DIY Life

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.

Making handmade soap is an art form in itself. You can create swirls, layers, confetti, and textures in your cold process soap. It makes sense that you'd want to wrap your soap in a beautiful way too.

Your first instinct might be to use cellophane or another clear wrapper so you can see the gorgeous details of your soap, but if you make cold process soap from scratch, you will want to choose a more breathable wrapping.
The cold process soap likely retains some moisture from the curing process, which, unless you have been drying your soap for a year or so, is still not complete. Also, due to the high amount of naturally occurring glycerin in cold process soap, moisture is naturally attracted to it and you'll possibly end up with a soggy, moldy bar of soap if you use plastic.

After the jump, I'll share multitudes of wrapping ideas to make your soap look classy, country, funky, or somewhere in-between. In the meantime, peruse the gallery for some visual ideas.

My husband is always hesitant to let me use his keys, probably because I'm usually borrowing his because my own are lost. I assure him I can't possible lose his keys while I am using them (it's only once I get home that they disappear), but he's unconvinced.

In our house, it's me who always misplaces the keys. But if your husband or partner is the one who's careless with their keys, then a family key keeper might just make the perfect Father's Day present. Not only will it help him keep track of his keys -- guaranteed to make mornings much easier! -- but it'll remind him of what's important each day, as he looks upon the faces of his family.

I'll tell you more about this project after the break.

Weddings are so fun, but for the bride and groom, getting prepared for their special day can be a hassle. It is quite a feat to pull off a wedding without a hitch.

Although it is exhilarating to pick out flowers, the hall, the chapel, and those you've chosen to be in your wedding party, it can get a little frustrating to agree on all aspects of the day.

You can take the hassle out of choosing your wedding invitations with an awesome instructable that teaches how to print and assemble multi-layered wedding invitations.

A shadow box is a shallow box, with a glass framed front. You can put photo collages and other memorabilia inside, then hang it on your wall as you would any other picture frame. You'll find shadowboxes in a variety of sizes and style at your local craft store.

One of our most beautiful wedding gifts was a shadow box, made by a friend of ours. She included our invitation and dried flowers in our wedding colors.

I hope to make one for my sister's wedding, but I'm going to hold off until after the big day. This way I can include some wedding day mementos, like the groom's boutonniere, one of the wedding favors and a couple of place cards.

This is one of those projects where you have free reign to exercise your own creativity, and personalize it as much as you want. You can create a clean, contemporary look by choosing to focus on the invitation or one photo, then add a few embellishments to compliment it.

You can also make something regal with rich color choices, and an abundance of items decorating the box. Include the bride's tiara just for fun. If you're having trouble getting started, check out these step-by-step instructions on creating your own shadow box.

When things start to melt, I get really excited. Maybe it is the fact that I can see my lawn again, or just that the air is starting to lose that cold little nip. Even though I can't pin down exactly what it is, the promise of springtime excites me.

With Spring's arrival, though, comes some new concerns. Capri pants and short sleeved shirts, for example. Not only do you have to start shaving your legs again, but you have got to do something about that winter dry skin.

Read on for recipes to get your skin ready to be bared, with scents to bring the fresh springtime air right into your bath.

Easter is my favorite holiday, and the kid in me still looks forward to coloring eggs and waking up Easter Sunday morning to find the hidden basket of eggs, toys and chocolate. Of course, now I do the basket hiding, but it is still fun to watch kids find their basket.

This year, you can save some green by letting your kids make their very own Easter basket. Let them pick out the color of the cotton fabric, and weave the fabric around the stiff rope. Adult supervision is necessary when using the tapestry needle.

Once your little ones have the dimensions they want in their handmade Easter basket, you can help them make the handle for their basket. Don't forget to take pictures for Grandma and Grandpa; they'll want to see the kid crafted basket too. Top off their Easter basket with plenty of chocolate, leaving room for these pretty dyed eggs.

Score points this Valentine's day with something truly romantic, original and best of all, homemade. Handmade gifts aren't always received with the excitement that we imagine. Sometimes they are a total flop. So, what differentiates the gift that she calls all her friends to brag about from the one that gets tucked away in the junk drawer?

I think that all romantic DIY gifts should pass a three-point check:

1. Is the gift personal?
   Even if beautiful, something that could have easily made it into a Secret Santa exchange probably isn't going to blow her away. It should be obvious that this gift was made just for your special someone. Personalizing it with a name or picture is the obvious choice. More subtle: try incorporating an inside joke, or choosing a theme using project elements that have significance for the two of you.
   
   
2. Did the gift take time to make?
   She said she'd like something homemade. You raided the kids craft cupboard and made a card. She's not impressed. Are you surprised? The more time and planning that goes into the gift the more you'll get out of it. People love knowing that they were thought of, and taking the time and energy to plan ahead for a handmade gift shows that you truly wanted it to be something special.
   
