DIY Life

Just yesterday I was moaning and groaning over HGTV's 2008 Dream Home. Yes, I was singing a song of envy that goes something like this (and you can let your dog howl along with me): Why, oh why, does my house need so much stuff done to it? Why, oh why, do these beautiful dream homes have to be out there taunting me? Etc. etc. Today, however, I discovered a site that shows I'm in good company: Broke Homeowners.

Who are Broke Homeowners? Well, seems they are a couple somewhere out there with a house they've been working on a lot. Hence that "broke" feeling. Check out pics of their indoor and outdoor renovations, including putting in a stone patio, landscaping with trees, renovating the basement, and building a folding staircase for attic access. The Broke Homeowners are selling gear with their logo on it, too. (T-shirts say "Broke Homeowners. You're not alone. We understand.) They even have a blog. Er, a blog that hasn't been updated for quite a while. C'mon guys! I need moral support!

I have to admit that silk-screening, AKA screen printing, is a craft that was once a little bit mysterious to me. One reason it confused me for such a long time is that the tools and terms used in it are specialized: if you aren't a silk-screener already, or being directly taught by one, it might be difficult to figure out what "photo emulsion" is and how it works. (This is probably the case with most printmaking processes!)

However, screen printing is really not difficult at all. Join me after the break to learn about several methods. This article is the first in a series: next week, we'll learn all about the compact Japanese screen printing system called the Print Gocco, and we'll even use it to make a nifty holiday card.

I don't like folding my clean clothes, especially my shirts. To attest to this fact, I have a laundry basket sitting in the corner of my room that's literally overflowing with clean, but incredibly wrinkled t-shirts. Each morning, when I'm wasting time ironing that day's shirt, I think to myself, "if only I'd take the time to fold these darn shirts, I wouldn't have to waste my time ironing them every freaking morning. Why won't someone invent a shirt folding robot, and end my miserable plight?!" Unfortunately, the good people at Honda have yet to respond to my letters asking them to teach Asimo how to fold t-shirts, which means I'm stuck doing this tedious job manually for the rest of my life... or am I?

When I came across this video from Dan Pereda earlier today, demonstrating how to build and use your own t-shirt-folding machine, I nearly fell off my chair. It seems as though Dan has created a simple folding mechanism out of little more than foamcore and duct tape, and in so doing has solved one of the most pressing problems of all-time.



I can't wait to go buy some foamcore, and build one of these machines later tonight. I bet I can burn through my entire basket of t-shirts in less than an hour! Woo hoo! My life is finally complete! Thank you t-shirt-folding machine! THANK YOU!!!

If you are any kind of serious DIYer, you will have heard of, and possibly park your browser on either MAKE's or Instructables' websites. Both sites can be excellent sources of DIY fun, and also some not-so-great execution of ideas. Sometimes projects must be taken with a grain of salt. Especially if you're making food that ends up tasting like cardboard. In one of the more nifty vidcasts in the DIY world, Bre Pettis at MAKE and Matt Stinchcomb at Etsy.com have put together this fun to watch video on how to make your own screen-printed t-shirts, complete with recorded howl and LED lights. You can visit the read link below if the video above doesn't appear for some reason.

If you don't have anything to do this weekend, give this a shot, and see what you come up with. Feel free to post a link to your finished product in the comments. Good luck!