For an alternative to a regular window screen, use lace. Zandi from Radical Possibility bought a lace tablecloth from a thrift store for $2 and stapled it to the window frame, like so:
Then she used a rotary cutter to cut off the excess lace.
This is a clever way to add some grace and prettiness to the room without spending a lot of money. [Via The DIY Adventures]
Can You Dig It says you can turn a leaky hose into a DIY Soaker Hose. Using a drill and a small bit, drill holes into the hose. Lay in the garden and cover with mulch. When you turn on the water, it will distribute the water evenly around the plants.
I don’t see why this wouldn’t work. Have you tried it?
If you’re going to make your own chicken coop, but you don’t want to build it from scratch, here’s an idea: use a recycled playhouse for the coop.
Used playhouses are everywhere–it’s easy to find one on Craigslist for free, or maybe you have one in your backyard that the kids are done with. With the addition of reinforcements inside to keep raccoons and other critters out, and a run for the chickens to scratch around in, it looks like it makes a pretty cute little coop. Here are some examples:
Kids Playhouse into a Chicken Coop.
An interesting example off the Backyard Chickens forum.
Swing Set Turned Chicken Coop. This one is my favorite.
I like this Altered Thrift Store Painting. The idea is to put a phrase–song lyrics in this case–in vinyl letters over an old piece of art, paint over it, then remove the letters.
I am going to try this!
There’s something poetic about this project of turning an old TV into a bookshelf.
Take it apart, use recycled wood to make the divider, and you have a pretty cute bookshelf. And it was free, too.
Here’s one I’ve never thought of before: turn a gumball machine into a fish tank. Cute.
Here are 5 Ways To Reuse An Embroidery Hoop:
1. Organize Your Sewing Supplies. Sew pockets onto the fabric and insert in a hoop to hold your sewing supplies. As a bonus, this is great decoration for a craft room.
2. Turn It Into A Laundry Bag. Tighten a draw-string laundry bag around the hoop and hang on a door.
3. Embroider A Clock. Make any kind of clock you want by inserting a piece of embroidery, or just pretty fabric, in the hoop and attaching a clock mechanism in the back.
4. Make A Mobile. Suspend art or crafts from a hoop to make a mobile.
5. Use Them In A Drum Shade. With the help plexiglass and some fabric, you can use two quilting hoops to make a drum shade and hide an ugly lamp.
And you can embroider with them, too.
Not long ago, Mr. Savvy wanted a scoop for beer making. I looked around thrift stores but didn’t see the right thing. Little did I know I could just use a plastic jug.
Much like the plastic jug watering can, this project is unbelievably simple. Just cut the scoop out of the jug and use accordingly.
I’ve got some tin cans around. Here are 5 things I could do with them:
Use it as a biscuit cutter.
Turn it into a drum using a balloon for the top.
How do you reuse tin cans?
Here’s a way to extend the life of a bath scrubby once it’s too old to use in the shower: turn it into a dish scrubber. Tracie Lampe unraveled the scrubby and found it was 240 inches long. She tied a few together and crocheted them into a nifty dish scrubber, like so:
I can’t believe I never thought of this before.
