DIY Life

I don't know about your house, but in mine we go through several jugs of milk a week. Because my son loves cereal, and he also loves a big glass of milk with meals, my recycling bin gets pretty full with milk jugs alone.

RePlayGround has a fun way to reuse milk jugs -- make carton catchers. Your main materials include two half-gallon milk jugs, two toilet paper tubes, and a ball (or tin foil to wad into a ball). You'll also need a tack, tape, scissors, markers, and decorative paper.

To make the carton catchers, simply cut out the milk jugs (RePlayGround has diagrams to show you how to cut them), attach the toilet paper tubes to the spouts, and decorate. I haven't made these yet, but I do wonder if the toilet paper tube would be a bit flimsy. You could use a wooden dowel or some plastic pipe for a sturdier handle.

Want more ideas for reusing milk jugs? Anna has 15 creative suggestions.

These instructions for making the best paper airplane in the world taught us how to fold a a perfect airplane, one built for precision and speed. The result was amazing, but the instructions were complicated and intended mostly for adults.

If you're looking for an airplane that the whole family can enjoy, make some of these launchable drinking straw planes. Here's what you'll need:

• Straw
• Scissors
• Paper
• Tape
• Pen

Have a look through the full Instructables post for the simple instructions and accompanying pictures. Basically, you'll blow through the straw to launch the plane. The whole family will have fun with this one. They don't take long to make, put a few together and see who can launch theirs the farthest.

I spent many hours playing carroms as a kid. Carroms is a game similar to billiards. Rules vary considerably from country to country and even from town to town. A few years ago I bought a board at a thrift store while visiting my parents. When my father saw it he became excited and a family game of carroms followed.

Since that purchase I've bought two other carroms boards. Each has been slightly different but the size of the playing surface works great for a table top.

I have found that the corner pockets make great drink holders. Friends that see the table want to play or want to know about the game if they never have played before.

Suggestions on how to build a table out of a carroms board after the jump.

Continuing to recraft finds from the game closet (last week was Monopoly wine charms) here is another easy project that uses old dominoes to make a bracelet.

A single domino could be used as a pendant on a necklace as a gift for someone with a favorite number or a birthday present by using the numbers to represent their age. Wooden dominoes like the ones that I used would also make great coasters by gluing them together (like the Scrabble tile coasters).

After the jump is the list of supplies and suggestions for making a few of your own domino bracelets.

Every week Francesca Clarke tells us how involving kids can make DIY fun, rewarding, and keep them out of trouble too. Welcome to the science of wrangling rug-rats into doing their own DIY projects and exploring the world while making it better. Watch out for the hot glue!

Last week we celebrated Valentine's day by crafting butterfly puppets and floral decorations. This week I'll show you how to make origami fortune tellers. This DIY version of the magic 8 ball, also called a cootie-catcher was iconic in the 80's. All you need is a piece of paper, scissors and a pencil.

Most of you will remember them from sixth or seventh grade, where you'd huddle around the fortune teller and eagerly await your fate. Some of you will take out a sheet of paper and fold one in seconds, remembering each move as if you were playing it yesterday. Others will fumble with it, folding and re-folding, trying to replicate this childhood game.

For the fumblers, here's how to re-create the origami craft with your own kiddies.

Everyone needs coasters, right?

A set of Scrabble tile coasters were recently one of Craftster's featured projects. They're simple, requiring more patience than time or skill. The creator, Jessfun23, glued Scrabble tiles to thin cork sheets in clever drink-related patterns, then coated the tiles with a sealant.

She chose Mod Podge, but any waterproof, non-toxic clear sealant should be OK. Some sealants might yellow over time, but there's no ideal soft base for coasters that won't deteriorate over time anyway (most coasters have a finite life span by definition). Another Craftster user, TracyinNH, was inspired to try this project with a felt bottom and denim edging, for an entirely different look. You could try running a metallic gold paint pen around the edges before applying the sealant, or edging each coaster with glue and glitter. The possibilities are endless.

Acquiring the letter tiles for this project is probably the largest obstacle to hurdle. I did some research, and was able to find some surprising and interesting options... not just for sources of tiles, but also for the look of the tiles themselves. There's even a totally different way, shown in the photo above, to make a similar coaster. You'll find something for almost everyone, including your favorite l33t g33k, after the break.

We got a Wii for Christmas and our whole family is having a blast with it! It's light and easy to pack around if you want to bring it to a friend's place or a party. If you are taking your Wii out of the house regularly, be carefully, and protect this new favorite toy (particularly the sensor bar).

This homemade Wii sleeve is the perfect way to cart your Wii around and stay confident that it's well protected. Your sewing skills don't have to measure up to your gaming skills to pull this one off. It's simple, using just a few materials and a bit of time. Here's what you'll need:

1. 1/2 foam
2. Cotton fabric (1/2 yard)
3. Thread
4. Velcro

The full instructables explains each step and gives pictures to help you along the way. This one is definitely going on my project list for the new year.

After our kids are in bed, Jason and I can be found downstairs rocking out to Guitar Hero. While I'm sure we both look like total dorks, and I am admittedly pitiful at any song that is even mildly complicated, we still have a blast. A little spirited competition and some classic rock tunes are just what we need at the end of a long day.

There are lots of instructions out there that will tell you how to customize your guitar, but none that are quite as clear and well documented as these. This instructable walks you through the dis-assembly, painting and reassembly of your Guitar Hero SG controller. You'll be taking out nearly 40 screws, so clear your workspace and get organized before you get started. Once you have it apart, painting can be as simple or as detailed as you want. The metal finish that this instructables author chooses looks great. He suggests using a spray paint, but you'll still need to be careful and take your time. If you want to get really creative, try stenciling on a some flames or even a design of your own.

It's ironic: the target audience for this article may never know it exists. See, if you didn't notice -- it would have been nearly impossible for anyone who owns a TV and watches networks other than NPR, let alone those of us who spend a lot of time online, not to notice -- Halo 3 came out on Tuesday.

How many gamers planned their vacation days for this week? How many living rooms are slowly filling up with empty pizza boxes and spent Mountain Dew bottles, as the inhabitants frag, frag away? (If not Mountain Dew, insert favorite over-caffeinated beverage -- er, I mean, "beverage with just enough caffeine to keep you going!" -- here. Gamer fuel!)

I'm assuming the number is massive... as massive as this game launch. Which means that those people probably aren't spending too much time browsing the Web. Nevertheless, we have some awesome Halo-based DIY projects for everyone. When the people who would appreciate them most finish the game, or at least come up for air, this article will still be here.

Join us after the break to get your Master Chief on. You know you want to.

If you are a skilled chess or checkers player than you are probably careful and thorough enough to master this project. Or, maybe you are a hobby woodworker and your planning that perfect gift for a chess loving friend. Whatever the case, if you are looking to build an heirloom quality all-wood chess or checker board than this tutorial is all you'll need. Alex Franke walks you through step by step with loads of tips and pictures along the way.

This is not a hack, but a real piece of art, and you'd never guess by looking at the board that it could have been pulled together with quality scraps of leftover wood. If anybody tries this project, let us know how it goes.