   
3. Is it really any good?
   We only make a big deal out of poorly painted, ceramic ashtrays when they come from our children. While some failed projects can still be appreciated for the romantic intention, there really isn't room for the ugly, the tasteless, and the poorly crafted ones. Don't knit him a toque out of leftover yarn in colors you know he'd find hideous and then expect him to wear it proudly because it was made with love. Think seriously about what your significant other would like. If you want it to go on display, consider how it would work with their current decorating scheme.

With these three guidelines, I've put together a list of romantic DIY Valentine's day gifts. Some are old favorites-- tried, tested, and true for generations of lovers. Others are new and inventive, but they are all incredibly romantic and sure to make him or her putty in your hands. Follow me through the break and I'll share them with you.

If you happen to have all your shirts from the last 30 years hanging in the back of your closet, or even just taking up much needed space, don't throw them away. While I know that you needed to get rid of them yesterday, and you have them all stacked up by the door ready to make their way to the thrift store, why not get out the scissors and cut them up to make a warm and cozy quilt?

Design*Sponge regulars Derek and Lauren were getting sentimental about whether or not they really wanted to take Derek's old shirts to the thrift store. They needed a new duvet cover, so they decided they would cut up his shirts and their old duvet cover and make a new warm and cozy pseudo quilt, thus keeping their memories intact. Using old shirts, a duvet cover, scissors, a rotary cutter, a ruler, sewing machine, iron and a self healing cutting mat, Derek and Lauren's directions are very easy to follow and you can soon end up with your own "new" cozy "quilt".

I think this is a neat project because you are killing two birds with one stone by getting rid of your old shirts and making over your boring duvet cover. Since duvet covers are so expensive, this project should be right up your DIY alley.

The stores are fully stocked with all kinds of Valentine's Day goodies and have been for quite some time. I am a chocoholic and have to make a wide berth around the boxes of chocolate, otherwise I would be going home with way more than I need, kind of like I did when the Christmas candy went on sale after the holiday was over. I also make a wide berth around all the cheesy Valentine's Day cards.

Really, gag me! I much prefer to make my own cards, and am delighted with the step by step pop up Valentine's Day card instructions and pictures on wikiHow. Using cardstock, the two print outs available to you, a ruler, glue, scissors, stickers, markers, and a paper clip, you can make your sweetie a card they will be happy to receive. Use your own words to express how you feel, and decorate with symbols they would love.

I think this would be a great scrapbook project too. Add the card to the pages and document the reaction of the one you love. It will be a hit when you show others, and they will want to make a special card for the one they love too.

Are you still looking for the perfect Christmas gift to give to that hard-to-buy-for person? Does said person like to wear t-shirts? Maybe they have a dresser full or closet full of every color and design of t-shirt ever made.

Even if that is the case, you can still surprise them with a unique design you made yourself, with the help of Instructable user FreshPineSent. The step by step instructions and pictures provided make stenciling a t-shirt with freezer paper look like an incredible easy and simple last minute Christmas project.

I think it would be much more fun to make your own design, using the paint colors you want for that perfect t-shirt gift. If you decide to find a design from the web, you'll still have the perfect handmade Christmas present, because your unique t-shirt will be crafted by you.

I procrastinate when it comes to buying gifts. I love the people I am buying for, but I just don't have the time to stand in a store aisle wondering whether or not the recipient would like such a gift. I think that is why I am determined to make all my gifts this year.

The recipient of a handmade gift will be very pleased that you thought of them enough to take the time to make something special, rather than wandering aimlessly down store aisles. JournalStar.com has a list of eleven handmade gifts to make before Christmas arrives. These eleven gifts, including domino magnets, dog biscuits, oven mitts, shaker ornaments, and personalized candles, will be sure to make someone on your gift giving list very happy.

With the list, you should be able to find something handmade to make that will please even the most hard-to-please gift recipients. Seriously, who doesn't love candles, nuts or chocolate?

[via:Curbly]

Last night, my husband took me to a very nice restaurant that uses cloth napkins instead of paper. I don't know about you, but I feel very spoiled when I am able to wipe my mouth and hands on cloth. I think that I would feel spoiled on a daily basis if I only knew how to make my own cloth napkins.

Thanks to a step by step tutorial by Chara Michele, we can all learn how to make handmade napkins in time for our Christmas feast. The pictures and steps that Chara Michele gives are easy to follow, even for a novice like me who has never made handmade napkins before.

Sew up a few extra napkins to give as Christmas gifts. Cloth napkins are better for the environment because, unlike paper napkins, you won't have to throw the cloth away. You can use them for any occasion, and keep them for years to come. Sew happy!

When I was a little girl, my siblings and I never had Christmas stockings. There were plenty of presents under the tree, but not one stocking was ever found. Amazingly, I never felt cheated, probably because of all the presents we received, especially the boxes of chocolate.

This year, my little girl will have a stocking. There is no fire by which to hang her stocking, but she will never know the difference, considering she is only two. You can make your own personalized Christmas stocking too, thanks to the step by step instructions on wikiHow. You probably already have all the materials needed to make the Christmas stockings in your craft basket, so there is no excuse not to make them right away.

If you happen to be short on time, this project is simple and easy enough for the kids to pitch in and help glue the decorations on the stockings, making it truly personalized.

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!