DIY Life

We talked headboards last week, and I can't help but shake the fact that I desperately need to spruce my own up a bit. As usual, I'm taking a cue from our fellow friends at ShelterPop. This lovely round-up has me craving a Saturday afternoon with a bit of fabric, plywood and my handy dandy staple gun.

This handy ReadyMade tutorial is one of my favorites, as I'm an avid read-in-bed kinda gal. There's nothing comfortable about stacking a few pillows against a hard, upright headboard, so this design is perfect for me. And with just a few tools, the process couldn't be easier!

Don't see one you like? Blogger pioneer Grace Bonney from Design*Sponge gave us a sneak peek of her own bedroom, including a DIY video of this gorgeous homemade headboard that's fit for a queen. Or, you could check out Curbly's round-up of 10 Fantastically DIY-able headboards.

Happy dreaming!

All homes have exterior surfaces that are designed to protect the home from the elements. There are many different types, but the two general ones are brick and siding. Some homes have a combination of the two.

If you're giving your home a face lift, you have choices. Let's talk about the many types of siding.

Cedar Siding for the Home

Western Red Cedar siding is the type most commonly used. It's a natural product, known for its beauty and durability. For energy efficiency, rigid foam sheathing may be applied prior to installing the siding. If this option is taken, kiln-dried cedar siding should be used, because of its stability.

The birds are back. I know this, because every morning at 4:30, they sing me awake. Hundreds of them. It was cute at first, but now I am thinking I really need to stop sleeping with the windows open....

I jest, because I really do enjoy having a yard full of birds. Our bird feeder is crowded daily with goldfinches, robins, sparrows, chickadees, cardinals, and other species of feathered friends. The conservation land our house borders has special houses just for the bluebirds, which are always a spectacular sight.

You can build a bird house from scrap wood for your yard, and hopefully attract some of the fascinating and colorful birds pictured in the gallery. You'll need a hammer and nails, waterproof glue, scrap 1/2-inch and 1/4-inch plywood, and some dowels.

The step-by-step instructions at All Free Crafts are very clear and there is a helpful diagram included. A good tip they mention is to think about the size of the hole you make, as that will determine what type of birds you attract.

Happy hammering!

Whiteboards, also known as dry-erase boards, are great for use in office presentations, business meetings, and for home use too. Unfortunately, they can be very expensive. If you are looking to make your own whiteboard, look no further than Chris's tutorial on how to: dirt cheap wall-sized whiteboards.

Using shower board, cheap plywood sheeting, and liquid nails you can purchase at your local Home Depot, you can hack together your own whiteboard for use in your home by you, your kiddies, and your friends. Aside from bonding and drying time, the actual making of the whiteboard should take very little time.

Be sure to use dry erase markers, or keep a handy supply of hand sanitizer if you accidentally use permanent marker. If you happen to prefer using permanent marker, then rubbing alcohol should clean the whiteboard very nicely, and it is much cheaper than hand sanitizer.

[via:TipNut]

Once in a while, an idea comes along that I think is totally awesome. One of those ideas is the CMYK clothing butler from CMYK Sweden. They have a clothing butler that takes cares of some issues I have, such as throwing my clothes on the floor by my bed at night after a long exhausting day taking care of a busy household, and not setting out the clothing I want to wear the next day.

CMYK's clothing butler isn't available yet, but you can certainly make your own using thick plywood, a jigsaw, and a router and whip up a butler in no time flat. With 5 big holes, you can set out enough clothing and accessories to get you through a couple days, and your clothing won't end up wrinkled. It would also be the end of looking for an item at the last minute, only to give up in frustration because you can't find it.

I would paint the clothing butler to match my decor. After all, who wants a giant piece of plywood hanging around their house, sticking out like a sore thumb?

[via:Curbly]

Ah, mini-putt-putt. The summer fun game. Kids love it. Adults love it. You don't have to be athletic to play. Interested? The site Modern Mechanics (motto: "yesterday's tomorrow, today) has posted an old Popular Mechanics article from 1950 on how to build your own basement mini-golf course. In addition to full, written instructions, there are illustrations of how the finished 18-hole course should look and how to construct each piece. Basically, the course is made from plywood and finished with carpet, which is tacked on. Some sections -- those where smoothly curving surfaces are required -- are made from sheet metal. The whole plan is split into a series of greens, which can be used alone (for practice or when space is limited) or together (for those with large basements). When not in use, the pieces can be stacked together for storage. Winter putt-putt, anyone?

Ever wonder what to do with all those bicycle parts that you know you can't throw away because someday they will have a use? Ever wonder what to do with those crutches that you hope you'll never need again?

Wonder no more, as I have found a great instructable on how to make a stool from spare bike parts and crutches. Ryan McFarland, aka zieak, went to the thrift store and purchased some old crutches. He took those old crutches, along with some bike wheels and inner tubes, a few bolts, a piece of plywood, and some insulation, and made an adjustable height stool with all those parts. Talk about ingenuity!

The complete instructions for the "bike-crutch stool" can be found at instructables.com. I don't know about you, but the inner tube seat doesn't appeal to me. I would certainly have to cover the insulation and plywood with something a little more feminine. For all you guys out there, this is probably the most manly thing though, right?