so you have extra time to let the paint dry between coats.

Over on AOL Decorating, the readers thought this was a huge waste of time, but I disagree. I think that the stairs look much more modern and cheerful with the red and white paint, instead of the drab, dreary wood. I also think that the paint is much safer than a carpet runner. My favorite color is green, so of course I would pick Hunter Green instead of red. What colors would you pick for your painted stair runner?