DIY Life

A few months ago, ReadyMade Magazine issued a challenge to its readers to come up with new uses for old pens. The winning project, Dead Pen Cutlery, is featured in the most recent issue.

I confess, I have a stash of old pens I can't bring myself to toss. Many aren't even dead, I just can't bring myself to use them because, alas, I'm a pen snob. However, although I think using pens as cutlery handles is pretty clever, I really don't need (or frankly want) to.

So I scoured the blogosphere for other ideas for giving old pens a second chance at life. Check out the findings:

My favorite of the ReadyMade runner-ups - turn old pens into garden labels (scroll down to see)

Chrisjob over at Curbly has 2 nifty projects made from old pens - a DIY sprinkler (also a ReadyMade runner-up), and a sewing caddy

From the DIY Network, turn your old pen into a bead holder, Pen Pal Doll, or a (fake) floral centerpiece.

While you're at it, check out this craftster's take on the centerpiece idea - table number holders made from old pens. (I see a pen-themed wedding here)

Stripping is not a skill all of us dream of perfecting. Let's face it, for many of us, keeping our clothes on goes hand in hand with keeping our jobs. However, if you happen to be a closet super-hero, or are aspiring to becoming a stripper, knowing how to disrobe in a quick fashion could be a serious career asset.

This video shows some serious advanced levels of losing one's clothes in just under two seconds. Yes, that's two. Seconds! I can't even don one sock in less than 20 seconds. I wonder just how long this performer worked on this skill and just he needs it. If you get inspired by the video, and don't plan on being a stripper or a flying super-hero, the skill might come in handy as a cool party trick.

M.A.C. Cosmetics is known for their glamorous makeup: available in a bewildering array of shades and renowned for quality, many items in the line don't cost much more than their higher-end drug-store counterparts. The line was created for film and photo studio use, but is quite popular with beauty devotees as well.

Now M.A.C. has created a group of Halloween costume makeup ideas, and put it on their site. There's a series of categories: Dark Side has spooky-glam monster makeup, the looks under Graphically are all patterns, the Optical Illusion category is self-explanatory (and would take a lot of skill to replicate), Pretty Things is full of more illusion makeup (feminine "masks" and animals), and Robotniks is all about our shiny metal friends.

The person who suggested this post to CRAFT said that they believed the looks could be replicated with any Halloween makeup. I think that depends on the skill of the artist. You're definitely going to have an easier time getting good results with higher-end products than you will with a $4 greasepaint palette, but these ideas are a good starting point.

However, you might not find it worthwhile to buy all the suggested shades if you only want them for one night; some of these looks require ten different products. Keep in mind that M.A.C. cosmetics have fine textures and are highly pigmented, if you're trying to find substitutes. (L'Oreal's H.I.P. line would probably be a good starting point, along with some theatrical products from Ben Nye that are available at many costume and theatrical supply shops.) Though it's not DIY, you could also always contact your local M.A.C. counter about having one of their artists try to replicate the look you like.

[via CRAFT.]

We all know how annoying those blackouts can be. Unless you have a UPS system or a backup power source (like a small generator) for the important electronics that keep most households running smoothly, all that can come to a grinding halt when the power goes out. Although most old-fashioned telephones will still work, those glitzy cordless units will probably be out of service once the power fails.

Not to mention computers, broadband modems, refrigerators, air conditioning systems, and more will all be on the blink if power goes out. What to do? Well, if you're into powering some small but important things that can help guide you through an outage -- like lighting and maybe that cordless phone (after all) -- how about tapping into the voltage coming in through your home phone line? Yes, many of us still have home phones these days, contrary to the cellphone industry's claim that landline phones are on their way out.

Watch the video below to see just how easy this hack is. The parts may set you back about $10 or so (if that), and some electronics knowledge may come in handy. But if you want a free ride on someone else's electricity bill, or just like stickin' it to AT&T or Verizon, this may be right up your alley. It won't power much, but it could get you through a dark time in the future, as well as provide some neat conversation for house guests.

Welcome guests -- and let them know they're at the right house -- with a custom stenciled doormat that displays your initial(s), last name, or street number.

