DIY Life

Depending on where you live, it may be time to set up your outdoor furniture and enjoy the changing season from your deck or patio. If you're responsible and motivated, you probably cleaned all your furniture before packing it away. If you're like me, you ran out in the rain and quickly moved things to the shed, intending to go back and put them away properly, but never actually did it.

You organized folk will have an easier time getting your furniture ready this year, but I'm not entirely out of luck either. How to clean outdoor furniture is a great resource with cleaning tips for all types of outdoor furniture. Here are all the materials that can be cleaned using these instructions:

1. Aluminum
2. Cushions
3. Hammocks
4. Cast and formed iron
5. Resin plastic
6. Sun shades and patio umbrellas
7. Wood

Our umbrella is in terrible condition. Follow me through the break and I'll share their advice on bringing it back to life.

Bring a little edge to your personality. Make people respect you, dammit! Master the art of evil laughter, a timeless mannerism designed to shock and intimidate your foes into fearful submission. Beautifully concise instructions for the beginner can be found at wikiHow. Here's the basic procedure:

1. Cultivate an evil attitude. Yes, you're a very nice person, but for this to work you must look and feel convincingly evil. If you're really too nice to actually think evil thoughts, just pretend you're a famous movie bad guy/gal. Like Batman's nemesis, the Penguin.

2. Adopt the stance of evil. Cock your eyebrow and look maniacal. The latter is best achieved by acting as though anyone else in the room has disappeared. Fix your eyes on a distant point. Do not make eye contact with those around you. Remember: you're absorbed in evil thoughts right now!

3. Perfect pitch. Go for a high-pitched or low-pitched laugh. Choose one and stick with it for a convincing performance. Here's what you're aiming for if you're going for low-pitch: a throaty "Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha!" High-pitched laughers should do a hysterical-sounding "Me-he-he-he-he!" Got it?

4. Practice in private. Yes, perfect those moves in front of a mirror. Use hand gestures if you think it helps. Oh, and use the Web. Clips on sites like You Tube will be invaluable to practice along to. Like this one and this one, for example. Light relief: check out some of the baby evil laughter, like this one.

Now say it loud: "Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

My husband's birthday was on Valentine's day and our two boys wrote him a song. Our 4 year old made up the lyrics, and together with his 2 year old brother, practiced tirelessly until they got all the words, music and moves exactly how they wanted it. Their performance was nothing like some of the little rehearsals I'd seen them do (what do you mean they aren't robots!) but they sure were proud of their song and Daddy thought it was the sweetest thing ever. Children don't need how-to articles to tap into their creative side. They simply have it. It might be because they aren't clouded by the same daily stresses, or that they aren't afraid to look silly, but they just go for it and as a result, tap into their personal creativity so much more freely than we do.

Songwriting isn't just for worry-free preschoolers, tormented teenagers and professional musicians. You can do it too. Maybe you're writing a song because you didn't live up to your Valentine's day responsibilities, or maybe you're inspired to put some of your thoughts to music. It doesn't matter what your style or topic, these guiding principles will help you write a great song. Offering 17 tips, the article walks you through everything from tapping into your creativity, understanding the building blocks of song creation, lyrical and musical choices, finding the hook, and getting feedback.

You might sign a big record deal, perform for a friend or add a new song to your shower set. Regardless of where you go with your songwriting skills, you'll get huge satisfaction from having produced an original piece of music from scratch.

The two thrift stores in my small town both have boxes full of donated picture frames, most of them still in great condition. I always like to go to the thrift stores first if I need new picture frames, because I can usually buy them for 50 cents, and then decorate them to my liking.

wikiHow shows us how to paint a picture frame with dimensional fabric paint. If you get frames from the thrift store, sand them first so that they look new again, then draw a design on the frame with fabric paint, letting the paint dry overnight. Paint the frame a solid color with acrylic craft paint, brushing out any paint that may pool in the crevices of your design. To dry brush the frame, dip a small paint brush into silver or gold paint, brushing the paint off on a cloth until it looks clean, and then running the dry brush over the frame until you get the desired color.

If you have picture frames in your home that totally bore you and you are ready to take them to the thrift store, why not give them a new life by painting them? The designs and colors you choose can really liven up a boring frame, all for under $1.

St. Patrick's Day is coming up on March 17. Need some fun craft ideas? Read on.

Bring a bit o' good luck to you or someone you care about this St. Patrick's Day: make a shamrock bookmark. It's pretty easy, with instructions and photos over at Squidoo. The one and only item you'll need for this project is flexible, green-colored wire. The Squidoo project relies on crafting wire from WigJig (who I think submitted the idea), but anything similar will do. As for tools, just a pair of skillfully-wielded pliers will do the trick.

Note the shape you're aiming for here is the traditional shamrock with three leaves, not the lucky four-leafed clover. Why? Because three leaves are a lot easier to bend into a pleasingly symmetrical shape, that's why!

