DIY Life

The arrival of Chirp magazine is a happy day in our house. Each month, we pore over the pages of stories, games, and activities. With every issue, there is at least one project that we just have to try. This month, Chirp has us making Bug Snacks.

All you need are some pieces of dried fruit, and a handful of toothpicks. Let your children experiment, making different creepy-crawlies and other creations. This is one kids' activity that you won't just want to supervise; dig in and make some snacks of your own.

We started out making bugs, but with my Kiddie Crafters as creative directors, the possibilities were endless. Check out the gallery to see what we made, then follow me through the break for more ideas.

You're standing there staring at the ruins of your hard drive. What used to be a fully-functional piece of technological goodness is now, thanks to that bowl of applesauce your toddler just dumped in there, a very expensive paperweight.

You can take it in to some data-retrieval experts, of course, but if you find that the thing is truly irretrievable, all is not lost! Apartment Therapy's tech site, Unpluggd, has a simple way to put your old friend to new use.

Remove the hard drive, scoop out its guts, pop off the casing. Attach a couple of hinges on one side, and you now have a storage compartment... the secret book for the 21st Century!

Back when I was writing about all the things you can do with one yard of fabric, I found that for many projects, a yard of material was actually too much. There are scads of things you can make using only fabric scraps, leftover from other projects.

This is good news for those of us who save everything, but really don't have a place for it all... so pull out those bags of fabric scraps and start sewing! Some of these projects make great gifts; you'll be customizing your gift for your recipient, and saving a lot of money, too.

Fabric flower cards: Maggie has written a previous post on how to make fabric flower cards. Using your fabric scraps, you can create a floral garden right on cardstock. What a beautiful gift.

MizPee is a public toilet finder. If you're out, and need a bathroom, just search MizPee for the closest one. You'll be able to find reviews, and choose the cleanest one, depending on how urgently you need it.

The listings will also let you know if the venue requires you to make a purchase. This way you won't end up doing the pee-dance while standing in line for a coffee you don't even want, just so that you can use their bathroom. Alternatively, if you are craving that mocha, look in their deal section, because that same coffee shop just might have a discount.

As a fun little extra, check out their toilet trivia. So far, I've learned that the average person spends three years of their life on the toilet! The current trivia asks which stall is the cleanest choice. My vote goes with the one furthest from the door, but we'll see if I'm right come Monday when the answer is posted.

I haven't quite decided if this is kind of cool, or totally ridiculous. What's your verdict?

[via:Dumb Little Man]

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Crate and Barrel, has announced a voluntary recall of about 5,100 "Remy" shag rugs. A fire and burn hazard is posed to consumers because the large "Remy" rugs fail to meet federal standards for flammability and could ignite. The small shag rugs fail to meet federal labeling requirements.

Manufactured in India and sold at Crate and Barrel online retailer, catalog and retail stores from January 2007 through April 2008 for between $50 and $300, this recall is for "Remy" cotton jersey shag rugs sold in red and in white. Please see the CPSC press release for a list of rug sizes involved in the recall.

Consumers are advised to stop using the recalled shag rugs. Consumers with large rugs should contact Crate and Barrel to obtain a full refund and arrange pick up of their rugs. Consumers with small rugs should contact Crate and Barrel to obtain a refund or a new label including warning information. Crate and Barrel can be contacted at (800) 451-8217 or www.crateandbarrel.com.

I usually forgo the iron in favor of a few extra minutes in the dryer. When I actually do haul out the ironing board and iron, you can bet that we're needing to press our clothes for a wedding or some other event.

Bringing out the iron only a couple of times each year, and typically only an hour before rushing out the door, means that if it ever did break down, I'd need an immediate fix -- one that I could do myself.

Fix-it Club offers this iron repair tutorial. The comprehensive tutorial reviews how the iron works, what could go wrong, diagnosing the problem, and finally the tools and methods for repair. Given that irons are simple appliances, well-made ones won't need regular repair, and when they do, you'll often find that the problem lies in the cord, handle, or steaming vents.

I don't imagine that I use my iron often enough for it to fail, but if it did, Fix-it Club would be my first stop. Better yet, I think I'll take their maintenance advice and prevent a problem before it starts.

[via:Dumb Little Man]

These days, it's easier than ever to accumulate great art prints, but where to hang them all? And do you really want to pay to have them framed? If they're an odd size or shape, it could become expensive.

Yesterday, an easy solution was posted at Apartment Therapy Chicago. Salvage, thrift, or purchase a plain board at least a few inches bigger all around than your artwork, and stain it, if necessary. Then nail two Boston Bulldog Clips to the board -- they're sometimes just called Bulldog Clips, and are available at most art supply stores. Put your print in the clips, hang it on the wall, and you're all set!

If this isn't your style, you can always try using a nicer board, cut to your specified dimensions and painted a neutral color like black, or a color that coordinates with the art, matte or glossy. You could even consider spray-painting the Bulldog clips with some kind of finish, like metallic black model enamel.

When you're done, you'll have a funky custom display solution, like a giant clipboard that allows you to change your art out on a rotating basis. Pretty cool, huh?

If you have a pacifier baby, then you know the panic of a lost binky. The soother clip has been a big rescue in our house. There is nothing interesting or attractive about it, but it works, so I'm a big fan. I hadn't considered making my own, but this tutorial shows how easy it can be.

The cool thing about doing it yourself is that you get ultimate authority over the style. This means no more tacky nylon straps and weak velcro. You could even make a few to match different little outfits. Once you've found the perfect ribbon, you'll also need Dritz Stay-Tape, velcro, hot glue, thread, and the pacifier clip. Follow the simple instructions, and you'll have a one-of-a-kind soother clip. I plan to make a few for myself and keep some on hand for baby shower gifts.

