DIY Life

My three-year-old loves playhouses. Even if it's really just a cardboard box that he can fit into, it qualifies as the coolest toy in the northern hemisphere.

In fact, we have finally found the right plans to fit our yard, and we plan on building a playhouse for our fanciful child soon. We were actually steering clear of themed playhouses, so that Owen could let his imagination run wild; knowing him, it will be everything from a firehouse to the Hall of Justice.

If you have a little one who adores Disney's many jungle-themed rides and movies, though, this may be just the playhouse for you to try building.

Looking for deals on DIY-related gear?

If you're staying home this 4th of July weekend, it's a good time to work on the house and yard. Let's visit the big boys of home improvement supplies: check out July 4th deals from Lowe's here, and The Home Depot here. Neck-and-neck as always, both stores are offering 10% off major appliances ($397 and up) and deals on carpet installation.

Lowe's is offering gift cards in return for purchases, too, starting at a $10 card for purchases from $99 to $199 and going up to $100 cards for purchases of $600 or more. Nice to get something in return for all that spending, huh? Oh, and Lowe's is also offering 10% discounts this weekend for military personnel and their immediate families.

Look adorable -- and express your patriotism at the picnic! -- with this easy and stylish no-sew red, white, and blue hair sash.

If you dread donning predictable holiday attire, you can whip up your own originally designed homage to the Fourth of July in about an hour. You'll get full credit for being patriotic and part of the gang, but you'll have the satisifaction of doing it your own way.

You could even make these for the kids, the dog, and grandma, and turn out a matching do-rag for the hubby and anyone else who shares your distaste for manufactured stars and stripes garb; after the Fourth, you can still use these instructions to make yourself a great headband. You'll find complete instructions after the break, and a demonstration in the gallery below!

Like many other Americans, this Friday I'll be heading off to a cookout to celebrate Independence Day. I'm rather relieved that I'm not hosting -- just bringing a dessert! -- as I'm looking forward to enjoying the day in the pool with my little one.

If you're hosting, and want to bring that special DIY touch to your party, try making some personalized drinking cups for your guests. Why would you do such a thing?

• Your guests will be less likely to misplace their cups, meaning less clean-up for you.
• Maybe your children are old enough to make them, effectively keeping them out of your hair while you're preparing for the party.
• They're festive and memorable.
• Everyone loves gingham!

Join me after the break for details on how to create these red, white, and blue stunners.

As a matter of convenience, I don't always carry a purse. In the event I have to run an errand or go somewhere where all I need is some cash, my driver's license, and maybe my check card, I'll forgo the bulky bag and just put essential items in my pockets, clasped together with a money clip.

I didn't know that I could make the magnetic strip on my check card unreadable if I also put my cell phone in the same pocket. Rather than put everything in different pockets, I always keep them together, but now I want to keep them separated with a magnetic money clip made by Scott Amron.

For a mere $12, you can purchase a pre-made magnetic money clip, or for $9, Scott will send the materials for you to assemble your own money clip. The kit contains two circular steel plates, sealer, and a thin neodymium disc magnet.

While I think that the kit is a great way for those who have no time or patience to make their own magnetic money clip, I am sure that DIY'ers will want to gather the materials to make the easily crafted clip themselves, me included. The clip would also make a great gift!

[via: Boing Boing]

Being the mom of a toddler doesn't let me sit for extended periods of time, so I have to pick and choose DIY crafts that are not so mind intensive that I get lost in them and end up totally ignoring my child. I know that will end when she goes to preschool, and I can focus on more intricate projects.

One of the first on my list for that time will be this paper cutting tutorial. I am decent at drawing, and pretty good at sitting for a long time, when necessary. The fact is, Heather makes it very easy to fall in love with her artwork, so her "cut tut" should definitely be added to everyone's crafting "to do" list.

Heather gives instructions detailing her drawing of the design onto thin white paper, used sticky tape to adhere the white paper to a piece of black construction paper,and then sat for hours cutting out the intricate design.

This project takes extreme patience and some seriously steady hands, both of which I don't really have right now. If you happen to have that patience and steady hand, I'm sure your not so crafty friends will be amazed to receive your gorgeous gift.

[via Whip Up.]

Not a hard-core DIY'er? Then you probably loathe caulking... the gunked-up tubes and the unwieldy caulking guns are a pain, that's true.

Here's a cool solution, new out this month from GE: Caulk Singles. As the name suggests, these are cute little single-use, easy-grip tubes of caulk. Says a GE product representative, "Caulk Singles will do for caulk what the bleach pen and disposable razor did for people on the go."

Why? GE believes the product offers busy people a fast, no-tools-required way to get small caulking jobs done. Caulk Singles are available in both 100% silicone (with a choice of white or clear) and paintable acrylic. They retail at 1.25 ounces for $2.48.

Oooh! Free stuff! GE is giving away samples... just fill out this form at the Caulk Singles promotional website.

Not only is exhibiting your work an economical way to show it off, it's also an opportunity to see what other people who enjoy your craft are doing. And since the people who will be judging your work will be "experts" in your area, you'll also get some great pointers on how to develop your skill. I'll tell you more about Jenna's recommendations after the break.

I usually forgo the iron in favor of a few extra minutes in the dryer. When I actually do haul out the ironing board and iron, you can bet that we're needing to press our clothes for a wedding or some other event.