What you need:

• Spray paint -- any color
• Tape -- various widths for more decorative appeal
• Stenciled number or letters -- approximately 6 inches in height
• Mat -- around 18 x 30 inches (I used a stiff fiber mat)
  
• Craft knife (if making your own stencils)
• Tacks

Curbly user erinloechner points us to this tutorial for an Etched Mirror Silhouette. All you need is an old mirror, contact paper, etching compound, a silhouette you like, and a well-ventilated space to work in.

This technique could also be used to add a border to a mirror or create a patterned mirror.

About.com has more detailed instructions for etching mirrors or glass.

Rain, rain go away, but it won't considering it's Autumn, and that's what the weather does best in the Fall. It's almost time to put away that old umbrella of yours though. Before you know it, the snow will be falling gently and you'll forget all about your need for a new umbrella.

When the time comes for you to get a new umbrella, don't throw out the old one -- turn it into a kite for your kiddies! The Sampler has instructions complete with diagrams on how to turn your umbrella into a kite. You use all the parts from the umbrella, so therefore there will be no waste. All you need to make your umbrella into a kite is a sewing machine, an umbrella (of course!), kite string, scissors, pliers, and a permanent marker.

I know this project is geared more toward spring, but since winter is coming soon, you might as well get started on this project now, that way you can actually have a kite by spring, AND remember that you need to buy a new umbrella to boot. If you are one of the fortunate few who do not know what winter is, then this project can be done this weekend, so you'll have a new kite to fly by next weekend.

Nothing is more satisfying that creating a miniature (or full-blown) garden from which to cultivate nutritious herbs, vegetables, and other edible goodies. Have a bay window? Create a garden there. How about a box window over the bathtub? As long as it gets plenty of light, there's another opportunity.

Use organic seeds to create that garden (large or small) and give it plenty of love. Our friends over at Green Daily have plenty of ideas in this area, so keep a close eye on them in the near future. I've already found it a great resource for all things eco-garden and eco-yard.

Although summer mowing is winding down for many of us, another great idea for some temporary mulch for that herb garden can come in the form of grass clippings (changed regularly). I use a manual rotary mower for my minor mowing duties for its non-footprint on greenhouse gas output, along with the healthy cut it gives grass.

Want a built-in workout while doing chores? Nothing beats a manual mower for sweating it up while getting that yard in shape. Collect some of the clippings to use as mulch in those paper pots you'll be growing those eco-herbs in, and be at peace with the world.

Have you ever faced a brownout (or even a total blackout)? It's no fun, and all those gotta' have 'em appliances like computers, refrigerators, and televisions can go silent when the power outage demon comes to visit.

Luckily, there are small and large UPS (uninterrupted power supply) systems that can keep those power-hungry devices powered on for an hour or two should the power fail. For medical devices in the home that require constant power to operate, a backup generator or UPS is a requirement.

If you don't have a battery on the computer (as in, a desktop system instead of a laptop) and you use it all day long for communicating, working on spreadsheets, composing sales proposals, and so on, a UPS may already be on your short list. In general, a good, small UPS will supply enough juice to allow for at least 10 minutes of backup power for that PC -- enough time to allow you to save important work, notify people that you may be going offline, and then to switch the PC off until that nasty brownout is over.

Instead of that 10-minute off-the-shelf UPS purchase, wouldn't a Super UPS built with off-the-shelf components -- and one that would give you quite a bit more time before battery death -- be nice? With a little ingenuity and patience, you can build your own. Although, try to find the components locally -- shipping heavy lead-acid batteries is bound to be prohibitively expensive.

There's little doubt that the federal Do Not Call list is a good thing for most people throughout the United States. All you have to do is sign up with your phone number and a valid e-mail address, and you will be protected from most dinnertime annoyances.

The problem: Some of you may have forgotten that the registration is only good for five years, and if you signed up at the beginning, then the five year mark is heading your way.

What does that mean? Theoretically, it means that if your five-year registration expires, marketers can be sure that your number can legally be called again.

What to do: The Federal Trade Commission, which oversees the list, has a simple fix: re-register. But that means millions of people have to remember to do so. It only takes about one minute to register or even re-register so don't forget. In fact, to be safe, check your registration a little more than a month before it expires. Companies have to verify that phone numbers are not on the list only once a month, so if there is a lapse in registration you could be setting yourself up for receiving calls every night for 31 days.

