Fun with Pancakes

Be they Swedish or German, cornmeal or buttermilk, fluffy or crepe-esque, pancakes are a meal that everyone can agree on world wide. Some people like them for their taste, others for their texture, and some just enjoy them as a host food that makes it acceptable for you to drown a meal in syrup. Wha...
By: rowdyrosiepiper

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Source: http://www.instructables.com/id/Fun-with-Pancakes/

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Fix Scratches in Wood

Sometimes, the most common household items can be used in unexpected ways. Learn what you can use (that you probably already have at home) to fix scratched wood.

Orin Zebest, flickr

It's never fun discovering that your beautiful wooden table is marred with a nasty scratch. But let's face it: It happens to the best of us. Whether you're on a budget or just need a quick fix, here are five do-it-now ways to fix scratched wood. Best of all? These solutions feature common items that you likely already have on hand. Let's get started!

1. Oh, Nuts
For scratches that have penetrated beyond the finish, try rubbing a pecan or walnut gently across the surface of the scratch. You'll fill the wood naturally, quickly and cleanly - and the natural oils in the nut will ensure that it lasts.

2. Make It Up
Because it's soft, oil-based and wood colored, eyebrow pencils work wonders at filling in and camouflaging anything from small surface scratches to much deeper ones. Choose a color that most naturally matches the wood, then fill the crack and buff.

3. Pour on the Mayo
If the wood is cracked, and not simply scratched, try a little Mayonnaise. Smooth enough mayonnaise over the crack to fill it, then wipe away the excess and let it sit for a one to three days. The protein and oils in the Mayonnaise will help the wood to swell and will actually fill that crack. When the crack has swelled sufficiently, wipe off any remainder and polish to a shine.

4. Ashes to Ashes
It's hard to believe, but cigarette ashes are the turn to ingredient to repair water rings or spots and surface marks. Make a small paste of ash and water and gently rub into the affected area, then wipe clean. Toothpaste also works in a pinch if you don't happen to have any ashes on hand.

5. Raid the Coloring Cabinet
Manufacturers actually make special wood crayons for this purpose, but why pay extra when you can use what you have on hand? Find a brown crayon around the same shade as your wood and simply color it in. Smooth any excess with a soft cloth and polish to a beautiful, scratch-free shine.

 

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Source: http://www.diylife.com/2011/08/24/scratches-wood/

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Septic Tank Pumping Tips

Your septic tank needs to be pumped out from time to time. But that time frame is based on a number of factors including the number of people in the household and the size of the septic tank system.

Source: http://www.askthebuilder.com/899_Septic_Tank_Pumping_Tips.shtml

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Sew a Gryffindor scarf!

This is a really simple sewing project - you can have a handmade scarf in a couple hours. :) I made two different styles - so you can choose which you like. It's also amazingly easy to switch out the colors to support your favorite Hogwarts house. :D What you'll need: red fleece (or a ...
By: jessyratfink

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Source: http://www.instructables.com/id/Sew-a-Gryffindor-scarf/

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Brick Paver Repair Tips

The trick when repairing brick pavers is to get the replacement brick paver level and to match colors. Brick pavers will weather outside over the years. If your replacement paver is brand new, it might not match.

Source: http://www.askthebuilder.com/894_Brick_Paver_Repair_Tips.shtml

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Etsy Q&A: Crafter regansbrain

Filed under: Crafts

If you've tried to start up your own online shop, you know that competition can be fierce and it can be hard to get noticed. But in this excerpt from Craftfoxes' interview with designer-and-crafter Regan Saunders of regansbrain, we've learned that tapping into the resourced of the crafting community can pay off. Saunders' shop has had over 500 sales (and counting).

Photos: regansbrain, etsy

How did you come up with the name for your shop?

Do you remember the commercial, "This is your brain. And this is your brain on drugs. Any questions?" That inspired me to think about my own brain - Regan's brain.

What's one important lesson you've learned about your business?

There are a lot of other shop owners and crafters that want to see you succeed. They are willing to help you if you let them. It's a huge "scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" mentality out there. Don't be afraid to ask someone else for help, or reach out to other shop owners and bloggers. We are all in this together!

Have a simple tip for other sellers?

Take great photos. I still feel like I need work on this, but I learn new things all of the time. Shoot and re-shoot until you get it right!


For the whole interview (including tips and links to awesome new shops), visit Craftfoxes.

