Tutorial - How to Make a Custom Doormat

Makes a good pet mat too

Tutorial at A Crafty Mix Blog

"We’ve been looking for some doormats to use in our holiday cottage but they were all kinda the boring and the rubber one we’d bought before didn’t really do a good job of keeping the beach sand out. The other problem was the width of the double patio door. We could find small doormats but we needed something a little wider on the patio. Long story short, we decided to make our own doormat using some astro turf aka fake grass".... Read more

Tutorial - Laundry Room Makeover

Spruce up your laundry room and add storage space

Tutorial at Grandmas House DIY Blog

"Our laundry room is basically a large closet off of our dining room/entry room in our home. Is having the laundry room in our dining room ideal? Of course not, but with an old house sometimes the only options are really not all that great. But, I digress, so far it hasn’t bother Joe or I at all, the dining room is big enough and our laundry room/closet is plenty big enough so it hasn’t at all been a problem. We have a scratch and dent certified new LG washer/dryer combo, just in case you were wondering why there was only one machine that looks like a washing machine in the picture".... Read more

Tutorial - How to Install an Inexpensive Wood Floor

500 square foot wood floor cost less then $300

Tutorial at Grandma's House DIY Blog

"You can put whatever you want under foot, if its wood, then you have a wood floor! It does not need to come out of a box that says “flooring” on it, nope, what makes a floor a floor is the fact that you walk on it. The only reason we did not opt for the plywood-cut-into-strips-option was because we do not own a table saw to cut it ourselves and it still would have been about twice the cost of what we ended up paying".... Read more

Tutorial - Make a "Duck Your Head" Warning Sign

Cute warning sign for low doorways

Tutorial at A Crafty Mix Blog

"Now for something a little quirky, or should I say quacky  Coming down the stairs in our little round house can be tricky if you’re over 5’11. The ceiling is quite low and you’ll need to duck to avoid bumping your head. We needed a sign to warn all our tall friends but the ones you can buy are a little too boring, so we made our own using one of those rubber chickens that go “boop, boop” and some pallet off cuts. Those chickens drive our dogs mad, I don’t think they like the sound".... Read more

Tutorial - How to Make Scented Carpet Powder

Customize deodorizer with your favorite scent

Tutorial at By Brittany Goldwyn Blog

"If you have a lot of carpet or rugs in your house, you know that one of the easiest ways to give your rooms a pick-me-up is by using deodorizing carpet powder before you vacuum. I’ve always used an Arm & Hammer “pet fresh” powder, but a few months ago, I ran out and decided to use plain old baking soda. After all, the carpet powder you buy at the store is about 96% baking soda, 2% artificial fragrance, and 2% other stuff (hydrogen peroxide, water, alcohols, etc.). And baking soda by itself is pretty cheap, especially when you buy it in big containers, which I do because it can be used to so many things around the house".... Read more

Tutorial - Make Homemade Spider Repellent

Ingredients won’t harm your family or pets

Tutorial at The Seaman Mom Blog

"I truly, deeply hate spiders! (although some of them are so incredibly small and cute, I might change my mind about them one of these days). So here I am now, armed with a bottle of this homemade spider repellent, frantically spraying the windows and doors, almost every day, in what it seems a successful attempt to keep these little, wild creatures away from our human, domestic world.  This homemade spider repellent is quite nice, really and extremely quick and easy to do".... Read more

Tutorial - Make a Natural Air Freshener

Room will be smelling fresh and odor free

Tutorial at Natural Fit Foodie Blog

"If you suffer from allergies or you’re trying to avoid the chemicals and synthetics in commercial air fresheners then you need to make these DIY Air Fresheners! Aren’t they cute? I am not going to make any false claims here. These DIY Air Fresheners smell NOTHING like store – bought air fresheners, but do you know why? They’re all natural".... Read more

Tutorial - Make Cedar Hangers for Your Closet

Add a nice cedar scent to your closet

Tutorial at Fleur de Lis Quilts Blog

"Do you know why cedar is such a popular scent for closets?  In additional to being really pretty, the wood has a wonderful, woodsy scent that repels insects. Really, the fact that cedar repels bugs is the main reason for having it in your closet.Those repelled bugs includes moths, which love to eat sweaters and coats.  Ask me how I know".... Read more

Tutorial - How to Take Care of Your Cutting Mat

An old mat can be made to look good again

Tutorial at Sew There I Was Blog

"Using a rotary cutter and self healing mat have made sewing bags, clothing and crafty stuff so much easier! But we need to take care of our mat!The first mat I bought was 18 x 24 and as I began cutting clothing patterns and quilt blocks, I bought a bigger 24 x 36 mat. There is even a spinning mat".... Read more

Tutorial - How to Makeover a Vanity Fixture

Makeover for a fraction of the cost for new fixtures

Vanity Fixture Makeover Tutorial at the Comfy Crafter Blog

"I wanted to share a little victory I had with a project I have been debating for quite some time. When we moved into our house, the vanity light fixtures in the master bathroom were terrible.  They were dirty, they were rusty,they had the riveted glass cups over the lights, they needed to go. However, I looked and looked and never found anything I liked enough to justify paying the $50-100 price tag to replace one, much less two light fixtures. I finally got annoyed with them enough to just start messing with them, I figured they were hideous as it was, I could only make them better or if I screwed up I would just get new fixtures".... Read more

