DIY Life

I love the timelessness of silhouettes, yet how the ways in which silhouette projects materialize are so, so versatile. This project from Time Out New York is a fun, quirky example of implementing a seemingly-stuffy concept into a more lighthearted environment.

The steps are easy enough:

You'll need:
• Old photographs or a camera and printer to make new ones
• Black construction paper
• Scissors
• Tape
• An assortment of picture frames

Step-by-step:
1 Find a photograph of a loved one in an active pose. Or gather friends and stage new shots specifically for this project. The more dynamic the photo, the better.
2 Cut out the figure from the photograph.
3 Trace the figure onto black construction paper and cut it out.
4 Tape the new silhouette onto white paper and insert into frame.
5 Repeat the process and arrange the frames so that each silhouette seemingly interacts with the adjacent figures.

That's it! Get to it, folks!

Hanging your artwork or photographs on the wall seems like it would be straightforward and easy to accomplish. However, most of us are doing it incorrectly. From the placement of the artwork to our method of hanging it, we could use a few tips.

Where on the wall do you have your pictures?

Most people make the mistake of hanging their artwork or photographs too high on the wall. Hang your pictures at eye level. What exactly is eye level? According to the standard that is used in art galleries, the center of the picture should be between 60" -65" from the floor. You can even break this rule and go several inches lower in a room where prople are generally seated, such as a dining room.

The size of the artwork should relate to its surroundings.

A small picture on a large empty wall will get lost, while a large picture will overwhelm a small wall. Pictures should be smaller than the furniture over which they hang. For example, a large painting hanging over a tiny table will look unbalanced and top heavy.

It's so easy to just email photos off to family and friends, but there's not a lot of thought behind it. If you really want to give somebody something special, consider this exploding scrapbook box.

You'll need three sheets of 12X12 cardstock, one sheet of 6X6 cardstock, glue, ruler, scissors, photos, and any embellishments you'd like to add.

Measure and cut the 12X12 sheets into cross (or tic-tac-toe) shapes. The outer layer will be the largest, and the inner two layers will be slightly smaller. Measure and score one-inch folds on each side of the 6X6 cardstock. Cut a flap on each corner, and use glue to secure the lid.

Decorate the layers of the box and the lid as you wish. Secure the bases of the box layers with glue, slip on the lid, and your box is complete! Check out the gallery for details.

[via CraftyDaisies]

Trying to find the perfect going-away gift for someone? Something that says you'll never forget me, and I'll always be with you? Maybe a friend who's relocating, or a high school graduate that is college bound? Make them a throw pillow from a photo!

All you will need for this project is thin fabric (white works best, and makes the image more crisp, but you can use regular muslin for an antiqued look), freezer paper, interfacing, needle, thread, and stuffing. You will also need a computer, scanner or digital camera, printer, iron, sewing machine, scissors, and pins.

After choosing and arranging your photo how you would like it, you may want to do a quick print out on regular paper, just to see how your photo will turn out. (Keep in mind the image needs to fit onto your fabric and through the printer, and most printers will only allow for 8 1/2" x 11" )

Attention, husbands: If you're just planning Mother's Day now, I won't scold you, but I will save you from the wrath you're about to experience if you don't get things together quickly.

Before you move on to showing her your personal appreciation, you'll want to make sure you've arranged something special from your children. If you're in a hurry, here are some quick and easy Mother's Day projects. You can also help them make this precious card, telling Mom just how much they love her.

Some suggest giving Mom a day without the kids, but personally that isn't what I would want. Mother's Day should be celebrated as a family, but once they've served her breakfast in bed, and spent the day honoring her in clever ways, the two of you can tuck in those sweet little ones and get on with some romantic appreciation.

If you're looking for a way to spoil her, follow me through the break, and we'll discuss how you can shower her with appreciation for little or no cost, and with little preparation (yes, you can pull all of these off before Sunday!).

Weddings can be very expensive, and everyone wants to cut pennies where they can. Why not start by making your own guest book? It can be a really simple project, and is an opportunity to create something special and unique that you'll appreciate looking at in the many years of wedded bliss to come!

