DIY Life

Each week, Diane Rixon brings you Avant Yard, a look at all your lawn and garden could be. Diane shows you how to give life to everything inside your fence. We promise that your yard will be the greener "other side" and the neighbor's envy to boot. Alright, we don't really promise, but you get the idea.

Is there a dead tree in your yard? Let it live on -- repurpose it! Here are a bunch of suggestions, with an emphasis on projects that are both easy and inexpensive.

LEAVE IT ALONE
1. Leave it standing. If it's not a danger to people or structures on your property, of course. Let it be a home for birds, bugs and assorted critters.
2. Leave it standing and turn it into yard art -- hang colored bottles from the branches or string it with colored lights that change with the season.

CUT IT UP
3. Use planks for fencing.
4. Build a big brush pile, which is a fantastic refuge for wildlife.
5. Use it for garden mulch. You will need to hire a mulching machine or mulching service for this, however.

Thanks, Anna, for your great Christmas tree-recycling tips. Here's one more: make your tree the foundation for a backyard brush pile.

Now, you might ask: why a brush pile? Answer: it encourages wildlife diversity. Yes, putting out a bird feeder is an important first step to attracting birds and other little critters. However, a brush pile will draw in many more. Plus they're easy to make, don't cost a dime, and they encourage true diversity in the landscape.

Want to give it a try? Here are some tips for creating a brush pile that critters will love.

1) Use something fairly substantial as the base for your pile. A Christmas tree is one idea, but you could also try an old wooden pallet, two or three short logs, or a couple old fence posts. This foundation will support the smaller stuff you stack on top. It will also let oxygen flow through, and prevent settling -- so that countless insects and other small creatures (like the baby anole pictured above) can scuttle in and make their homes there.

Did you know that there are millions of plastic items floating around out there in landfills? Kind of a sickening thought, huh? In my tiny town of 385 people, we have a recycling transfer station and for the items we don't reuse, my husband takes them in about once a month. Hey, it's a tiny house and even though I try, I just can't use everything.

You can keep your plastic milk jugs out of the garbage and the landfills by reusing them for everyday household organization and storage, in your yard and garden and basic toys for your kids. Try out some of these ideas.

1. Make a cheap, easy and convenient bird feeder.
2. Use them as a seed starting container by cutting off the jug about 3 inches from the bottom and poking small holes in the bottom for water drainage. Fill with potting soil and some seeds.
3. Poke holes in the bottom of the jug and use as a watering can for your garden plants and flowers.
4. Cut into strips and use a permanent marker to make plant markers.
5. Cut the bottom and part of the handle off and use as a scoop.
6. Cut off the bottom of the jug, poke a hole at the top of the handle and thread heavy wire through into the soil and use as a protector of your plants from the hot sun or inclement weather.
7. Use as floaters for your kids when they are swimming or in the water. Tie a string to each handle and then tie around your child.
8. Cut the bottom off and use the top as a funnel.
9. Cut a hole opposite the handle and use as a storage container for almost anything. Works great for storing golf balls, nails, screws, and rubber bands and probably a thousand other things.
10. Cut out a hole opposite the handle and use to store your plastic bags.
11. Save them for when you need water. This works great for me when we forget to let the water drip in the winter and wake up to frozen pipes. I just run down to a friends house or to my dads house and fill up the empty jugs with water. Sure beats melting snow, cause you don't want to know how much snow it takes to make a gallon of water!!
12. Cut the top off and use the bottom as a catch all container for things that don't have a permanent home.
13. Cut a hole near the top and use to store your toilet brush.
14. Use to store dry goods such as rice, coffee, and sugar.
15. Cut a 1/4 inch slit near the top of the milk jug and use as a piggy bank. Decorate your new penny saver however you wish.

I love all these ideas and have tried the majority of them. I haven't tried the piggy bank yet, but I think that it is a great way to get my toddler involved in some of my projects. What are some of the ways you recycle your plastic jugs?

Here's a unique idea for a simple bird feeder that I learned about when I owned my feed store. It's a great project for the kids and a wonderful opportunity to discuss animals and nature with them. It's a fun and moderately messy way to keep a few kids busy doing something worth while.

Check out the details after the jump.