DIY Life

Have you signed up for a flickr account yet? It's such a great tool. Not only is it a great way to share photos online, it's also a good method for backing up the photos you keep on your hard drive. And now, flickr.com has teamed up with other online vendors to offer some really cool tools.

When you sign in to your flickr account you'll see a section entitled "Do More With Your Photos." You can click over to other sites that will use your flickr photos to create books, frame photos, design calling cards, and more. HP is one of vendors available. Among other great options, they have this simple photo cube. Best of all, it's free!

Check out the gallery for step by step instructions.

When I spied the title "Guard your Laptop with Electric Rings of Death!," well, I had to check it out. And what did I find? Awesome pics of what looks like a bright electric force field circling a laptop! What is this? A DIY electric fence to keep unauthorized sticky fingers off your keyboard? Is it for real? Well, turns out this project is simultaneously very geeky and very cool.

Okay, so it's not a real force field. No, it will not zap your roommate for attempting to access your passwords file. However, creator TeslaDownUnder, says that, yes, the photos are for real and not Photoshopped. It's all done, he says, using a gadget involving rotating electrodes, which was then photographed in a dark room on a long exposure. Voila! Instant force field. Nope, it won't harm a fly. But it looks cool!

Are you as tired as I am of modern easter egg decorating? No, I mean coloring them is still cool; the thing I don't get is putting stickers on them and calling it creative. Huh? That's just wrong. Plus, the sticker is probably made in China, and who knows what's in that adhesive? Lead? Anti-freeze?

Anyhow, I got this great tip from Kodak tips and projects. The kiddos can still get their sticker fix -- and be creative and process-oriented at the same time. Hey, that's three birds with one stone! For this decorating project, you'll need:

• Eggs (of course!)
• Paint brush
• Decoupage glue
• Regular printer paper (not photo)
• Photos (Let your child get creative here)
• Scissors
  

Let's get started!

1. Let your child go wild with the digital camera.
2. Print the pictures on printer paper.
3. Center the egg on the photo.
4. Trace around (rather, a-oval) it and cut it out.
5. Make snips around the edges so it will conform to the shape of the egg.
6. Brush glue onto the egg and smooth the photo onto it.
7. Apply a thin protective coat of glue over the photo.
8. Get pumped up to go a-huntin'!

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.

These photo pencil covers are a creative way to spice up regular pencils, personalizing them with your own photos.

You can use one picture so that each pencil has a piece, coming together to reveal the whole image. you can also do separate images for each pencil, try pictures of lemon for your yellow pencil crayon, grass for the green and lavender flowers for the purple. There are no rules here. A set of photo pencils would make a great gift for your artist pal, or a fun back-to-school project.

You'll want to use regular paper as opposed to photo paper. Basically, you mark out and cut the photo strips, cover the back with glue, and wrap it around the pencil. Secure the edge with matte scotch tape, and you're ready to more on to the next pencil in your series. You'll find the full tutorial and other creative ideas at Photojojo!

I would be lost without my camera. I have hundreds of pictures of my daughters, and love to look at them every once in a while to see how they have grown. I wish I could be able to take my camera with me on rainy or snowy days, but I am so afraid of water damage, I miss special moments that should have been caught on camera.

Thanks to a wonderful tutorial from Tim, who shows us how to make our own waterproof camera enclosure, water damage to our precious camera can be a thing of the past. All that is needed to make the bag enclosure is a piece of clear urethane, an iron and a piece of aluminum foil. To make the internal camera bracket, you'll need a 1/2 inch piece of polypropylene plastic. You'll also need a piece of plastic to make the outside bezel, a piece of glass to make the window, and a gasket to make a tight seal.

Reading the comments on Lifehacker and Make has me wondering if a person might just be better off using condoms for waterproofing a digital camera. I think maybe I'll stick to the safe bet right now, and not use my camera in the rain, underwater, or the snow.

A short trip to your local Wal-Mart and The Home Depot could turn your back bedroom or attic into a professionally-lit photography studio. That is, if you have camera equipment to take pretty pictures once you have several lighting equipment environments at your disposal.

Start with some outside tripod-style floodlights and add some foil-covered windshield heat protectors and standard light bulbs and you have the makings of a makeshift and workable lighting studio. Total cost? About $75. Results? Well, they will probably produce 90% of the quality (if done right) for less than a fifth of the price of professional lighting equipment. That ought to do well for us budding amateur photographers, right?

Consult the entire breakdown here to get a rundown on assembly of these items into your very own photography lighting arrangement: some hot-lights (a few tripods required), some light diffusers and portable reflectors and some camera flash diffusers as well. For professional-looking photo results with little monetary investment, you can't beat this.

If you like taking professional-style photos of your kids, pets or even for that eBay listing, one thing many aspiring photogs have discovered is that lighting is the single largest key to taking a great, well-exposed picture.

Yet, many of us don't have photography studios in our homes. What to do? How about carve out a bedroom corner when you need it and fancy up some on-the-cheap lighting companions to help you? Yes, there is a way to emulate a decent lighting environment similar to what you'd find in a pro studio -- and it'll cost ya not that much in greenbacks.

This lighting example uses three specific lights to create an excellent lighting arrangement that you'll find very useful if you're tired of those grainy point-n-shoot images your digital camera usually serves up. Needed: some used slave flash assemblies (look for these at pawn shops and photography stores), some taping ingenuity and a few miniature tripods that cost just a few bucks at a local electronics retailer.

Many of us sell items on eBay very regularly. From an old baseball mitt to that piece of jewelry to a PlayStation 2 game title, eBay is the home for everything and anything a person needs to sell or to buy.