Things you'll need:

• Blank book: You can get these at just about any craft store
• Xyron machine or glue stick
• Rubber stamps: There are many wedding themes available
• Stamp pads
• Poetry or Quotes you like, related to the theme of course, printed onto cardstock
• Photos
• Ruler
• Pens
• Decorative scissors

And, if you decide to antique the book, you will also need:

• Brown acrylic craft paint
• Sponge brush
• Water

You'll find the instructions after the break!

When it comes to decorating their bedroom, we let our kids choose the paint color, and some fun bedding. With our voice of reason we've managed to avoid painting a large Lightning McQueen on the wall, but we still needed to personalize the room in a way we could all live with. We wanted something that wouldn't quickly become a symbol of last year's kiddie trend, but was something that they would love to look at, feel proud of, and be somehow a reflection of their own little uniqueness. We decided to make our own photo mural. This project is great for any age. Make it yourself for over baby's crib, let your preschoolers help make one for their room or let teenagers use it to express their own individuality. This is super simple, quick and easily changed over the years. Get them involved in choosing the supplies. Here's what you need to get started:

1. Tacks
   The push-pin style will be safer in case there are little ones in the room. If you'd rather avoid tacks all together, poster gum will achieve the same thing. I personally like the look of tacks, especially in a variety of bright colors.
   
   
2. Picture frames
   Get a few in bright colors, or better yet, let your kids paint and decorate plain ones. This is a great way for them to add that personal touch.
   
   
3. School border
   These come in many themes. We chose a space border, because the boys love space, but you'll find princess, sports, seasons, and other choices at your local office or school supply store.
   
   
4. Photos
   This is the really fun part. Let your children choose pictures of themselves and their friends and family. If you want to, take some pictures of them with their friends dressing up, or making goofy faces. If you have younger children, you might want to choose pictures of important people in their lives, like Grandma and some special friends. If you have older ones, let them put together a collection of pictures that reflects their life at that stage.

After the break, I'll explain how to put this all together.

Years ago, I tended bar at a restaurant specializing in spicy foods. A typical Saturday night in the lounge included a collection of guys trying to prove their manliness by eating spicy peppers and tasting hot sauces. One of my private pleasures was putting these guys to shame by casually eating a chili pepper and chasing it with a shot of 151 (it was actually ice tea!) instead of running for the milk the way the boys did. I trained myself to manage some deadly peppers, but if I had a hack like this one back then I could have spared a lot of pain and a few taste buds, without sacrificing the fun and the tips!

Unless you're into fooling your friends or showing off extreme tolerance for spices, you will find this tip more practical for your culinary creations. The conventional way to reduce hot pepper intensity is to simply de-seed it. This tutorial goes far beyond that, getting straight to the heat source. The seeds carry spice, but the burning sensations are actually derived by the lipophilic found in the inner wall of the pepper. Here's what you'll need to take the heat out of a pepper:

1. Chili pepper
   
2. Paring knife
3. Cutting board
4. Olive oil
5. Alcohol - Tequila is recommended
   
6. Latex gloves
7. Shot glass
8. Rocks glass

The full instructables article will take you through the process. Make sure you follow the storage instructions carefully. This is meant to be a kitchen hack not a science experiment! Once you've successfully taken the heat out, you might find this post on how to safely chop hot peppers useful.

I don't know about you, but as thankful as I am for the gifts I receive, I have a hard time sitting down to write thank you cards. Believe me, it isn't that I am not thankful, I just don't have the time. I still have thank you cards to write out for Christmas presents my daughter received.

I am impressed by the tutorial I found on Design*Sponge. Grace shows us how to make thank you cards, an accordion scrapbook, and a small accordion booklet. To make the thank you cards you will need cardstock, rubber stamps, pens, and markers to decorate the card, buttons and small tags, and ribbon for the hole. I think it is the perfect scrapbook craft. I especially like that you can get creative and design the thank you cards however your imagination wants to.

I am in love with Grace's accordion scrapbook, a perfect idea for keeping special pictures and thank you cards in. Grace's instructions are so clear and easy to follow, you can spend all day making her gorgeous crafts. Why not start on them now, so that you will have them ready to give as gifts throughout the new year.

When I was a little girl, my mother would drag out boxes of pictures of her parents and other family members from Germany. The pictures and old letters were starting to yellow with age, and I often thought that she should preserve them. All these years later, those old German letters and pictures are still in boxes, waiting for me to go through and sort them when I am ready.

