DIY Life

Summer is in full swing, as are outdoor picnics, parties and wedding receptions. If you haven't taken your turn at outdoor dining, then it is time to pretty up your patio or picnic table, and sit down to some char-grilled delicacies.

Evening dining is tops; nothing beats watching the sun set on a glorious summer day. Since you probably love to sit outside after dark, and do not relish the thought of having to go in the house right away as twilight comes, you can stay outdoors a little while longer with homemade paper table lanterns.

So your wedding day is near, and you still haven't made up your mind about table centerpieces.

Last year, I wrote a post with ideas for 8 do it yourself wedding centerpieces. It's been very popular since it was published, but I know that there are hundreds of additional impressive ways to go about making a beautiful visual feature for your guest's tables.

Let's face it: you want your wedding day to be perfect, and saving money on your centerpieces will give you a sigh of relief. Knowing that you and your wedding party made them yourselves will also give you great satisfaction. "Inexpensive" does not necessarily mean "cheap"; anything that you can do for your wedding day or even your day to day life to save money will make you happier in the long run.

Follow me after the break, as I try again to give you some inexpensive ideas for creating your own beautiful centerpieces.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with The Home Depot, has announced a voluntary recall of about 14,000 candle holders, due to a fire hazard. Sunlight that passes through the glass portion of the candle holder can cause nearby flammable items to ignite. The Home Depot has received one report of a fire.

Manufactured in China and sold at The Home Depot stores in the southern and western regions of the U.S. from January 2008 through March 2008 for about $10, the sun shaped candle holder is glass and metal, and was sold in four colors: red, green, blue, and yellow. Please see the CPSC press release for more information on the recalled candle holders.

Consumers are advised to stop using the candle holder and return it to The Home Depot for a full refund. For more information, contact the firm at (866) 403-5504 or visit their website at www.homedepot.com.

Make a little aquarium with lamp oil, an old glass jar, and a few toy fish. It might take some shopping for a few supplies, like a diamond drill bit and glass tube wicks. For a basic oil candle, there isn't much to do but drill a hole in the lid, and add a wick.

Materials and tools:

• Glass jar with lid
• Glass tube wick holder + wick
• Clear paraffin lamp Oil
• Clear resin/epoxy
• Toy fish and shells
• Drill
• Special tools: Glass and tile drill bit or diamond bit

For the instructions, please join me after the break.

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.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Christmas Tree Shops have announced a voluntary recall of about 146,000 Embers tea light candles. The clear plastic shell of the candle can ignite or melt, causing a fire and burn hazard to consumers. Although no injuries have been reported, Christmas Tree Shops have received 13 reports of the candle shell igniting or melting, causing minor property damage.

Only Embers tea light candles manufactured in Hong Kong and China are subject to this recall. The candles were sold at Christmas Tree Shops locations in New England and Mid-Atlantic regions from January 2004 through November 2007 for between $1 and $5. Please see the CPSC press release for color and model numbers of the recalled tea lights.

Stop using the candle immediately and return to any Christmas Tree Shop location for a full refund. Consumers may contact the firm at (888) 287-3232 for more information, or visit their website at www.christmastreeshops.com.

When I saw this deodorant container hiding place the first thing that came to my mind was "you put your (contraband substance removed) in here". While it does look like the sort of thing you'd see people using in a bad stoner movie, it is also a very clever hiding place for all sorts of things. If you're on vacation and staying in a resort or hotel, you'll typically take your cash and valuables with you when you leave the room. With this handy little hiding place, you can put your jewelry or cash in the old deodorant container and rest assured that they are safely hidden.

Here's what you'll need to assemble your secret storage container:

1. Empty deodorant with the center stick left in place
2. Candle
3. Match
   
4. Masking tape

The full instructions explain how to put it all together and even show you how to make it look like a used deodorant stick.

Another handy use for an old container is as a q-tip holder. Stay tuned as this instructables author shares more cool uses for old deodorant containers.