Bringing out the iron only a couple of times each year, and typically only an hour before rushing out the door, means that if it ever did break down, I'd need an immediate fix -- one that I could do myself.

Fix-it Club offers this iron repair tutorial. The comprehensive tutorial reviews how the iron works, what could go wrong, diagnosing the problem, and finally the tools and methods for repair. Given that irons are simple appliances, well-made ones won't need regular repair, and when they do, you'll often find that the problem lies in the cord, handle, or steaming vents.

I don't imagine that I use my iron often enough for it to fail, but if it did, Fix-it Club would be my first stop. Better yet, I think I'll take their maintenance advice and prevent a problem before it starts.

[via:Dumb Little Man]

There's no doubt about it: Indiana Jones is cool. After waiting almost twenty years for the fourth installment of the Indy series, the buzz is beyond buzzing. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, although it is not my favorite of the series, has every ingredient you have come to expect and love about an Indy movie.

So what's this got to do with DIY-ing? You can capitalize on all the movie hype and make your own Indiana Jones costume. Will you be perceived as cool, too? With lots of leather items and some electrical tape, how could you be anything but?

You'll need brown and black electrical tape, rope, a light brown and a dark brown leather belt, jeans, a fedora, and just a few minutes of your time. There are details about how to make a Indy-style shoulder bag and a whip using rope and electrical tape. Add a few key clothing items and your costume is complete.

So wear it to the movie, don that costume on Halloween, or just put on those duds and venture to the grocery store. You'll be Indy-cool, and that much cooler because you made it yourself.

I went to the store the other day and perused the selection of lamps. Talk about cheap crap, er, I mean expensive junk. I couldn't find a lamp under $20 that wasn't ugly or in need of some serious style. I came home totally bummed that I didn't find the perfect lamp.

Design*Sponge's Kate has made some really cool cork lamps. Her perfect lamps are made out of cork, Ikea cutlery caddies, and an Ikea plant pot. She got her lamp wiring kit at the hardware store and purchased her lampshade from Anthropologie.

Kate's instructions are precise and very easy to follow. She explains exactly how to put the lamps together, where to put the lamp wiring through the cork base, and finishes off with some awesome pictures of her completed cork lamps.

Cork is so versatile. You can tack some pictures on the cork, or decorate your new lamp however you wish. You can even paint the cork, if plain brown bores you. Either way, this is the perfect weekend project. I will definitely add this to my project list.

Let's face it: everything today is expensive. Where they really get you, though, is with anything wedding. You can always benefit financially from doing-it-yourself. You've probably thought about making and assembling your own wedding invitations and favors, but have you considered creating your own wedding bouquet?

Simple bouquets are more stylish these days, and that works in your favor. Some general tips for making your own wedding bouquet are at All Wedding Ideas and include:

• coordinating colors and tones with the bride's and bridesmaids' dresses
• making sure to have at least eight of the main flowers in your bouquet on hand
• arranging starting with the largest main flowers and work out from the center
• accentuating the finished floral arrangement with beads, tulle, ribbon, and lace

If there is one circus skill I'd love to master, it's walking on stilts. Being hopelessly clumsy and a bit of a coward, I'm not sure it's in the cards for me, but if you're looking for a fun construction project and a new skill, try out these DIY stilts.

The wooden stilts are adjustable, increasing your height by one to three feet. Here's what you need to construct them:

• Wooden 2×4, 15.5" long
• 4 3/8" wing nuts
• 4 3/8" ID flat washers
• 4 3/8" x 4" carriage bolts
• 2 Wooden poles, 8′x1.5"x1.5"
• Table saw
• Drill

The instructions don't seem too complicated, but considering that you'll trust the final product to support you in the air, you'll want to follow them carefully, paying particular attention to the safety tips. I'm guessing that the moderate danger rating has more to do with the difficulty you'll have learning to walk safely on stilts than it does with the actual safety of the stilts.

Even if you're not looking for a new career as a busker, you'll love showing off your new skills and your homemade stilts.

My hair is super straight and pretty boring. I recently bought some of those pink sponge rollers, the kind my mother used to put in my hair every night before bed. I had forgotten how incredibly uncomfortable they were. Not to mention the weird creases they left in my hair where the plastic closing piece connects.

In a search for more comfortable hair rollers, I stumbled upon this brilliant tutorial. It never occurred to me that I could just make my own.

They look really nice, and will give me the opportunity to use up some of my fabric scraps. And, they look really comfortable. No big plastic pieces!

You'll need fabric, buttons, stuffing, thread, hand sewing needle, scissors, and a sewing machine (with zipper foot if possible). If you are uncomfortable with creating button holes, you can always use Velcro. If you do use Velcro, it would probably be best and cheapest to purchase it by the yard since you'll need a lot more of the loop portion of the velcro.

I guarantee I'll have the most impressive and comfortable curlers on my block!

City dwellers and those who want to compost year-round can still compost food items, however. You just need some little critters to help the process along. I'm talking about composting with worms.

Worms? Really?

When you provide worms with an appropriate home, they'll work their way through your food scraps and create a dark, rich, moist material that your garden will love. I'll talk more about what types of worms to use and how to build a home for them after the break.