Never been on the list? You should be!

The only hard part is figuring out how to get your mother to stop calling!

Last week I tested out a homemade deep conditioner. It was an avocado and mayonnaise concoction that had impressive results. Days later, my hair felt great!

This week I tested a homemade face mask. I tried out the Autumn Apple Face Mask. The results were a little less impressive, but I'll share the recipe and experience with you, and you can see for yourself.

The Autumn apple face mask
This seasonal mask is designed to combat dry flaky skin that tends to creep up on us with the changing season. The apple and oatmeal recipe helps you get rid of dead skin cells, invigorating your skin, creating a bright, fresh complexion.

Gallery: Autumn apple facial mask

The other day, I posted about the Greater Bay Area Costumers Guild's Great Pattern Review. While I was writing, something came to mind: many of the patterns they list are out of print.

Patterns go out of print often. There's a high turnover, particularly among the large mainstream commercial companies like Simplicity and McCall's. Because those companies are trend-driven, they try to produce and carry patterns that somehow tie in with recent popular costume movies (this year, it's all about pirates, but I bet you'll be hard-pressed to find a good pirate pattern in your local craft store three years from now). Sometimes, they discontinue patterns that don't sell well, but it seems like they occasionally replace other patterns, the "classics" like poodle skirts and witch costumes, with newer, better models of the same thing. This is also true of their non-costume patterns.

When you try to locate an out-of-print pattern, there are a few things to remember, things that are relevant to people interested in sewing with patterns of any kind. Everything you need to know to find the right older pattern for you is waiting after the break!

Affectionately referred to as Tombie, this talking tombstone makes a great Halloween prop. Alan Perakh built a tombstone out of Styrofoam then added the talking face and hooked it up to a laptop for audio. It looks like this project takes some time, but the directions are easy to follow and the result will be well worth it.

There are many Styrofoam tombstone designs out there, but the idea of using clay and adding stone effect paint makes all the difference here. The final prop looks realistic, and perfectly frightening. Play around with your own preferences and make the face look any way you'd like. The audio will be a fun part to design. What will your tombstone say? I can just imagine this guy greeting me at the door, offering instructions before entering the haunted house, or telling spooky tales.

When you're doing any kind of fiber craft, it can be fun to make your own charts: you can put any motif you want into needlepoint or around the cuffs of a sweater. But actually creating the charts can be a hassle to do, involving pixelizing things in Photoshop or drawing into an Excel grid by darkening cells. It's nice to find ways to make it all easier.

KnitPro allows you to upload any graphic to a web application, which will automatically turn your picture into a chart suitable for knit, crochet, and needlework projects. The process is similar to what you would do yourself in an image editing program, but it's entirely automated.

KnitPro's parent site, MicroRevolt, is involved in anti-sweatshop activism: the creator, Cat Mazza, uses KnitPro to create graphs of the logos of companies that have been known to use sweatshop labor. The logos are then knit by hand or machine into garments and other items that are meant to raise awareness of unfair labor practices around the world. You can see some of these "LogoKnits" at the KnitPro site (note: mildly saucy photo at that link!), and read more about MicroRevolt in this article from the Winter 2006 Interweave Knits.

(There are a few more sites to help you make graphs for fiber crafting listed near the end of our article DIY Toolkit: Knitting and Crochet.)

Are you tired of the way your office chair looks just because it's drab, boring, and down right ugly? If you're doing any work at all, then you wouldn't really care, I suppose. Your mind should be focused on what you're doing, and not what you have your butt planted on. At least that's what I keep telling myself.

If you are as disgruntled as I am about the look of your office chair, especially if it's out in the view of the public, or not entirely private, then meander over to Design Sponge and check out their office chair upgrade article. With some fabric, scissors, staple gun, a screwdriver, and an Allen wrench, you can turn your drab, boring chair into something that your bum will be happy to be planted upon.

Now, all I need to do is convince my husband to let me do this awesome craft project, since he doesn't care where he plants his bum or what our office chair looks like. I do, though, and I really hate to look at beat up old ugly leather. I am going to do this project even if it means taking the chair out from under his butt on a Saturday afternoon.