DIY Life

Brr.... the weather is getting chillier by the second. Time to winterize with these handy tips from our friends at ShelterPop!:

Doors
1. Check to see if your door is out of alignment. If it's uneven at the bottom or along the side then you'll have gaps that allow cool air in. You also won't get a good seal if you apply weatherstripping. Check the hinges and adjust the strike plates and latches to bring your door back to alignment.
2. If your door doesn't have a bristle sweep at the bottom, consider adding one. It will help insulate and keep the floors cleaner.
3. Check the door threshold and replace it if it's worn.
4. If the rubber sweep at the base of your garage door is worn or too compressed, replace it.
5. Rubber compression strips are great for patio and sliding glass doors.
6. Replace screens on storm doors with plastic or glass fill-ins.

Windows
1. Apply neoprene strips or rubber compression strips to the base of window sashes as well as along the side of sliding windows.
2. Use clear silicone caulk to seal around the interior and exterior casing.
3. Use basement window well covers to prevent heat loss.
4. Check for broken or cracked panes and replace them. The will break even more in the winter once moisture freezes.

Window treatments can make or break a room, but sometimes installations cost a fortune. Want to know how to install your own window treatment on a budget? Look no further!:

Easy enough, right? And of course, we've got a few tips and a bit of window history to inspire your project!:

1.If you're mounting the blinds inside the window frame, mark the end brackets at least an inch and a quarter from the face of the glass so the blinds won't touch it.
2. Rubbing wax on the screws before you install the brackets will make them screw in more smoothly. A candle works well.

Did you know that the early Egyptians tied together reeds from the Nile River to create an early version of window blinds? Crazy, right? Good thing all you have to do is head to your local hardware store. Ahhh, such a comfortable life we modern-day folk live.

Good luck!

There are more reasons than ever to learn how to burn a CD: to create your own CD wedding favors or to make a story CD for your child, for example.

Are you technically savvy enough to do it? I, for one, am happy to have a husband who is, but in the interest of being a strong, independent woman and a good example to my child, I set out to learn how to do burn a CD myself.

The first thing I learned is that there is this thing called a "Wizard" that pretty much does everything for you; simply drag and drop the files you want to write to the CD and surf the internet during your wait time.

OK, it isn't quite that simple (but it's close), but Worldstart has a tips and tricks page with:

• CD-R versus CD-RW tips
• step-by-step instructions
• a separate tutorial for Microsoft Windows XP, which has its own CD burning software

and more -- everything you will need to know to burn your own CD, in fact. Independence is just a click away!

Sometimes it seems that we never grow up. Or, to put it more correctly, some toys -- er, motor skills and cognitive ability development tools -- are destined to be played with -- er, used -- by all ages! Case in point: LEGOs!

Don't you just hate it when you're building your current masterpiece and lacking one crucial piece? You've got to buy a whole new set, just for one stinkin' pièce de résistance. But no more! The new LEGO digital designer lets you create a virtual sculpture and submit it on-line. Then you can order exactly the pieces that you need, based on your submission.

The program can be downloaded for both Windows and Mac. Besides the usual requirements, it only needs a decent graphics card (for obvious reasons).

Finally, a way to build whatever you want without accumulating all those extraneous pieces... like that goofy little hat that no self-respecting firetruck-driving LEGO troll would be caught dead in!

[via Lifehacker.]

Thanksgiving is behind us and Christmas preparations are under way. We'll bring out old boxes of decorations and add some new stylish pieces. It doesn't matter how good your decorating taste is, if you're trying to hide wood panel walls and '70s linoleum, your house can only look so good. What better motivation for some household updates than your parents coming to town. Surely they will wonder why you haven't fixed that tear in the wallpaper from last year?

These updates don't have to take from your Christmas fund, there are four easy ways to update the look of your home and stay on a tight budget. I'll provide two important tips after the break.

Winter is here for some of us, and along with the cold comes having to scrape the car windows every morning. That is a serious pain for me, considering I am height challenged. I have a difficult time reaching the center of the windshield.

