Most of us have at least one old computer keyboard stashed away somewhere, right? Maybe it's broken, or maybe it's just an old and outdated one kept as an emergency spare. Well, here are five easy craft ideas that repurpose useless old keyboards into fun and unique accessories. Hint: These are nice end-of-summer rainy day activities for bored kids/teens!

1. Turn old computer keyboard keys into stylish thumbtacks. This inspired Instructables post shows you how. You will need keys that already have a hole in the back to hold the pushpins. You'll also need to do a little drilling and trimming of the plastic to get a perfect fit. Then it's just a matter of gluing the pushpins into the keys. Beautiful.

2. More notice board fun awaits, this time converting keyboard keys into magnets. This is way easier than the thumbtack idea, but just as cool lookin' – and all you really need to buy is a strip of magnetic tape and some glue. Trim the underneath side of the keys, affix the magnets (cut to size) with glue, and you're done!

Steel wool is great for many DIY projects. It comes in different grades for different applications (#00, #1, #2), and in many cases it's much better than sandpaper. But as great as it is, in some cases there's a much better product -- bronze wool!

Why is it better? For one thing, it doesn't rust like steel will; this is an important consideration on any project that involves moisture. For the same reason, you can store it longer in a humid environment. Consider these applications:

• Gun maintenance: It'll take off minor rust, but not the bluing.
• Any boat maintenance: it doesn't rust, so it won't discolor wood -- like that expensive teak.
• More suggestions after the break....

In a corner of my living room, sitting unused and one on top of the other, are two retro style speakers. The only reason that my husband hasn't hooked them up to his entertainment system is that there isn't any place to set them up. They have sat in the corner for almost 4 years now, waiting for the day they can blast The Beatles to my hubby's content.

Our speakers still work, but if you have an old speaker, or even a matching pair hanging around waiting for the day you will fix the broken whatever, you can turn the speaker into a stylin' new media cabinet. Here is what you will need:

• A speaker
• A hand saw and a rotary tool
• Hinges
• Claw hammer or crowbar
• Paint and wooden planks
• Screwdriver or power drill

GoodRubbish takes you through the steps needed to turn your old retro speakers into a handy media cabinet to store all your CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes. Be sure to read through the comments, as there is important information on exactly what digital and optical media is safe to store with the speaker magnets and what could possibly be ruined by leaving the speaker magnets in place.

Stud finders are one of the best, but most unappreciated tools in a DIYer's toolbox. The real benefit of them is that they can find studs in your wall for hanging pictures, shelves, or light sconces.

This is a great step forward from the old method of rapping the skin off your knuckles, and then when you think you found a stud, drive in a finish nail to be sure.

The first generation of stud finders used magnets to detect drywall screws or nails. The next generation relied on checking the density in the wall (this is the kind I use since I use it quite often). The newer ones use radar technology to work their magic. How cool is that?

But if you're not going to use one often, make your own for just a few bucks. All you need is some mono-filament fishing line, a magnet, and a dab of hot glue or piece of tape. Just glue a length of mono to the magnet. Then, holding the end of the string, move it horizontally across the wall (and maybe a bit up and down) and the magnet will alert on a screw. Check out this magnet stud finder video.

The only caution is to make sure you found a stud, not a metal pipe or conduit. Just check up and down to be sure you intermittently find "positives." A pipe won't be discontinuous. Check horizontally as well, just for good measure.

If you want to try your hand at making your own magnetic knife rack on the cheap, it's not so complicated. I found this intriguing DIY knife rack plan on Instructables.com. The DIY'er behind this post, "radiorental," suggests just carving out a space behind a nice block of wood and attaching magnets in that cavity. Then just attach the finished product to the wall with screws. It's neat because the magnets are "invisible" -- that is, concealed in back of the wood. Also cool: the magnets are salvaged from old computer hard-drives. Now, that's inventive!

Mini photo cards are quite a hot item among those who like to have personal information and share that information with others. Moo.com offers a a great opportunity to personalize mini cards with pictures and text to suit your needs.

However, if you're looking to take that one the further, Meish dot org has figured out a way to create magnets, or Moo-gnets in this case, from the small cards. Her blog describes a step-by-step process to get the job done, but for a quick run down, you will need:

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)

Is your refrigerator boring? Marble magnets are one of those fun, simple craft projects that have become very popular in the last few years. They've shown up on plenty of craft communities, shows, and books, sometimes with a theme. Once you learn how to make them, you can churn out a nearly endless variety, and you can also find other ways to use the pictorial marbles. But there are a few potential pitfalls in the process, so it helps to have someone show you how.

First of all, what are they? Flat glass marbles, sometimes called half-marbles or cabochons or glass pebbles, have long been sold to line plant pots and fish tanks. At some point, someone noticed that the marble acts like a lens if you place it over a picture or printed design. Eventually, people started gluing these pictorial marbles to things, particularly magnets, and an endless craft trend was born.

They're a great project because they're easy and inexpensive, but also relatively unique. They make good gifts: you can tailor them to the recipients' tastes, and they cost very little to make, so for $10 a teenager can cover presents for a whole group of friends.

To learn how to make pictorial marbles for magnets and other projects, join us after the break!

I was hesitant to post this tutorial, seeing as how it could get your utilities turned off if you were caught doing it, but I thought it deserved a little attention if for no other reason than to illustrate an easily fixable vulnerability in the way utility companies currently read meters. To be completely honest with you, I'm not 100% sure how, or even if this project works. Luckily for us, however, we have some fantastic readers who will (and should) quickly jump in and let me know what a dork I am for believing that something like this would even work in the first place.

So, with that out of the way, let's look at how you can "supposedly" cut your electrical bill in half by creating some sort of weak electromagnetic field around your meter.

Materials

1. Copper wire (apparently any gauge will work)
2. Two magnets (one significantly larger than the other)
3. Electrical tape
4. Plastic cup
5. Enough distilled water to fill the plastic cup
6. Saran wrap, or other plastic wrapping
7. Rubber band

Tools

1. Wire cutter / stripper

Time

Less than 15 minutes. This one's definitely a quickie.