 

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Source: http://www.diylife.com/2011/09/11/etsy-qanda-crafter-regansbrain/

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How to make a viola in 3 days

By: pixelhalo

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Source: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-viola-in-3-days-1/

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STEAM PUNKIN

Looking to make yourself a ghoulish pumpkin, Hey why not go steam punk. in this I will show you step by step on how I came up with The STEAM PUNKIN   Pick a victim This is whats the fun about coming up with your pumpkin going to your local super market or Home Depot and picking one out, This...
By: BooKooDesigns

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Source: http://www.instructables.com/id/STEAM-PUNKIN-1/

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Kuppersmith Project Featured in Renovation Style Magazine

Check out the article on Danny Lipford's extensive renovation of the Kuppersmith Project house which appeared in the special ?Before & After? issue of Renovation Style magazine.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/danny-lipford/~3/-8BkS_ReZ10/

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Go Green in Your Bathroom

It's hard to believe but in many homes one of the smallest rooms is one of the worst when it comes to wasting energy and natural resources. While it may not be a surprise to learn the average bathroom uses most of the water in a home, the fact a lot of that water is being wasted may be.

Source: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/go-green-in-bathroom

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Building a wooden deck over a concrete one

So we've had this very sturdy but extremely plain looking concrete porch in the back of the house, and we've always wanted to make it warmer and more inviting. The obvious solution, to us, was to replace it with a wooden one. Wood is by far warmer and better looking than concrete, and if you maintai...
By: David Catriel

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Source: http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-wooden-deck-over-a-concrete-one/

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Bad Kitty Photo-Edit

I made this photo-edit instructable in honor of the fast approaching Halloween - this is a new take on the classic "spooky halloween cat." This instructable will cover: 1. Making the severed finger 2. Placing it in the original image 3. Adding blood 4. Using filters and color adjustme...
By: delno

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Source: http://www.instructables.com/id/Bad-Kitty-Photo-Edit/

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Hardware Store Decor

Filed under: Crafts, Living Rooms, Home Offices, Living Spaces, Crafts & Celebrations

Looking for chic, industrial housewares? Look no further than your local hardware store. The new book "Home From the Hardware Store: Transform Everyday Materials Into Fabulous Home Furnishings" shows you how to transform utilitarian items into furniture and accessories that really work.

Machine-Age Candlesticks, as seen on page 106 of Stephen Antonson and Kathleen Hackett's book, require no tools to assemble. Photo: Lesley Unruh

For co-authors (and real-life couple) Stephen Antonson and Kathleen Hackett, it all goes back to a chandelier in Paris. Shortly after they began dating, Kathleen moved to the City of Light for six months. On his first visit, Stephen noticed the peaked ceiling in her rented apartment, thinking it could really benefit from a chandelier.

That day, while Kathleen was running errands, Stephen took a quick trip to the hardware store and picked up four supplies -- a pair of pliers, a single jack chain, a baling wire, and four candles -- which he used to make a chandelier by the time she got home that afternoon.

"I make a lot of things...whenever we need something I make it," says Antonson, who met Hackett when we was a home editor and she was an executive book editor at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Soon after that chandelier was hung, he and Hackett realized they had a book idea on their hands. To come up with enough projects to fill an entire book, Antonson would wander the aisles of local hardware stores (they live in New York City) each morning with a cup of coffee, in search of inspiration.

The end result, "Home From the Hardware Store: Transform Everyday Materials Into Fabulous Home Furnishings" (Rodale Books, $23), was published in early November. It contains dozens of affordable DIY decorating projects, which use common hardware store items in brilliant yet simple ways to create modern, industrial decor. "If you can wrap a birthday present, you can do half this stuff," says Antonson.

Not familiar with hardware store items? Not to worry; you don't need to know an item's intended use. Instead, look to the lines, materials and beauty in each individual piece.

(Left) The Space-Age Coffee Table uses galvanized elbows (a type of pipe fitting) as an unexpected table base. (Right) The Periscope Lamp turns a crimp elbow (also a pipe fitting) into functional art. Photo: Lesley Unruh

Some of our favorite projects from the book include the Machine-Age Candlesticks (pictured, top), which require no tools except your own two hands. We also love the Periscope Lamp (pictured, above right), which transforms a crimped elbow into display-worthy light source.

The authors were kind enough to let us share with you our favorite project of all, the Space-Age Coffee Table (above left) -- an ideal DIY project for a weekend warrior.

SPACE-AGE COFFEE TABLE
To fasten the tiers together, you need to assemble the base without screwing anything together, and then disassemble it in vertical sections, which is not exactly an intuitive process, given the way the base it stacked.

