DIY Life

Little ones like to get in on the action when it comes to giving gifts. As much as they like to open a present, I always watch in delight when I see how happy a child is to give a grown-up a present, especially if they made the gift.

You can watch in delight too when your child makes the perfect Father's Day desk accessory for the special dad in their life. All you need is cardboard, craft sticks, acrylic paint, glue, and alphabet foam stamps, and of course, a willing child or two. This project is geared towards younger children, so you will have to help them cut out the cardboard that is used in making the letters, and also help them with the gluing of the letters.

Dad will love his new desk accessory, but if he doesn't have a desk, the cardboard decoration will sit perfectly among pictures of his loving family at home. Best of all, he'll get a charge out of knowing that his little DIYers made the Father's Day accessory themselves, just for him.

While I was working on another post, this double-desk project, a workspace for two, caught my eye. A bookshelf with file baskets hung on its side separates two desk surfaces. The overall effect is like those library study carrel tables that you may have used in high school or college. You can download the instructions for the Two's Company desks at DIY Ideas.

Not much is ever really new. If you like this project, check out Christopher Lowell's wonderful book Seven Layers of Organization, which has several similar desks built with bookshelves and doors. (Why a door? Because they're commonly available, usually pretty inexpensive, and the hole for the doorknob is perfect for wrangling the cords and wires that proliferate at the back of most desks.)

The May/June 2007 issue of Blueprint also had a pair of desks which were placed back-to-back, as these were, but with a sheet of colored Plexiglas between them. This set-up is perfect for a shared home office, or for siblings who have to share a bedroom. If you'd prefer to use the Plexiglas, it shouldn't cost too much more than a sturdy bookshelf. It should be the same width as both desks, 28" or so taller than the desks' writing surface, and should be 1/4" thick with polished edges.

Clicking through the other ideas in the DIY Ideas: Get To Work gallery, you will see an artist's studio that uses shelving with standards/anchors and brackets, as well as hanging shoe bags. There's also a basic desk whose top has been livened up with rectangles of peel-and-stick vinyl floor tile, and some ideas to make your home office more relaxing.

[via Apartment Therapy]

Any modern computer desk (or just plain desk) is full of clutter these days. From papers to folders to pencils to cables, the modern office desk or even laptop desk is a mess of cables and cords. Not only does all that psychologically mess with your head (you're a mess if you're desk is a mess), all that needed nonsense can actually interfere with getting work done.

In a wireless world, we sure have a lot of wires strung through the house. They nest behind entertainment units, tucked under carpets down halls into bedrooms and offices. Under the desk you'll find an ugly, overloaded power bar. Unclutter.com has a solution and all you need is a $2 towel rack.

In this video, Jerry Brito shows you how to use a multi-hook towel rack to keep your cables off the floor and more organized. Some commenters think that this method could alter the audio/video signal. They suggest that cables should be lying flat, maybe bound with zip-cords. Others don't see any difference. Personally, I'm all for the towel rack, get them off the floor and out of sight completely.

[via Lifehacker]

I love office supplies. You know you do too. That's why this simple little pencil holder is a great project. It can be made in a few minutes while daydreaming at your desk. The result, a creative pencil holder that doubles as a photo display. Here's how.

All you need is 8 medium binder clips and 4 rubber bands. First set the binder clips in a circle with the metal handles facing out, and reinforce it with the rubber bands. Next you'll choose some photos or cards for display. They can be held in between metal pieces. Put your pencils in and you're set with a creative pencil holder. Check out this how to for more detail and pictures.

Messy desks plague most home office - for those of you who are able to confine office type mess to the office. People with no time to tidy up, who end up spending more time looking for things then actually being productive. I think this is a particular problem for DIY types because we see potential in everything. My desk is full of interesting paper scraps that I'm sure I'll find a use for later. I have old magazines and shoe boxes just waiting to be re-purposed. In all of this chaos, my important papers remain unfilled and the backs of them scribbled with little notes, random phone numbers and endless 'to do' items.

When you consider that all this mess is affecting productivity it is time to make a change. This article encourages you to think about what you want from your space. Contemplating the characteristics of your ideal workspace will go a long way in helping you get there. Walking you trough this work space check-up you'll think about the relevance of various things you're keeping around and evaluate the most appropriate place for them.

I feel fresher and more motivated when I am happy with my workspace. I'll share some of my own suggestions after the jump.

We internet-addicts are a tragic group. We spend our days and nights creating and maintaining the greatest network of knowledge known to man, while wasting away (or, in most cases, ballooning up) in our extra-lumbar-support chairs. And what do we get in return for enslaving ourselves to our machines? Money? Fame? Sometimes, but more often than not all we get is a sore back, dry eyes, creaking finger joints, and carpal tunnel syndrome. What are we cubicle dwellers and home computer workers to do?! The answer is quite simple, actually: get some exercise.

Now, I know what you're thinking, "EXERCISE?! That means I have to get up and walk away from the computer! Are you crazy?!" While it's true that many of the most beneficial exercises require you to step away from your PC (i.e. riding your bike, walking, jogging, etc.), there are still plenty of workouts that can be done from your chair (or a nearby wall) that will help get you in better shape.