Other wiry St. Pat's Day ideas can be found here, such as green and gold bracelets and shamrock-shaped earring and necklace sets. Or pop over to About.com for a ton of other St. Patrick's how-to projects, including necklaces, bracelets, and lucky charm key chains.

Someties I think I'll never get organized. I'm always on the hunt for ways to contain the clutter consuming my tiny abode, but the clutter just seems to be taking over.

I rely heavily on storage boxes to contain my mountain of clutter but they can be expensive. Even the boring ugly plastic containers can cost too much, especially if you're just starting to tackle the mess. If you happen to have some fabric and stabilizer lying around the house, you can sew up some pretty storage baskets, effectively putting an end to the cluttered mess.

Tipnut reader Lorraine has an idea: Yoga mats and kindergarten nap mats are made from closed cell foam, so if you happen to know anyone who might be ready to discard their mat, you'll have the perfect thickness for the bottom of your storage basket.

Imagine the possibilities of a clutter-free home, via the storage baskets you can decorate with the fabric of your choice. I think these storage baskets go well with Debra's magazine storage boxes, don't you?

Teenagers assert their independence in a variety of ways. I truly believe that the ones that aren't putting them in danger should be encouraged. This holds true for room decor. Give them some authority over their bedroom and the way it's decorated, no matter how hideous! A teenager won't feel relaxed in a space that was decorated by Mom for the ballet-loving daughter she knew 8 years ago. They will feel more comfortable and more empowered if you let them take the reigns and make the room more personal.

This doesn't mean that you should hand her a can of black spray paint and let her mood guide the decor. There is a middle ground that you can both live with. Teenage taste changes weekly, so it can be hard to predict what she'll want, but this article will give you a place to start. It lets us in on what teenagers really want in their rooms: storage and sanctuary are high priorities.

As warmer weather approaches, it's time for that all-important springtime ritual: air conditioner tune-up. Many homeowners think, "Hmmm, the AC was working fine since the last time we used it, it should be fine now."

That may be true, but chances are, it could be running better. A tune-up will catch any minor offenses that the power company will spank you for. If you need refrigerant added, you'll have to get someone who is licensed to do that but here are some things you can take care of. Every model is a little different but this is the generic scoop.

Disclaimer – Always trip the circuit breaker to isolate the unit.

• Straighten the evaporator fins. These form the sides of the unit. Are some of the fins bent from bumping them with the mower or Frisbee? Straighten them out using a fin comb. (Yes, such things do exist! I knew you were going to ask.)
• Clean the fins. Use a soft brush and soapy water to clean them.
• Clean the drain pan. Don't let it get full of leaves. Finally, pour in a half cup of bleach or use algaecide tablets to stop the funky stuff.
• Level the condenser. Use a two or a four foot level. If it's out of level in any direction, across the top of the unit, shim it up. This will keep the refrigerant flowing the way it was designed.
• And finally, start the summer off with a new air return filter. Change it monthly.

Threading a lost drawstring through your favorite pair of sweatpants can be a mite peevish, but Lisa made it easy by teaching us how to coax a wayward drawstring back into place. Lisa's tips are wonderful, but for me, they don't always work for a string that is too far gone.

Happy Zombie has a neat trick to thread a drawstring, using a cheap letter opener. The author purchased a letter opener at her local Safeway for 99 cents. She knotted a ribbon to one end of the letter opener, fastened a safety pin to the other end of the ribbon and the drawstring, and found herself with an excellent way to thread a drawstring bag.

As Lisa reminded us in her post; to prevent the loss of a drawstring when washing and drying the item, pin the strings to the fabric of the item with safety pins first, or tie knots big enough that the drawstring can't back up. You'll be happy you did. I am sure you already know it is a serious pain trying to get a drawstring out of its hiding place.

[via: Craft]

Join me each week as I explore the naturally aromatic side of DIY.
herbs, and other botanicals to soap-making, body care products and other useful blends.

What comes to mind when you think of lavender? It may be a calming scent for you; maybe you even have a sleep sachet stuffed with dried lavender buds. You may think of your favorite handmade soap, scented only with lavender essential oil, a staple in many showers around the country. Surely some sort of relaxing, powdery floral makes your olfactory sense tingle when you think of lavender.

For me, lavender is many things. It is the sleep sachet that sends me back to slumberland on those sleepless nights. It is one of the primary essential oils in the baby products that I make, so I remember smoothing the healing butter onto my son's bottom and massaging his excited limbs with the baby oil. We even planted a row of lavender plants along our front walkway, greeting our guests with the familiar fragrance as the sun gently warms the plants, releasing the welcoming scent.

Most of all, lavender is the promise of many things, as it can take on a whole different personality depending on how you blend it.

