DIY Life

Nothing perturbs me more than sitting in a chair and wobbling back and forth because the chair legs need fixing. I get perturbed because once again I spent my money on something cheap, or someone else did, and they just like to be annoying by rocking back and forth.

Over at the Indianapolis Star, our own extremely talented Shelly Leer learned how to fix annoying chair wobbles when a furniture builder showed her how to apply wood glue to the chair using a turkey basting syringe. Genius!

There's a little more to it: please join me after the break to learn how it's done.

A set of ten boxes, nested one within the other. The largest is perhaps two feet square and a foot deep (60 cm x 60 cm x 30 cm), the smallest half those dimensions.

You can purchase the yummy unit shown at right through Seletti, or -- using instructions provided by those generous folk at Seletti -- you could make your own very personal unit, and save yourself a significant bundle of cash!

You'll need a collection of sturdy wooden boxes in various sizes, decorating materials, and two sections of heavy-duty strapping.

Why on Earth would you want to build an owl house? Having owls take up residence on your property will cause the mouse population to dwindle: never a bad thing if the furry invaders like to live in your basement, attic, or -- yikes! -- your kitchen.

To build a screech owl house, you'll need ten feet of one-foot board, some hinges, nails, and screws, wood glue, and a little time. Research shows that owls like big houses with small entrance holes, which is what inspired this owl house plan from Audubon. They suggest hanging your owl house ten feet off the ground or higher.

You are now on your way to a mouse-free house! Similarly, if you'd like to see a few less mosquitoes, try building a bat house. Apparently, those buzzing buggers are quite delicious....

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.

For the last couple of days, the weather has been humid, without much wind to cool it off. It was hot enough outside that I had to split the lawn mowing into two days. I will not complain, though, as I will take the heat, sans humidity, any day of the year.

Unfortunately, it gets pretty hot in my house too, as we don't have much shade or air conditioning. It wasn't enough that I had cold water to drink: I needed something more to help cool down my body temperature. I wasn't prepared, but next time, you can bet I will be with these 6 simple frozen treats I can concoct myself.

Last week I painted the outside of my front door.

I left the inside of the door alone, so that my kitchen would stay light and bright. I am glad I didn't paint it, since last month I had to move some furniture around to make room for my new freezer-on-the-bottom refrigerator, and the front door is constantly being bumped against the microwave stand. I am desperately in need of a doorstop to keep my door from being marred.

Elizabeth Hartman has a downloadable PDF tutorial on how to make a nine-patch bean-filled doorstop. Choose your fabric, have 5 pounds of dried beans on hand, and sew up that little gorgeous number.

What's really nice about the fabric doorstop is that it has a handle so that you can carry it around and use it for different doors in your house. I also think it would be great to knock out a burglar, should you happen to be so unfortunate as to have one visit.

In any case, I love the doorstop. It's perfect for all my door-opening-and-closing needs.

[via: Whip Up]

Stop looking for that perfect piece of art: convert that big empty wall into a rock climbing training wall!

OK, you probably wouldn't choose to build this in your living room, but a basement or garage might be the perfect place for a climbing wall.

Building your own rock climbing wall is a great way get exercise and improve your climbing skills, but this project isn't for the faint of heart. First, you'll want to carefully design the wall, taking into consideration your space constraints, your skill level, and your skill goals.

Essortment has a full list of tools and materials, along with detailed construction instructions. This project isn't for amateur builders, but if you have the experience to take it on, you'll have the coolest garage on the block.