I want to display the old family pictures, but I don't have enough old yellowed paper to make the displays I want, so I am glad I found DIY Maven's post on how to antique paper. Using hot black coffee and instant coffee, a baking sheet, a warm oven, paper towels, and a sponge brush, you can make your own antique paper too.

I am going to use my newly antiqued paper as a backdrop for old family photos, but also follow DIY Maven's advise and use copies of the photos. I sure wouldn't want to ruin the only existing photos of my mother's precious memories. What will you use your antiqued paper for?

Circuit boards don't belong in the landfill. They can be dropped off at your local recycling depot but before you do that, try your hand at recycling them into something useful. These 10 creative ways to reuse circuit boards are sure to inspire your creativity. While they've also been turned into consumer products, go ahead and make your own. A circuit board business card case will help keep you organized. The photo frames or coasters would be fun projects, and would make a great Christmas gift for the computer geek in your life.

If you still have more than you know what to do with, and you'd take huge pride in being known as the guy with the geekiest ride then this circuit board car is your ticket. You are sure to turn heads in this uber-geeky automobile decorated entirely from recycled circuit boards. While nothing quite compares to Jason's homemade wooden spoilers, this circuit board car comes awfully close.

If you need a little esteem boost, these fools will go a long way in making you feel like the smartest guy around. Why not lift a forklift with a forklift, or use your own body to balance a ladder? Because it's sheer stupidity, that's why. I don't typically like these sort of pictures, pointing out how dumb people are or how dangerous their decisions could be, but some of these guys are really over the top. Here are 8 of what are possibly the biggest DIY disasters just waiting to happen.

A moment of bad judgment could lead to a dangerous outcome. Some of these pictures look more like permanent hacks than just a moment of bad judgment, and are incredibly hazardous. What crazy hacks have you seen? Or better yet, what's your dumbest DIY moment?

Although self-contained digital picture frames are cool and all, the limited functionality of some of these units has compelled many folks to create their own digital picture frames. If you're looking for transition effects and other neat touches to spruce up a whole directory of photos from that wedding or summer vacation, why not build your own?

A disclaimer: this project requires some decent knowledge of desktop computers and some finesse working with PC components. Additionally, you better have a knack for tearing down a desktop PC system. The only prerequisite here is an extra desktop PC (yes, an old one will work) that you can convert into a display-centric picture server, if you will. If you have one of those PCs-on-a-board systems, this project will flow ever nicely.

The rainbow is one of nature's more beautiful occurrences. It doesn't matter where you're headed or the hurry you're in, a rainbow has the power to stop you in your tracks and take a moment to look in awe. If you love photography, you catch that awe inspiring moment on film. All too often, I develop my film only to find that I failed to capture the true wonder on film.

The wet fall days and clear crisp skies mean that rainbows are plentiful and the opportunities to practice photographing them are in abundance. How to photograph a rainbow gives you tips on taking the best picture.

A tip that I found particularly useful is this one about positioning the end point of your rainbow.

End Points of the Rainbow - the point where a rainbow hits the ground/horizon is an important point in any rainbow photograph. This is a natural point of interest so think about where you'll put it in the frame. You might want to zoom in on this spot or even quickly change your own position so that it lines up with some other object in the scene.

The tips address everything from foreground to composition to filter. Read through their suggestions and go searching for your subject. By the end of this rainy season you'll have a collection of rainbow photos.

[via: Lifehacker]

Halloween might be over, but toddlers and preschoolers never stop having fun with dress up. If you're a parent or grandparent of little ones that means that your job as the great creator never stops either. This Grandpa made his grandchildren a Flintstone car and it was a huge hit.

From planning to flawless craftsmanship to the priceless smiles of his grandchildren taking it for a spin, this is DIY project was a definite success. There was a lot of trial and error, and this DIY'er ended up spending more money than he needed to. Lucky for us, he lets us in on what worked best and the choices he eventually goes with can be achieved for less than $100.

If you're looking to win some points with your little one, or want to help them out with the coolest show and tell, or just feel inspired to mess around with these ideas, you'll find his instructions and pictures very useful.