Tutorial - How to Make a Decorative Canister Cover

Decorative Cover for a Disinfectant Wipes Container

Canister Cover Tutorial at Benike Boutique Blog

"I love clorox wipes! I have them in nearly every room.  And as great as they are, sometimes they are a bit of an eye sore for me.  I've been wanting to come up with something to hide them, and I finally did! And it didnt even cost much! With all the contact paper out there these days, I'm sure you will find one that you like.  And there will be plenty left over for future projects.  I did not have any on hand, so I had to buy some.  I couldn't find any in stores I liked so I went to amazon.com  and bought this one.  I ordered a large roll because I knew I would use it for other stuff.  So my total for this project was 11.78".... Read more

Tutorial - How to Refinish a Popcorn Ceiling

A Lot of Work but the Results are Worth It


Refinish a Popcorn Ceiling Tutorial at My Beautiful Mess

"If you have a house that was built in the 80′s, like we do, you probably have that popcorn texture on your ceiling.  You know, that super bumpy cobweb filled mess with edges that are impossible to paint cleanly.  Well, I have good news, my friend!  You don’t have to live with the popcorn anymore.  Hooray!  We have successfully removed the texture from the ceiling in two of our rooms, with many more to come.  So I’d thought I would share what we’ve learned along the way.  And when I say “we”, I mean “my husband”.  I had the idea to take it down, he learned how and did ALL the work.  So I will share with you what HE learned. First and foremost, make sure there is no asbestos in your ceiling.  If you house was built after 1978, there most likely isn’t – but be sure!  Our popcorn ceiling was made of newspaper and paint".... Read more

Tutorial - How to Make a Ironing Mat

It fits on top of your washer or dryer

Ironing Mat Tutorial at Thrifty Crafty Girl Blog

"On to today's project!  I got an iron for Christmas and it's amazing.  It's also bigger than my head, not sure why.  But I don't have an ironing board.  More importantly, I don't want an ironing board.  They are large, bulky and have to be put away which is always a production".... Read more

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Tutorial - How to Make a Dish Mat

Uses a Fat Qtr of Fabric plus Terry Cloth

Dish Mat Tutorial at Craftlinky Blog

"here’s a tutorial for the dish mats!  They are very simple and stitch up fast.  You can make them any size but for this demo, I used a fat quarter of focus fabric and a slightly larger piece of terry cloth.  I bought several yards of terry, pre-washed it and rough cut it with a scissors.  Fair warning on the terry, it shrinks, so buy more than you think that you’ll need to allow for that" Read more

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Tutorial - How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Saver

A good tool for those with young children or pets

Toilet Paper Roll Saver Tutorial at Home Sweet Homebodies Blog

"If you just can't stand the toilet paper being completely unwound one more time, then this project just might be for you!  >Insert crazy laugh here<  My three year old and 20 month old are usually pretty good about leaving the toilet paper alone, but they have each independently unrolled entire rolls of TP, shredded quite a bit of TP all over the floor together, and even dropped whole rolls in the toilet.  I was going nuts one day... well, ok, not just one day, but eventually I just had to come up with a quick solution or completely lose it.  " Read more

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Tip - How to Clean Toilets with no Chemicals

Guess what she used? Very cool!

Clean Toilets with no Chemicals Tip at simpleliving
"I should have taken a photo of our toilet before it was cleaned. We usually use fresh water from our rain water tank in our toilets , but since our rain water tank was hit by lightning last winter, we have been using bore water to flush our toilets. The mineral scale in our toilet was so bad, I have tried bleach which I really hate using, didn't clean it at all ,then I tried vinegar and bi-carb still looked just as terrible. It was so bad I even thought we may need to buy a new toilet..." Read more

Tutorial - How to Make Washable Flannel Mop Pads

Fabulous!

Washable Flannel Mop Pads Tutorial at Homestead & Bread
"A frugal alternative to disposable mop pads..." Read more

Tutorial - How to Change A Water Heater Element

Well, here's something a little different. I read the whole thing and actually found it to be quite interesting!

Changing A Water Heater Element Tutorial at Dream Home DIY
"Have you ever noticed the power a cold shower has over your attitude?
One minute you're belting out the chorus to Blondies "Call Me" into your loofah,
and the next you're cussing like a sailor thrown overboard in Antarctica.

So when our hot water heater started to fritz and then all but die, I knew I was in a bit of trouble.

Let me lay this out for ya.
Wash dishes the night before......no hot water for the AM shower
Wash and condition your hair while in the shower.....no hot water to rinse the latter out
Pretty fun huh?..." Read more

Crochet Pattern - How to Make a Pot Holder

She said that she may be the last person to know this pattern.....Nope! I must be. I've been crocheting forever and never knew how to do this. Very cool.

Also - now I know how poor lefties feel! I was looking at her photos in utter confusion. It didn't look like any crochet I've ever seen. Then I realized that she's a leftie. Shew. Anyway, even us righties can understand the pattern she shares. It's a great one!

Crochet Pot Holder Tutorial at Wedding Dress Blue
"As I said, maybe I am the last person on the planet to know about this, but just in case…..." Read more

Crochet Pattern - How to Crochet a Swiffer Cover

This is such a fabulous idea!

Swiffer Cover Crochet Pattern at The 4Rs Ramblings
"Crocheted in cotton yarns, it made up quick, using mainly half triple crochet stitches. This created a large ridge that is very good at picking up big dust bunnies! The whole thing can be turned inside out to give you double the cleaning power, and then it can be machine washed for many years to come. Going green is also saving money, and this is an unbeatable combo as far as I am concerned..." Read more