DIY Life

Step aside, Hannah Montana! There's a way cooler backpack in town...

As a parent, it's hard buying "branded" merchandise, isn't it? I don't want my son walking around advertising the latest Spiderman movie, and I sure wouldn't want Hannah Montana's face plastered all over my hypothetical daughter's backpack.

In the interest of promoting individuality and all things unique, why not send your child to school with a duct tape backpack... handmade by you, with some kid help, of course!

You know it will be strong -- it's duct tape, after all -- and you can customize the outside colors by using any colored duct tape you can find.

You'll need cardboard, gray and colored duct tape, and some string, shoelace-style. Before you know it, your child will be starting his or her own new trend... you may need a lot of duct tape very soon!

There are many times when you need to drill a hole only so far -- and no deeper. Either it's a "break-through" issue, or you're doing some production holes that have to be the same equal depth. This is easy enough with a drill press fitted with a dial-in depth stop.

But what to do if you don't have a drill press, or just as bad, the workpiece won't fit in it? This can easily be the case with a tabletop drill press.

You just have to DIY. All you need is your hand-held drill, the proper drill bit, and a roll of tape: electrical tape, duct tape, or masking tape -- your choice.

Simply measure the depth of the desired hole from the tip of your drill bit, and make a couple of wraps of tape around the bit. When your drill bit is spinning, the tape will blur into a perfect line. All you have to do is drill slowly, and back off just as you approach it!

Did you all enjoy your Independence Day? I hope that you were able to celebrate with a safe fireworks display, either an organized event in your town, some (legal!) fireworks in your own backyard, or even a national event on your big-screen TV.

What I hope you didn't do was to try and DIY your own fireworks display -- not safe! In fact, one young man was so, shall we say, questionably innovative, as to try to become his own fireworks display.

Yes, I'm serious. After the break, I'll tell you exactly what he did.

We all know how versatile duct tape is. From duct tape wallets, a duct tape book cover, even a duct tape top hat, this is one hard-working DIY tool. Here are a few of ways we use duct tape in our house, and I bet you haven't though of them!

Hold up your skinny kid's pants
Our three-year old has been skinny all of his life, yet very tall. Adjustable waist pants were our savior, but until duct tape came along, we found no good way to hold up his sweatpants. Simply fold over a small flap of the waistband from the inside, and duct tape to fasten. I know this is a hard explanation to visualize, so check out the gallery for detailed photos and instructions.

Make a knight's sword and shield
Our little guy also has a penchant for playing dress-up, and he loves knights and castles. We fashioned a sword and shield from man old cardboard box and covered them with duct tape to look like metal. It is much more durable than wrapping in tin foil, which I have seen done before, and it helps the cardboard stay sturdy.

Duct tape is cool. There is no doubt about it, people love it. It's a strange fascination really.

At DIY Life alone we've used it to make book covers, wallets, and a no-sew bag. We've even learned how this strong, multi-purpose tape can be used to remove warts, and keep your baby in one place.

Just when you thought we'd exhausted all the wacky uses for duct tape, we've got another: the duct tape top hat. This would make a great prom accessory, or quirky addition to an everyday outfit.

You'll need a compass, cardboard, scissors, and of course the duct tape. Basically, you will make fabric out of duct tape, and assemble the hat from there. Cardboard will help keep the structure firm, but the duct tape coating ensures that it is water-proof.

If you're feeling particularly adventurous, why not pair that top hat with a duct tape mini-skirt?

Disposable flashlights are a great thing to have on hand: they are a useful size, and extremely tough. The downside is that they can get pricey when you toss them after a couple of uses. Unfortunately, they can't be recycled, so every time you dispose of one, it ends up in a landfill.

Just because they are sold as single-use doesn't mean they have to stay that way. Next time you buy one of these $2 disposables, use it up and replace the batteries. They aren't manufactured for this, so it will take a bit of work to get it open. This Instructable has everything you need to replace the standard AA cells and extend your flashlight's life.

When you're closing it up, duct tape will do the trick and be easy to disassemble next time. If you want a polished look, you can easily weld it back together, then sand it down smooth.

The tutorial is done with an Eveready brand disposable ZAP flashlight. If you know how to change the batteries in any other brands, please share your tips with us!

Who knew not sewing could be so fun? I'm heading to SXSW (the interactive festival, not the film or music parts) and needed a secondary bag for notebooks and pens. My carry-on laptop bag is too bulky for just bumming around Austin, and I don't have the budget for a newer, sleeker bag. But I did buy some new jeans, which meant the ones with holes had to go. And since I have a hard time throwing things away, I made a nifty messenger bag out of those jeans, some duct tape and a handy shoulder strap from an Eagle Creek carry-on bag.