The only problem is that many auctions contain poor images that do little to entice potential bidders into placing a bid. It's amazing to see small companies and individuals give unintelligible text descriptions and horrid pictures on those higher-priced items on eBay. After all, a $99 digital camera will take photos that are just fine for those eBay products. Capturing the best image to convey a product's likeness to potential bidders -- that's another story.

If you take a trip to the basement or attic soon, dig out one of those ice chests or coolers (rectangular ones work best) and voila! -- an instant background for all your eBay auctions. As many a good photog knows, a sold while background is the best way to photograph and present your product -- but setting up a mini-studio for the purpose in junior's room may not cut the mustard. So, when in need, pull out that cleaned ice chest and there's your photo studio on the cheap (in money and space).

One of my artistic addictions is making beaded jewelry. It is incredibly soothing to me to create an eye-appealing pattern and string the beads. The only thing I find frustrating about it is trying to take a good picture of my pieces.

I've tried indoor shots, outdoor shots, flash, no flash, white background, black background, different angles of lighting, manual focus, auto focus, manual aperture, auto aperture, you name it. I thought I had tried everything short of purchasing one of those crazy light box studios, a desperate measure to be sure.

Then I found it. Right there, online, for the world, including me, to see:

Have you ever thought of using your computer scanner to take pictures of your jewelry? I sure hadn't, but now I am sold.

There are so many opportunities to get great photos around Halloween. We have the changing leaves, the bright orange pumpkins, the carved jack-o-lanterns with flickering lights, the costumes and make-up. You just don't find this richness in the other seasons. For me, Halloween shots are among my greatest photographic failures. I cannot, however, seem to properly photograph a jack-o-lantern, or catch the mood of a haunted evening. The Ghoulish Guide to Scary Snaps is exactly what I was looking for.

The collection of Halloween photo tips covers everything from appropriate lighting to photographing your jack-o-lantern and frightening costumes. They suggest that the best Halloween pictures are taken at dusk. There is enough natural light to go without flash, but still show off the candle lit pumpkin and bright costumes. They also have some great recommendations for designing your jack-o-lantern so that it can be easily photographed.

Once you've mastered your Halloween shots, get ready to enjoy the rest of the season with their 12 Fantastic Fall Photo Tips. Next time you're out raking leaves with the children, make sure you bring the camera along. Armed with a beautiful setting and your new knowledge of fall photography, you're sure to have some beautiful photos.

Decorating with elements of nature is all the rage. Pottery Barn does it. Home and Garden Television does it. Better Homes and Garden does it too, and that is the look from which I drew my inspiration this week.

As part of their "Inspired Fall Decorating" slide show, Better Homes and Gardens (BH&G) includes a fun way to showcase some favorite photos, naturally.

When you live in the woods like I do, it is an easy look to duplicate.

I gathered some twigs from the yard, and also some evergreen twigs. BH&G Uses red berries, but I chose the evergreen look. They tied theirs with twine, I opted for some muted gold raffia ribbon.

Add a few black and white photos and the beauty and simplicity of nature creates an elegant photo display.

What is your favorite way to decorate with nature?

With the extensive number of features our new cameras are toting, many of us have been experimenting with photography and finding our own hidden talent. Still, one of the skills that separates those of us who simply enjoy photography and those who take photographer quality pictures is an ability to use light. Light, depending on its use can significantly alter the mood of a photo. This is where the snoot comes in. A snoot is a a light focusing device that allows you to light a small portion of a frame while the rest remains completely un-lit. Leann Wrightsman's article titled DIY - Homemade Speedlight "snoot" shows us how to do exactly that; make our own speedlight snoot in just a short time, with just a few materials. Make sure you check out the link for pictures and more detailed instructions.

Materials

1. Gaffer's tape
2. Black foam paper
3. Speedlight

Assembly

1. Cut the foam so that the long side will fit the speedlight
2. Tape the short side
3. Make a tube with the foam, sealing a clean joint with the tape
4. Put the snoot on your speedlight. Make sure it is a snug fit.

If you want a narrower beam of light, Leann Wrightsman suggests pinching the foam until the opening is exactly what you want. Have fun playing with your photographic lighting.

I think each of us has an alter-ego who (we believe) would have made a great spy, or some kind of super secret agent. If you're sitting at your computer reading this, I'm guessing you let go of this fantasy some time ago - That or your current assignment has you posing as a regular guy.

In this project secret agent meets DIY'er and comes up with very cool homemade infrared vision. This video tells you how to create your own night vision camera. All you need is a flashlight, red and blue cellophane, and a digital camera. If you have a camera from the 90's that's still kicking around waiting for its turn as a re-purposed creation that will do the trick. Otherwise use a Sony camera with night vision.

I'd like to take pictures of night animals, like this one of bats flying out of their cave. Or maybe I'd film a short spy clip just for fun. How will you use your infrared vision?

Cardboard standees are pretty cool. They're often made to promote movies, and sometimes, if a movie becomes very popular, standees of various characters might be released for sale to the general public (for example, several characters from The Lord of the Rings made it into flat, stand-up format). Those seem to retail for around $60 or so. But if you want to have a standee made, with your own photo of someone who isn't famous, you'll be out at least a hundred dollars more.

That is, unless you check out FreakCitySF's cool cardboard standup tutorial on Instructables. You can have the picture you want to use blown up and printed by a professional, or you can just use a site that helps you print posters in a modular format (IE, each segment of the photo is printed on a different sheet, and you must assemble them to get the big picture).

Possible uses? Well, for fun. The photographic comedy possibilities are practically endless. There's also the strange thing that a former neighbor of mine did with a cardboard standee of a superhero: they put it in their front window and backlit it, so there was always a silhouette in the window. I could never figure out whether they meant it as decoration or a crime deterrent.

On a more serious note, this might make a great, romantic present for someone in a long-distance relationship -- assuming the standee actually depicts the person who can't be there.