Check out this de-lightful Valentine's Day idea: lovebird votive holders. Is this not an adorable idea? Discovered on the site Ready Made (homepage of the magazine Ready Made), they are cleverly constructed from two aluminum beer cans. Yes, beer cans. Wait! The final result is classier than it sounds. You simply cut the cans open, flatten them, then trace on the lovebird design. Cut out the lovebird shapes and fasten 'em to a couple silver metal ashtrays or votive holders. Voila! When the lights are out and the candles are lit, your lovebirds (placed so they face each other, of course) will cast romantic shadows on the wall. Perfect for canoodling.

I love this candle holder concept for a bunch of reasons. It makes a nice alternative to candy, yet is doesn't involve shelling out lots of money, as you would for higher-end Valentine's Day gifts like jewelry. Yet its low-sheen metal look is hip. It's ideal for the budget-conscious couple, too -- just be absolutely certain your partner is on board with low cost romantic gestures, or you could end up sleeping on the couch! It's also a perfect little token for the very new, very casual relationship where something lighthearted is called for -- something that won't scream "let's shop for engagement rings!" Finally, you have to drink two beers in order to carry out this project. Sound like fun? Yes, it does! Do we have lots more DIY Valentine's Day ideas? Yes, we do!

You should have eaten all those Christmas cookies by now, save the round cookie tin for this candle carousel. These things are always fun but cost a leg if you buy them from the German Christmas stores. Candles heat the air which rises and spins the propeller and attached ornaments.

This project uses:

• A round cookie tin
• Two coat hangers
• A cork
• A piece of scrap wood
• Two screws
• Four tea candles
• Spray paint and Christmas ornaments to jazz it up.

Tools used:

• Needle nosed pliers
• Drill and small bit
• File or Grinder
• Tin Snips
• Screw Driver

Gallery: Candle Carousel

If you're looking for Hanukkah decorations that the children can help make, then these three projects are perfect for your family. All of the materials are inexpensive and you probably have most of them stashed away in your craft drawer already. Ashley Fletcher gives step by step instructions on how to make these three Hanukkah crafts that will add to your holiday decor:

1. Hanukkah place mats
2. Hanukkah stained glass window decoration
3. Star of David candle

You'll find instructions for all three projects here. Get the whole family involved, and decorate your home. Happy Hanukkah!

It's that time of year again: Martha Stewart's super-awesome special Halloween issue is on the newsstands, and there's plenty of interesting material on her website to match.

The magazine features the usual mix of easy, stylish costume ideas, tricks, treats, home decor ideas, templates to print out or photocopy, and a ton of interesting ideas for Jack O'Lanterns. This year, it's a split between "good things" -- spooky-cute ideas with a slightly retro feel -- and "bad things," which are a little darker and seem to be meant for a slightly older audience (some of the finished products could frighten very young children). A couple of items come in both flavors.

The Martha Stewart Halloween web page has a lot of features in it that seem to be from past Halloween special issues (and regular October issues!), as well as some ideas and downloads from the current one. You can download templates for atmospheric black paper drapes, a paper bat garland, or Creepy Mice. Try instructions for moth-eaten curtains. Serve Gothic Grog or Witches' Brew from a coffin-shaped table, make papier-mache decorations shaped like pumpkins or black cats, burn "specimen jar candles" (you sent out Mad Scientist Invites, right?), and bake Creepcake cupcakes.

You'll find plenty of tips for costumes and makeup, too!

OK, we don't want to pick on Pottery Barn, really we don't. Honestly, I love them, we do purchase their products and I obviously look for decorating inspiration from them.

But 59.00 for a candleholder?

Granted, the twig design is very stylish, bringing the nature theme indoors and all.

I, however, decided to take it one step further, for free, of course. Instead of the twigs made of metal on the Pottery Barn hurricane, I decided to try a similar look with a pillar candle, a metal stand and -- you guessed it -- real twigs.

It was simple, and if you've got a pine tree, you can get similar twigs. It may not be a fancy hurricane, but it echoes the look -- for free -- and brings nature to your table.

Does it work for you?