A secure clip lets you decide when it's time to give up the beloved soother (except of course if you opt for the cactus pacifier habit-breaking method).

Every spring, I have to get my long haired Black Lab shaved. If I don't, he spends his days in absolute misery, due to ticks and fleas constantly biting him. I try to keep up with the ticks as best I can, but his fur is so thick that I miss many of them.

It is still pretty cold at night, and the days haven't warmed up past 70 yet, but I know that fleas will be making their rounds soon, and that once again Jake will be scratching up a storm. When the ticks let up, the fleas will come knocking at his door, looking for a home. I can stop them by making my own herbal flea powder.

Using Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Lavender, Fennel, Yellow Dock, and Pennyroyal, you can make your own herbal flea powder for your treasured pet too. All you have to do is mix as many of the ingredients as you can find in a shaker-top jar, and then apply sparingly to your pet.

Be sure to read through the comments, as there seems to be some confusion as to whether or not Pennyroyal is acceptable to use on cats and dogs. It would seem that using powder is okay, whereas Pennyroyal oil is toxic to animals.

I've indulged, oh yes, I have indulged. Last Friday, I spent the day at the spa. Before you go getting all jealous and resentful, it was my tenth wedding anniversary and the only time that my husband and I have ever done something like this together.

Did we enjoy our day there? Indeed we did, but what struck me the most was my phytotherapy massage. This was basically a Swedish massage using essential oils. Yes, it was a simple concept, but they really targeted mind, body, and spirit naturally during this treatment:

• the massage itself was all about the body, relaxing the muscles
• the relaxing music created an atmosphere ripe for calm, stress release, even meditation; just plain mental quiet
• it was an all-natural treatment, using only essential oils (from plants, hence the phyto-)
• the essential oils could be focused on what you needed the most; I chose the relaxing blend to help me zone out for the hour

After the break I'll tell you how you can create a phytotherapy massage experience at home.

Sliding doors come in two flavors: they work like a charm or they're a pain in the buttocks. Because of their very nature, things can go wrong. For most repairs, the door will need to be removed. No big mystery here; just raise it up and swing it outward. Here's a few problems and their solutions:

• The door won't roll. Inspect the rollers. If they're loose, tighten them. If they're broken, replace them. Is the track bent? It can usually be tapped back into shape using a wood block and a hammer.
• The door doesn't glide like it used to or jumps off the track. Check the bottom rollers and track. Clean them both carefully and lubricate them with paraffin or silicone spray.
• The catch doesn't catch. Door catches don't last forever and if they won't catch properly, they won't lock either. Sometimes they get bent and don't mate up properly, and sometimes they just wear out. If it's broken or worn out, just replace it. If it's bent, remove it and clamp it in your vise. Use needle-nose pliers to straighten it out. Replace it and test it. It should click and catch when the door slides up and mates with the frame.
  

Use these tips and you'll be slidin' and glidin' in no time!

Summer's here and the hiking is fine... unless you run into a snake, that is. Never fear: according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, there aren't many poisonous snakes here in the United States. Only rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouth water moccasins, and coral snakes have poisonous venom.

How can you avoid getting bitten by a snake? Common sense would dictate that you leave snakes alone, stay on hiking paths, wear thick leather boots, and be cautious around rocks.

After the break, I'll share what to do if you do get bitten by a snake. Check out the gallery to help you identify some species of snakes.

Yesterday, hat love was in the air at Whip Up, one of my favorite blogs. Kath is looking for the perfect pattern for a newsboy or beanie cap to knit or crochet.

In the process of searching, she's turned up a few great free patterns you might want to check out. There's Couvercle from the most recent issue of Knitty (which I discussed last week), a Garnstudio crocheted cap pattern, and the Mikey Cap by kris knits. Each has a slightly different shape and stitch pattern, so there may be something out there for every head.

Don't miss the comments of the post, where readers are suggesting additional great cap-style hats to knit or crochet, like Rosi G's Capitán Hat. So far, the winners seem to be the hats in Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'n B!itch books, but if you're looking for more good pattern suggestions, I would keep watching the replies to see what turns up.

After you learn how to clean out the inside of a burned out light bulb, you'll be ready to embark on a number of unusual projects. For instance, you can make an oil lamp. Never would have thought of this one, but all you need is the light bulb, a shoe lace, a bottle cap, two magnets, and a washer. Of course you'll need the oil, some sand, and a few tools to put it all together, but it is a simple project that seems like it would be fun. There is even another way to make it.

If that project isn't inspiring you to save your burned out light bulbs, maybe you'd like to make an aquarium for your fighting fish or a laser nightlight.

Check in with HackNMod for all of the projects, but feel good in knowing that you'll give a whole new meaning to 'reuse' if you create one of these old light bulb projects.

Tomatoes are fabulous and very easy to grow. Many critters think so too, so they will gladly come and eat your bountiful tomato harvest, especially if you grow them in the ground.

Considering the recent recall of Topsy-Turvy Tomato planters, some people may have given up on the idea of planting their tomatoes upside-down, but Jim decided to forgo the $30 cost of commercial tomato planters and made his own planters, using 5-gallon buckets.

Jim used recycled buckets from a local restaurant, but he says paint or hardware stores should also have them. He drilled a hole in the bottom of the bucket and one in the lid, then covered the holes with coffee filters so the dirt wouldn't fall out. He planted the tomatoes in the buckets, and when the plants were about one foot tall, he hung them up on a sturdy surface that could support the weight of the bucket filled with potting soil.

Be sure to check out Jim's alternative method for growing tomatoes. I love the idea of using buckets for the tomatoes instead of something flimsy that could tip over at any given moment. The buckets would be perfect for peppers and cucumbers too.

Thanks for the tip, Ian!