The bag itself will hold together without tape (see the gallery). So this would work in an emergency. While the shoulder strap is a bit of a cheat, I'm sure any strap would work, including one made of rope. The key is to make sure the legs wrap over the back and then close up in front so their weight provides enough strength to hold whatever is in your bag. Just to be safe, I decided to tape mine up. This makes it sturdier, more comfortable and stylish.

Read on for the how-to (it really is easy) and check out the gallery for close-ups of each step.

My household has been in a bit of an uproar the last few months, ever since my three-year-old received superhero jammies (Batman and Superman) for his birthday. By the way, thanks again, Uncle Andrew.

Since November, Owen has decided to become a hermit because he really, really -- did I say really -- likes to wear his superhero jammies. I give my kid a lot of freedom, but I do insist that actual clothing be worn outside the home in the dead of winter. Harsh, I know. Hence, Owen's self-proclaimed hermitism.

Reality does interfere at times, and I got tired of the getting dressed battles. Yes, I let him wear a cape whenever he wants, and hats, masks and strange footwear are fair game as well (like fire boots in the middle of July, but that's another story . . . ) but that isn't enough for my fanciful boy, who considers it gauche to be seen in anything but full superhero regalia when engaging in fantasy play. Which is pretty much always -- again, another story.

What's a mom to do?

Well, after I mourned the passing of my obsessive shopper days at Gymboree (farewell, oh beloved Gymbucks . . . ) I opened my mind to other clothing options, alas, ones that don't come with coordinating socks and hats. I just can't bring myself to buy "character" clothes (I have enough trouble with the character undies, let alone clothing that can actually be seen) so I called upon my creativity and thought outside of the box.

How to Create Superhero Clothes for your Three Year Old

I have wonderful old (circa 1800's) books in my house that are pretty beat up from so much use, and because they are, well, old. Some of my books are missing the binding. My bible gets used so much, we had to duct tape the cover on!

You and I can repair the binding on our beloved books, thanks to wikiHow. They have step-by-step instructions and pictures that we can easily follow to get our books back into usable condition.

Using plastic glue that you can probably buy online, binder tape, scissors, something to smooth edges, heavy rubber bands, and a sharp needle, you can repair the worn out binding on your favorite books.

WikiHow cautions not to repair the binding on really old books yourself; rather, take it to professionals. In that case, I guess I will leave my ancient books the way they are. They also caution not to use packing tape or duct tape on your books. Over time, the tape will turn to goo and eventually ruin your book. Hmmm, that hasn't been my case with my Bible, so I guess I will leave the duct tape on it for now.

Duct tape is one of those essential materials in every DIY tool box. I am a big fan of duct tape, and admittedly, I've never used it to actually tape ducts. We've looked at all sorts of ways to use this multi-purpose tape. As Ryan cautions, don't use it to tape your baby to the wall. Heather taught us how to create a pretty cool wallet, and now I'm going to bring you yet another use for duct tape: make a journal cover.

What you'll need

1. Book
2. Scissors
3. Duct tape (assortment of colors if you choose)

The method that is outlined in the how to article is probably your best one. You'll actually make a piece of fabric out of duct tape, measured to fit the book. You'll then apply that to the book. Personally, I'd be inclined to cover the book in paper then apply the duct tape to that. Try this as a way to protect your text books or make a funky looking journal cover.

High contrast colors captivate and hold baby's attention better than the softer colors that we might find appealing. This sharp contrast is easier for them to see and far more stimulating. You'll notice that many of the new mobiles have come away from pastel moons and stars and adopted black, white and red images with basic shapes and patterns. These modern mobiles can run you a pretty high bill. Why not skip the baby boutique, grab a few supplies from home, and make your own high contrast mobile.

In my post 8 uses for wire clothes hangers, a baby mobile is one of the suggestions. Here's one of those ideas in action: A high contrast baby mobile using only things you'll have around the house.

It is so very true that those who are in the know prefer a duct tape wallet to hold their money. And who among us wouldn't want something so cool and chic as a money holder made from gray tape? My son once bought a duct tape wallet from a child on the playground.

For a mere $7.50 he was able to have a multi-compartmented money holding dream machine that not only kept his meager savings safe but easily went through the wash without falling apart. But what if you can't follow online directions or don't have a playground source for these cool babies? Never fear, you are not without hope.

HearthSong offers a duct tape wallet kit for those many souls who want this cool accessory but might not have the ability to make one completely on their own. The kit includes pre-measured peel and stick pieces of duct tape in the standard gray or pink. There are also some bonus colors included to make the wallet that much more snazzy. The kit is a bit pricey at $19.95, but included is an instructional manual that will enable you to make many more cool duct tape wallets.