DIY Life

Recently, it was my tenth anniversary. Ten years -- and ten pounds -- later, my diamond engagement ring needed to be resized.

Now, I am the first to admit that I completely abuse my ring: I rarely clean it, and I never take it off. So, it experiences soap scum, hair conditioner, dirty dishes, gardening, you name it. I describe my diamond as the frosted glass my husband gave me when he asked me to marry him.

When my husband picked my ring up from the jeweler's and opened the classy velvet pouch, he burst out laughing, asking the jeweler if he was sure that they gave him my ring. Well, it seems as though they cleaned it as well as sizing it. Honestly, I had forgotten what a beautiful ring I wore every day for the last ten years.

In my earnestness to keep my ring sparkly, I'll share with you the cleaning tips I gleaned from the Internet.

If you've ever had the chance to play with a vibrating robot toy, you'll understand just how fun they can be. Most of the ones I've seen are of the wind-up variety, typically with long metal lets and rubber feet. They tend to be noisy, bouncy, and definitely unpredictable.

While I've played with various different versions of these wind-up toys for hours, I never really considered that I might be able to actually make one of my own. I certainly didn't think I could make one that is not only just as neat, but a significant upgrade.

Imagine my surprise when I happened across this article explaining how to make a battery-powered vibrating robot toy out of the head of a toothbrush! With the right supplies on hand (including an appropriate toothbrush, pager motor, and watch battery) this project can be completed in about five minutes.

It's really worth watching the video to see just what this little critter can do. I imagine it would enthrall my children, but even more fun would be to watch my uncle's cat go crazy trying to figure out just what this thing is!

We all have our own DIY thresholds. Some of you are fabulous mechanics, but leave the gardening to somebody else. Others might love electronics, but wouldn't dare take on the simplest sewing project. I'll make my own cleaners and spa products, but I head straight for the store when our tube of toothpaste is low.

I don't think I could ever really wrap my head around making my own toothpaste, but if you're ready to take that extra step into greener DIY living, then be my guest. You probably already have these ingredients in the house, or can get them easily enough. Here's what you'll need:

1. Baking Soda
2. Table Salt
3. Water
4. Peppermint oil for taste
5. Gylcerine

Check out the full post for the recipe and mixing instructions. Spread some of this green goodness on your homemade electric toothbrush and polish those pearly whites.

For a few years I have loyally used Oral-B's disposable Pulsar toothbrushes. But throwing them away when it is time for new bristles seemed extra wasteful. So with a few of them kicking around the bottom drawer of the bathroom to experiment with and a bit of spare time I made one of them into a vibratory etcher.

Computers are good for many things -- I use mine mostly for listening to compact discs, playing that awesome pinball game, and checking the finishing times at NASCAR.com -- but did you know they can be just as useful when they're broken? In all, I think I've burned through eight computers over the last three years -- one got crushed when my prized moose head fell off the wall, and I spilled various liquids on the other seven. Typically when I bust up one of my PCs, I just toss it on the burn pile with everything else, but then I got to thinking, "I bet I could tear this sucker apart and use the various pieces in all sorts of different ways."

For instance, discarded keyboards make great dog toys, and you can use those little gray mouse balls to build a sweet miniature billiard set. Now, I bet you're thinking to yourself, "surely you can't do much else with a broken computer!" Au contraire, mon amie. Check out these other ingenious uses for discarded computer pieces: