DIY Life

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.

Last week we kept busy with low-key sick day activities, and thankfully, we've recovered and are itching to get outside.

My boys are curious, and with that comes endless questioning about the world around them. If your usual walking path is losing its luster, and you're getting tired of questions about the same rotten log, it might be time to mix it up a little. I've gathered together some crafts that celebrate nature and use materials found in their environment.

After the break, I'll share some of these nature-based activities and crafts that will cater to their outdoor interests.

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!

I've seen lots of cute barrettes. Spring has sprung, and I wanted to craft up some barrettes that might represent the season.

I really love all of the flower and butterfly barrettes that are out and about now. While making up some of my own, I thought, why not birds too? I remembered seeing little birds used in flower arrangements at my local craft store. Turns out they are the perfect size! You can also find butterflies in the same department.

You really don't have to have a lot of crafting skills for this project, so it's good for beginners, as well as crafters who've been at it a while.

You'll need bobby pins, french clips, alligator clips, or snap clips, whichever you prefer to wear, thread, sewing needle, E6000, and an assortment of fake flowers, buttons, birds and butterflies.

Follow me through the break and I'll explain how to make a few different barrette styles.

If your lifestyle is anything like my family's, you might have an overdose of candle holders and other decorative stuff filling up the closets and other storage spaces in your house. We started to take it outside in the form of sprinklers for the garden and they look a lot better than the black sprinkler stakes you can buy.

We used candle holders, lamp bases, and little garden statues to make this work; but anything you can drill a hold into and run an irrigation hose through should work. Note that wood and metals will probably age and rust, but that's part of the charm.

To build these, drill a hole into the decor just smaller than the irrigation hose so it fits snuggly into place. Run the small hose into the main irrigation feeder line. In my case I used a soaker hose. Add your sprinkler head and start watering.

These are great for making mini bird baths and butterfly watering stations. Just add some aquarium gravel or pea gravel to the basin for butterflies so they don't drown.

Are you looking for something unique to give your special someone this year? Have you ever used a woodburning tool before? Me neither, but I am certainly willing to try.

I found a very special tutorial by Derek and Lauren over at Design*Sponge. Using a woodburning tool, iron on transfers, a wooden tray, an iron, and a damp rag, they created a beautiful bird design on a tray. I think bird watchers will love the tray. Can you say, breakfast in bed?

The woodburning tool can be found at your local craft store or you can find it online for $13. I imagine you can find all the materials at the craft store. You might even be able to find a nice tray and some unused iron transfers at your local thrift store. You can find some pretty iron on transfer designs at Sublime Stitching.

I think this project is perfect to give as a Christmas present and the cool thing is, you can use any style tray and any design you wish. Let your imagination soar, and you can create a unique gift, perfect for that special someone in your life.

Roman Sock is the nom de blog of a young Edinburgh lass, Brie. She's been blogging for about six months, and since then, she's turned out some of the most distinctive and interesting crocheted amigurumi patterns I've yet seen on the Web. Best of all, they're free.

What I appreciate most about Brie's work is her design sense. The patterns she creates don't share the generic look that you see in a lot of amigurumi patterns (basic humanoid bunnies and cats come to mind -- their cuteness is not in doubt, but originality is sometimes lacking). I have no idea if (or how much) she sketches out her ideas or uses reference photos beforehand, but they look like they jumped out of the sketchbook of a particularly good illustrator... one who likes their animals two parts realistic and one part cartoon.

Don't miss it: you can read more about her wonderful world of quirky animals and creative crochet after the break! The pattern links are there, too.

Every week, the sites Knitting Pattern Central and Crochet Pattern Central post new free patterns that they've heard of or that have been sent to them. Several dozen patterns are often posted each week, and sometimes it can be tedious to look at them all to find the good ones... so I've done it for you. Then I've categorized them, alphabetized them, and written brief descriptions for each.

These patterns were all posted to the aforementioned sites in October, 2007, though some may have made their initial appearance on the web somewhat earlier. A few may have been posted in late September or the first few days of November: they were interesting enough to include here!

If you prove to like this feature, I'll continue to do it for you every month. You'll find patterns of all kinds after the break: sweaters for men, women, and babies, handbags, scarves and shawls, hats, toys, animals, socks, mittens, you name it.

I never would have guessed that you can build a barbecue smoker out of a garbage can and hot plate. You can smoke a whole turkey this Thanksgiving and re-use it again at Christmas. Instructables member DEel brings us the steps we need to for build our own garbage can smoker. I've summarized the steps here.

How to make a garbage can smoker

1. Build a grafting support inside the garbage can
2. Add support for a dripping pan
3. Add the hotplate
4. Add a thermometer to the lid
5. Prepare the wood chips
6. Prepare the turkey
7. Smoke it
8. Enjoy!
   

The full instructions have accompanying pictures and important details for each step. You'll learn everything from putting all the pieces together to properly preparing wood chips. Eating out of the garbage never tasted so good! This DIY project will definitely leave your Thanksgiving guests talking.

Sometimes the proposition of feeding the birds can provide significant aggravation if you have an ample supply of squirrels in your area. Squirrels can be relentless in their pursuit of your bird feed, especially if you have chosen to let the birds dine on sunflower seeds or chopped peanuts. However, it doesn't matter if you're giving your feathered friends sunflower seed, millet seed, safflower seed, chopped peanuts, or cracked corn, the fact of the matter is that squirrels will eat pretty much whatever the birds will, and most squirrels are hard wire programed not to share their food.

There are some simple yet effective ideas you can utilize to put those pesky squirrels on notice that your bird feeder is meant to be bird exclusive. You could always get a small game permit and shoot them to make a tasty meal, but I don't recommend that to most people because squirrels are hard to field dress. Let me share with you what I have found to be the three most effective, yet harmless squirrel prevention ideas.

Origami is one of those crafts that requires real skill. Some people just get it while others don't. I am definitely in the don't when it comes to folding origami. These instruction detailing how to make an origami flying bird, take you through all the folding steps. There are 20 steps and it is recommended that you keep your folds as clean and precise as possible, making the whole project easier.
Here are the supplies you'll need:

• Table or hard surface
• Two hands
• Paper
• Reading skills
• Patience
• Scissors

I suspect my main reason for failure is that I never bring enough patience. Still, if you think you can tackle it, this is one of the neatest origami projects I've seen. This isn't the traditional Japanese peace crane, it is a bird with flapping wings. The simple fact that it's animated will be a huge hit with the children.

The instructions I have for you here represent one of the easiest bird feeder kit designs I have ever encountered. This is not my own original design but when I came across it I immediately recognized the sheer brilliance of it. The engineering of the Peanut Butter Jar Bird Feeder will astound you with its classic simplicity and timeless design.

• Materials: Peanut butter jar, any size; Coat hanger; One stick similar to a pencil.

• Time: Approximately one hour

• Tools: Modeling knife or utility knife. Heavy wire cutter (optional), Drill and bits (optional)
  

• Steps:

1. Begin by separating the jar from the lid. Put a hole through the center of the lid, just large enough to fit the coat hanger wire through. You may use a drill or just wing it.