Materials

Eight 90-degree galvanized elbows, 7" each
Four 90-degree galvanized elbows, 4" each
Eight zine bolts and nuts, 8=1" x 32
Twelve #6 sheet metal screws. 1/2" each
36" x 1" round solid pine panel
One quart primer
1/2 quart paint in desired color (we used Benjamin Moore Soot/#2129-20)
Industrial strength adhesive-backed Velcro, 35" x 2" strip

Tools

Black permanent marker
Drill with 3/16" and 1/8" bits
Phillips-head screwdriver
120-grit sandpaper
2" all-paints paintbrush

Instructions

1. Join four 7" elbows to form a circle. Repeat with the remaining 7" elbows, and then join the 4" elbows to make a smaller circle.

2. Stack the circles on top of one another to form tiers, aligning the ribs and placing the smaller tier in the middle. Find the seams where two elbows meet. On the ribs adjacent to the seams, mark the tiers deep in the middle, where they meet, with a horizontal line.

3. Pull the stack apart in half vertically, making note of the top and bottom of the base. Using the marks as guides, mark an X 1" beyond them, toward the center. Use a drill with a 3/16" bit to drill a hole at each X.

4. Break the tiers into quarters so you can fasten one quarter of the base together at a time. Rest the elbows on a work surface so that the openings of the elbows are facing you. Align the holes, slide the bolt through, and fasten the nut with your hands. Don't fasten it too tightly -- once you put the entire base together, you'll need a little room to play. Repeat with the remaining three sections of the base.

5. Put two sections together to make half the base. Use an 1/8" bit to drill a hole 1/2" from the seam on each tier, through two layers of elbow. Screw in the sheet metal screws. Repeat on the other half of the base. Put the two halves together. Screw them together in the same manner, drilling a hole 1/2" from the seam on each tier, through two layers of elbow, and fasten with the sheet metal screws. Set the base aside.

6. Sand the top, bottom, and edge of the pine round. Wipe it down with a soft cloth, brush with a thin coat of primer on the top and edge, and let it dry. Sand the round all over and wipe it down with a soft cloth again. Apply a coat of paint on the top and edge and let it dry. Apply a coat of paint on the bottom and let it dry.

7. Cut the Velcro into twelve 3" pieces. Separate the hooks from the loops. Wipe down the top of the table base with a soft cloth to remove any traces of grease or residue. Remove the adhesive backing from one of the loop pieces and fasten it 3 1/2" from the outer edge of the base, along a rib. (This is the high point, where the tabletop makes contact with the base.) Repeat with the remaining loop pieces and ribs.

8. To determine where to put the hook sides of Velcro on the underside of the table, set it on top of the base. Use a pencil to mark the underside of the tabletop where the Velcro is attached to the base. This is where the outside long edge of the hook sides of the Velcro should be attached. Place the tabletop wrong side up on a work surface. Remove the adhesive from the hook pieces of the Velcro and fasten them to the table, using your pencil marks as guides. Flip the tabletop over and set it onto the base, aligning the Velcro pieces.


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Source: http://www.diylife.com/2011/09/12/hardware-store-decor/

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mini LED bristlebot

My very first invention
By: DoItAll99

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Source: http://www.instructables.com/id/mini-LED-bristlebot/

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Make your own charades kit

There is always a scramble to find supplies when it's time to play charades. For each team, you need some paper (to make the challenges), a pen (of course), and a bag to let the other team's players draw their charade challenge from. I decided to make a nice charades kit. Added bonus: it will be ...
By: sabbott

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Source: http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-own-charades-kit/

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How Sabermetrics Works

October's here, and you know what that means: The year's best baseball teams are heading for the post-season. Find out how today's statistics-crunching teams try to gain an edge on their rivals.

Source: http://feeds.howstuffworks.com/~r/DailyStuff/~3/YuBLPr0EEhg/sabermetrics.htm

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The Typewriter Lives On (Through Crafts)

Filed under: Crafts, Crafts & Celebrations

This week, the last standing typewriter factory in the world closed up shop. But you can still keep the spirit alive with these craft ideas.

I'll admit, it was a blow to hear that that no new typewriters will be produced -- after all, they have a special nostalgic place in my heart next to Polaroid film. But it's not fair to get too hung up over the news: If nothing else, it's highly hypocritical, considering I'm typing this on a computer.

But while you can't expect companies to continue to produce typewriters when the sales have plummeted, you can count on the crafters on Etsy to produce beautiful tributes to the typewriter. As we take a moment of silence, check out the work of these brilliant DIYers.

Clockwise from top left: CuteAbility; NoteTrunk, virginiakraljevic, MeadowTea, iloveinkling, MrPS.