There are actually many types of lavender, but we are writing today of the true lavender, lavendula officinalis or lavendula angustifolia.

On the next couple of pages I'll share some lavender recipes with you.

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After ordering our new cupboards and counter tops, I left my husband behind to settle the bill because our kiddos were getting restless. He barely blinked at the cost -- by far the biggest non-car, non-mortgage purchase we've made as a couple. I was impressed. But a few minutes later when I shoved the cart full of paint and supplies at him so I could wrestle our little ones out the the car, he came back with a slightly twitching eyelid.

"I have never paid so much for paint in my life," he said.

The paint in question was Freshaire, which DIY Lifer Mike wrote about here. I had come to the store hoping to purchase a low-VOC paint, and was thrilled to discover the new no-VOC Freshaire. I learned early on that home improvement was hard on my asthma, and I had hopes that this paint would at least let me stay home while it was being applied, and maybe I could even help. It came at a cost, though. Freshaire is about twice as much per gallon as conventional paint.

It's going up as we speak, and I'm pleasantly surprised. When I opened the first can, I got a whiff of that "new paint" smell and my heart sunk. But after brushing a bit on the wall, I could hardly smell anything. Now that the room is coated in it, the house is definitely filled with a paint-like odor, but so far (knock wood) I'm breathing easy. Even if it does end up triggering my asthma (and I'm hopeful that won't happen), at least I know that the air quality is safer for my kids.

Progress towards safer DIY materials is a good thing, even if it causes a little spousal eye-twitching...

I don't know where you live, but here we're already getting spring weather, which means a blistering summer isn't far off. What does this mean in my home? A constantly running air conditioner. To help out with the energy bill, we have ceiling fans in every room but the kitchen and the bathrooms. This allows us to run the thermostat a bit warmer and the savings on the electrical bill really build up.

If you aren't already maxed out with ceiling fans yet, this is the time to do it. Although I'll provide you with this link for installing a new ceiling fan, let me go over some of your choices when you go shopping.

Ceiling fans are a lot like sinks or faucets – you can spend as much as you want to depending on the fanciness and the bells and whistles. I just recently retired the fan in the living room and installed a new one. I bought a model that has lights bundled with it. That old "killing two birds with one stone" thing. I also bought an extra down-rod since we've got a vaulted ceiling. Don't do what I did, though. I relied on the chart on the wall at Home Depot telling which length to use. I had to go back for a shorter one; the first one would have guaranteed me a haircut!

So, get ready for the summer now. There are many models out there so you won't have any problem finding one to fit the your room's motif .

Playground equipment is expensive! I have some easy to build backyard equipment designs made from a few 4x4 posts; the whole setup can be made for less than $100 and built in an afternoon. These designs are for use with preschool/kindergarten age kids and are stand-alone or complementary to a swing set combo.

To build the whole set you will need eight to ten 4x4 posts. This design includes a lava pit, monkey bar, balance beam, sand box, and a teeter-totter/seesaw; I've built only some of these in reality, the rest in virtual Google Sketchup. I uploaded the design to Google's Sketch 3D Warehouse database under the name "Playground Equipment, diylife.com" You can download the model in the program and rotate it in 3D with displayed dimensions, and even edit my design. If you don't want to do that, just check out the photo gallery.

Is everyone tired of winter yet? It seems like more snow is on the way, when all I want is warm weather! (Fun! Short sleeves! Walks in the park!) In late February, DIY Life's blogging team began to look forward to the arrival of spring, but still had a lot of colder-weather nesting projects in mind.

It's time to come clean: Francesca Clarke wins my "favorite post of the week" award with How to Build a Ball Pit. Why? Because it's gloriously, sublimely, magnificently impractical, and because it contains the following quote: "If you are going to go through the trouble of making a ball pit in your apartment, just realize that all your friends are going to want to do is throw plastic balls at your face." Never were truer words said.

Also, if you do this, you will have the coolest house in the neighborhood -- by default.

Please join us after the break for a few more stand-out posts, as well as the usual links to important product recalls... and our top three posts of last week!

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Rinnai America Corp., has announced a voluntary recall of about 52,000 Direct-Vent wall furnaces. A gasket in the wall furnace could fail, posing a risk of poisonous carbon monoxide leaking into the home. Although no injuries have been reported, Rinnai has received 11 reports of carbon monoxide leaks.

Manufactured in Japan and sold nationwide by wholesale distributors to contractors and dealers, this recall involves Rinnai EnergySaver Direct-Vent Wall Furnaces, Models RHFE 431 and RHFE 556. The furnaces are fueled by either propane or natural gas. Only units manufactured from February 2000 through December 2007 are involved in the recall. Please check the CPSC press release to see the recalled furnace.

Consumers may contact Rinnai at (866) 746-8344 to arrange for the installation of a free repair kit. You may also visit their website at www.wallfurnacerecall.com.