Hobbies & Crafts

Tired of paying high water bills? Have you heard of the ways you can use a rain catcher to lower those bills? You probably also didn’t know that 623 gallons of water can be harvested from 1 inch of rain on a 1,000-square-foot roof and as far as rain barrels are concerned, a typical 1/2-inch rainfall will fill a 50- to 55-gallon barrel. I’m sharing everything I know about making rainwater collection an efficient way to lower your bills and help the environment.

See how I made some really inexpensive PVC pipe curtain rods to hold long, sheer porch curtains for around $15. After getting all the supplies at Lowe’s, I was able to measure, cut, and install the outdoor curtain rods and hang the curtain panels on my front porch in about 1 hour myself. They are holding up perfectly (even after storms and heavy gusts of wind). And they look great!

My toddler son and I love to spend time outside. I decided to make a saucer swing from a small trampoline. Here’s my DIY tree swing tutorial… with lots of photos! (Bonus: This nest swing is portable — you can take it down and set it up on any tree… anywhere!)

Got any used drum sets sitting around? See how I turned a 4-piece drum set into a fun light fixture! (Much better than standard LED drum lights.) My repurposed drum set tutorial…

Have a lot of spices, packets, and jars in your spice cupboard right now? Here are some DIY spice rack ideas to organize your kitchen! See how I used paint stir sticks to make my own spice drawer inserts. Yep, a $4 DIY spice drawer organizer! Then, with the extra space inside my spice cabinet, I was able to better organize the shelves for baking goods and food storage containers.