Trick or Treat: Seasonal DIY Ideas

We found a great post on Country Living titled, '15 Spooktacular Outdoor Halloween Decorations'. The post offers up a variety of DIY Halloween decoration ideas perfect as we move into the end of the October. You can check out the post here or begin reading below.

"15 Spooktacular Outdoor Halloween Decorations"By: COUNTRY LIVING

Lantern Pumpkins

New York City stylist Marissa Corwin put a cheeky spin on the very word jack-o'-lantern with her three glowing silhouettes of old-school lamps. "They're a bit more sophisticated than your average spooky face—something adults can appreciate, too," she said.

Decorated Tree

Bare-limbed trees provide the perfect ghostly perch for jack-o'-lanterns, candle lanterns, and a flock of faux black crows (don't be surprised if a few real ones alight). Make sure the tree limbs are sturdy enough to support the weight of the items you are hanging and take care not to overdecorate, which can lessen the overall effect. Funkins (styrofoam pumpkins) are an especially good choice for this project, since they're lightweight and won't rot.

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28 Quick Summer Fixes

With summer slowly dwindling away it is important you take advantage of the time you have left. Thanks to the folks at This Old House we now have "28 Easy Summer Weekend Projects." Think about conquering these projects when it's still nice out. Click here to read the article or begin below.

"28 Easy Summer Weekend Projects"
By KAREN ZIGA

What's the use of balmy weather and long summer days if you can't hang out in your yard and have some fun? But if there's nowhere good to sit and nothing fun to do at your house, don't fret. These 28 projects, culled from the TOH archives of great weekend upgrades, will enhance your yard, beautify your exterior, and give everyone in the family something exciting to do. Pick and choose the ones that are right for your home, and soon you'll have the most attractive and entertaining yard on the block.

1. Make a Herb Planter from a wagon
Looking to spice up your container garden? Dig out Junior's rusty old Radio Flyer and turn it into a mobile planter that can go from a sun-steeped corner right to your kitchen door.

2. Build a Tree Bench
This comfy, stay-cool spot has room for the entire family and practically looks like it's a part of the tree itself. Put your bench together, and you'll enjoy lounging on it with a favorite book all summer long.


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Helpful Home Improvement YouTube Channels

We found a great article compiling some of the most handy YouTube channels to follow for DIY and home improvement help thanks to mashable.com. Preview the article below or click here to read full article. 

"5 Handy YouTube Channels for DIY and Home Improvement"
By Amy-Mae Elliott

The easiest way to learn how to do something practical is to first see it done properly by someone else. By breaking it down into easy-to-follow steps, these how-to videos offer an absolute wealth of knowledge that is just a few clicks away.

We've searched YouTube for the very best home improvement instructional video channels where experts and enthusiastic amateurs share their skills for free.

So the next time you have a DIY job to do, whether it's fixing a leaky faucet or a more ambitious project, check out our choice of top five channels where, no doubt, there's a handy video by someone who's been there, done that, and can help you avoid throwing the wrench against the wall in frustration.

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22 Little Tips That Will Make a Large Difference

Getting your house to be the "Green" dwelling you would like it to be can seem extremely daunting. The new and expensive appliances, changes to the insulation, and time and effort it takes is enough to make someone think twice about helping out the environment. Instead, the folks over at This Old House have provided some excellent inexpensive tips for creating a more eco-friendly home while saving you lots of time. Such drastic changes aren't as necessary when you can make this small ones that will still have a large impact. Click here to read the article or begin below.

"22 Little Ways to Go Green"
By THIS OLD HOUSE


It seems everybody knows you can help the planet—and save yourself some cash—with big changes: adding spray-foam insulation to open walls, say, or installing a tankless water heater. But there are lots of simpler, lower-cost ways to improve your eco-scorecard, too. Here are some low-stress steps to take around the house to reduce your carbon footprint, create a healthier home, and lower your monthly bills to boot.

WORKSHOP
1. Unplug your power tools. Figure out which cordless tools (like drill/drivers) get the most use, then unplug the chargers on all the rest. Most cordless tools have nickel cadmium (NiCad) batteries, which will hold some charge for up to a year. They lose 15 to 20 percent of their juice each month, but only take a couple of hours to power up again. Newer tools with lithium ion batteries lose just 2 to 5 percent of their charge each month, so they'll be ready to go even if you haven't charged them in ages.

2. Spread sawdust on your floor. Take the superfine shavings captured by your dust collection system, wet them down, then push them around with a stiff broom to sweep your concrete garage or workshop floor. The mix is as good as a power-guzzling shop vac at picking up dust but doesn't swirl it into the air. 

Click here to read the rest of the tips.