Surfing the net looking for de-icing solutions, I came across some reader tips on The Dollar Stretcher. Sue was looking for some remedies for a homemade window ice removal formula, and just happened to pose the question on stretcher.com. She received some helpful answers.

Marianne says to place 3 parts vinegar and one part water in a spray bottle, spray the windshield and all the windows and mirrors before you go to bed at night, and in the morning you should have ice free windows. You can also use rubbing alcohol if you don't have any vinegar.

All my friends know that I'm nuts, so they all take it in stride when I tell them about my plans for building green. While there are lots of cool green methods that are becoming popular among those with lots of space to spread out or few neighbors to have to look at it. However, for those of us who have neighbors to consider or, like me, have wacky ideas about building a brand new 100 year old Victorian, there are some more traditional building methods available that have green written all over it.

As Americans, one of the biggest insults we make to our environment is our wastefulness. The lumber used to build houses prior to 1940-ish was typically harvested from old growth forests and while we would never stand for that nowadays, the wood is better quality than you can find anywhere in any developed country.

Have you ever left IKEA wondering where you're going to fit all the fabulous things you just bought? Well, they've gone ahead and taken care of that for you too. IKEA just sold their first ever flat-pack houses. The first 60 timber framed houses were released at one of their UK stores yesterday.

The average person in the UK needs a mortgage 5 times their annual salary to enter the housing market. I know most Canadian cities are just as restrictive and I don't believe things are any different in the US either. The houses are very affordable and designed specifically for average income families (there is an income cap).

These houses have been named the BoKlok series, which translates literally to Live Smart. IKEA stays true to their smart use of space and clean design. They are all equipped with IKEA kitchens, bathrooms and wood floors. You can't do all the work yourself, the developer will have to put it up, but that will leave you with time to assemble all the IKEA furniture you buy with the gift certificate they give you for housewarming!

What will they come up with next?!

[via Digg]

For do it yourself building projects there are basically just two types of clear plastic panels we tend to think about. Clear sheet acrylic, generally known of as plexiglas is thought of for its flexibility and workability. Polycarbonate, such as GE Lexan is more often the choice for projects which require a greater degree of impact resistance. Either type can be used for windows or other exterior applications but be aware that polycarbonate seems to maintain its clarity after long term exposure to UV better than plexiglas does.

If your source for clear plastic sheeting doesn't cut the material to your needed size and sell it that way, that means you will need to size the material for your project when you get home. The simplest way to get clean straight cuts in either material is on a table saw using a 60 tooth or greater, triple chip carbide blade. Be sure to wear appropriate personal protection and feed the material slowly and steadily through the saw.

Thinner rigid plastic sheeting can be sized by scoring deeply with a sharp blade. Make repeated passes along a metal straight edge to ensure a deep score line on both sides of the material. Just scoring on one side will not produce a nice clean break. After scoring the material, place it so the score line is at the edge of a table or work bench and trap the sheet by holding it down with a piece of lumber along the score line. Then simply apply firm downward pressure to snap the material right along your score line. If you'd like to you can easily smooth your newly cut edge with a little fine grit sand paper or emery cloth.

I was snooping around the futuregirl craft blog today and found this awesome idea on keeping your apartment cool when you don't have air conditioning and have strict rules on what you can and can't do to your apartment.

The solution that the author came up with involves white sheets and emergency blankets. You'll have to check out her blog to get the full instructions on how she did it.

This is an awesome idea for those of you in her situation with a handy streak. It sounds as if it may be a bit tricky to pull off but if your are hot and baking in your own apartment. You may be as desperate as futuregirl was. Check out her ideas and see if they might work for you.

Do you have any stay cool ideas that may be easier to pull off or might be a more permanent solution? If so please leave a comment and share your ideas.

I used to believe the devil created venetian blinds: those nasty metal window treatments found in most dorm rooms, held together by string pulls covered with migraine-inducing knots. However, when my husband and I were forced to rethink window treatments, we discovered the joy and elegance of venetian blinds.

As we save money for a house, my husband and I are renting a great row home. However, as renters, our home-repair-hands are tied. So, when we discovered the walls around our living room windows were too damaged to hold curtain rods (even with molly's), we trekked off to our local home improvement store to discuss options.