Clockwise from top left:

Typewriter Necklace 18K Gold Plated Brass, $24, CuteAbility

Self Inking Custom Ribber Address Stamp, $28, NoteTrunk

Olivetti Green Fine Art Archival Print, $15, virginiakraljevic

Retro Type Set, $25 for 4, MeadowTea

Just My Type Pillow, $22, iloveinkling

Background: Proper Coffee tea towel, $14.25, MrPS

Looking to create your own typewriter crafts? Check out sites like Oriental Trading and Rubber Nation to buy antique typewriter keys to make your own projects (and don't forget to share them on Facebook!)

 

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Source: http://www.diylife.com/2011/09/07/typewriter-crafts/

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Nerdy Smooching Nerds

Who can resist a Nerd? Or is it a box of Nerds? Maybe some Very Nerdy Smooching Nerds? I keep telling my other half that I am going to have a "Nerd" themed wedding cake topper.  Although, I guess he needs to ask me to marry him first but thats just a detail. I figured it would be a good time to s...
By: sandgurl

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Source: http://www.instructables.com/id/Nerdy-Smooching-Nerds/

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Unclog a Drain: Baking Soda Vs. Drano

Filed under: Essential Skills, Know-How

If your drain is backed up, here's how to get the water flowing.

Sure, now the home-care market is permeated with cleaning solutions. But there was a time when we relied on good ol' fashioned elbow grease and know-how when it came to cleaning our homes. We may have newer, more advanced options, but there's something to be said about the methods that have stood the test of time. So we've decided to put old-school cleaning techniques to the ultimate test -- pitting them against high-tech, modern-day cleaning solutions. Our third installment is the ultimate gross-factor: Declogging drains.

Get that water running in no time. Photo: Flickr, kamienok

The Problem: Clogged drains
At some point, it happens to everyone, more often to those of us with long, full locks. Bathtub drains get clogged with hair and soap scum; kitchen drains get clogged with food debris. So what can you do to get things flowing again?

Old Solution: Baking Soda Cocktail
I recently chatted with a friend's grandmother about this pesky drain problem (a common one in my household), and she handed over a "time-tested" recipe for your own at-home drain cleaner. "Dran-NO," she told me. "This is better for your lungs and easy to do."

Here's how to make her concoction: Mix together 1 cup of baking soda, 1 cup of salt and 1/4 cup of cream of tartar in a glass or plastic sealable container. Stir until mixed. Measure about a quarter cup of the mixed powder and pour into your clogged drain. Pour two cups of boiling water into the drain, and let stand for about an hour, then run fresh water from the tap.

This, of course, caused another problem for me: I don't keep cream of tartar on hand. But I did purchase some for the occasion, and the solution did its magic.

However, being a woman who likes to have options, I wanted to try another time-tested solution. Lucky for me, a friend was experiencing the same problem and volunteered to be my test case.

If you, too, don't have any cream of tartar in your cupboards, you can also try dumping 1/2 cup of baking soda down your drain, followed by a half cup of white vinegar. Cover the drain (if you don't have a drain cover, you can use a small bowl or plate), and let the mixture stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Finally, pour a pot of boiling water down the drain. Apparently the baking soda and vinegar dissolve fatty acids, allowing the clog to wash down the drain.

This second option worked as well, though did not have the same lasting effects as option one did (my friend and I compared drainage ability a week later). Perhaps she has thicker hair or more stubborn soap than I? Either way, it's good to know there's a natural solution that works.

New Solution: Store-bought drain cleaners. Drano and Liquid Plumr are the two most recognized labels when it comes to store-bought drain cleaners. I've used both, and in all honesty, couldn't tell you which one works more effectively (thus, purchase the best priced).

These solutions are very cut-and-dry; pour half of the bottle over slight clogs and a full bottle over stubborn ones, let sit for 15 to 30 minutes, then run hot water to clear the drain. If you prefer store-bought cleaners, the thicker versions are best for super tough clogs. Whether thick or thin, the downfall is that they have a strong, headache-inducing smell. And unless your bathroom is well ventilated, that odor can't be good for your health.

The Verdict: We vote for home-made drain cleaners. Although the store-bought cleaners work great and save you the hassle of mixing your own solutions, the fumes are harsh for your health, and the health of those around you. We'd vote for the natural option -- keep your drains and air a happy place.

Check out more in our Old vs New series:
Cleaning red wine stains
Testing scruff mark removers

By Allison Lind

 

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Source: http://www.diylife.com/2011/08/24/unclog-a-drain/

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