Stacked DIY planters for your home

We found a great article on a mini DIY project perfect for the Summer months. Now that Summer is finally here, we thought this article was too fun not too share. The article shows us in detail how to create stacked planters to add more curb appeal to your home. The article is titled, "Stacked DIY planters for your home" and can be found here. Alternatively you can begin reading below:

"Stacked DIY planters for your home"

By Simona Ganea,

We're always trying to make our home as lovely and inviting as possible. Still, most of the time we focus only on the interior. The exterior needs attention as well. Make your entrance more inviting with a set of planters for example. We have a project that you can do by yourself. It's a set of three stacking planters with a friendly message on them. Here's what you'll need for this project: 3 terracotta pots (large, medium and small), 2-3 plastic pots-when turned upside down, a tray for water drainage, some outdoor paint, 2 brushes, painter's tape, a drill and obviously plants/flowers.

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Do It yourself Home Improvement tips to reincarnate your lifestyle

We've found a great post on www.strategiesonline.net titled, "Do it yourself Home Improvement tips to reincarnate your lifestyle". The post discusses how DIY projects allow us to play with our thoughts and that we can build DIY projects around our unique and individual personalities and lifestyles. You can check out the post here or begin below.

"Do It yourself Home Improvement tips to reincarnate your lifestyle"
By Samuel Joyce

 

Your Lifestyle reflects your personality, ideologies, and your way of living. At times in life it is felt that there is a need for change in your ideologies and thought process. Along with thoughts changes can be implied to reincarnate your lifestyle as well. You can freshen up your home with your changed thoughts with some DIY home improvements. Refreshed and reincarnated home can further to enlighten you with even better ideas in all spheres of life. 

Do-it-yourself projects allow you to play with your thoughts. You can reveal your innovative part in the decor you impart to your home. You can try furniture makeovers, changing the decor of home, wall art, remodeling kitchen and bathroom makeovers and any given thing that strikes your mind first. Ger your hands dirty and get started with few of the tips shared below. Fall in love your space all over again.

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Deck DIY: Five Tips to Upgrade your Outdoor Living Space for Summer

We have found an interesting article on the pressofAtlanticCity.com titled, "Deck DIY: Five Tips to Upgrade your Outdoor Living Space for Summer". The article offers up some useful tips about upgrading and modernizing your deck, that plays such in important role throughout Summer time. It offers up 5 smart and money efficient hints to help with prepping your deck for the coming Summer. Click here to read the entire article or begin below.

"Deck DIY: Five Tips to Upgrade your Outdoor Living Space for Summer",
By pressofAtlanticCity.com

From grilling and dining to simply relaxing, your home's deck is frequently the center of family life during warm weather months. That's why there's no better time to give your outdoor living space the upgrade it deserves. Whether you're building a dream deck from scratch - or sprucing up an existing space - here are five tips for do-it-yourselfers who want to start turning their outdoor living aspirations into reality this weekend.

No.1 - Discover your inspiration

Your deck is a natural extension of your home and your style. Think about the type of design elements that will best fit your family's activities and complement both outdoor views and the layout of your yard. Flip through favorite magazines to find photos that jump start your inner designer, go online to experiment with virtual planners that allow you to try out different colors and configurations or use mobile apps to create outdoor living space designs anywhere at any time.

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Backyard Living: 7 smart design trends for 2013

We've found a great article on improvementcenter.com titled, "Backyard Living: 7 smart design trends for 2013". The article provides budget-friendly deck and patio trends to experiment with for the more deck friendly weather arriving with Spring and Summer. You can click here to read the article or begin below.

"Backyard Living: 7 smart design trends for 2013"
By Karl Fendelander


 The snow might not yet be melted where you are, but spring is most definitely in the air. Winter's cabin fever is letting up as surely as the days are getting longer. Time to get your backyard ready for outdoor living -- barbecues, patio parties -- even nightly dining on the deck. After a chilly season of neglect, you deck or patio can benefit from a makeover.

7 budget-friendly deck and patio trends

While many of the more fervent homeowners wax poetic about one day being buried in their backyard, most folks are more concerned about resale value than picking out a favorite tree to fertilize...


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Housefixer: 5 Spring DIY Tasks

We found a great post on Checkatradeblog.com titled, 'Housefixer: 5 Spring DIY Tasks'. The post offers up a few DIY home improvements perfect for the Spring time. The post breaks down various DIY tasks that will re-invigorate your home for the Spring and even prepare you for the upcoming Summer months. You can check out the post here or begin reading below.

"Housefixer: 5 Spring DIY tasks."
By Checkatradeblog

Here are a few home improvements perfect for spring time.
Each one can have a dramatic impact on the appearance or comfort of your home, and the end result will be something you can enjoy for some time.

1. Painting or wallpapering.
There's nothing like a lick of paint or some new wallpaper to freshen up a room's appearance, and the project can easily be completed within a day or two, depending on how much there is to do.

When it comes to painting and wallpapering, the hardest part is actually deciding on a color palette or patter. Neutral tones and soft shades are good choices in small rooms, as they help create a sense of spaciousness. If you want to go big and bold, it might be best to designate a feature wall.


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