Beeswax Kit Lets You Make Your Own Candle

An easy do-it-yourself project becomes easier if you have a kit to start with.  Case in point is making a candle.  If you purchase a beeswax kit, you can make your own candle design without the hassle of melting wax.  You can just mold the beeswax directly and give it the shape that you want.

A beeswax kit will cost you about $8 so it's not that heavy on your wallet especially if you are buying expensive candles for your home.

Make Your Own Soap

We each have our own preferences when it comes to the soap that we use. If you want to be really unique, then you can try your hands on making your own soap. A soap making kit would set you back about $23. That's not too bad really if you really want to have soap with the scent made right for you. A soap making kit would hold soap cubes, dyes, different scents, and plastic molds among others. This is a great investment if you want everything in your home to be personalized to suit your lifestyle and personality just like you do with your home furniture.

Necessary Tool For Craft DIY

If you are tackling any home décor do-it-yourself project, you know that you are gong to need the right tools. And if you are working on arts and crafts for your home, you definitely need a craft hand drill. You can get one of these for about $20 and it will be worth it. I'm sure you cannot use that power drill for small things like a stack of paper or something like that.

Tips On Plumbing

If you have a blocked drain, do you call for the professionals instantly or do you try to tackle the problem yourself? If you are the latter, you could certainly use some tips like using a coat hanger. Straighten it first then use a pair of pliers to make a hook on the end and use it as an alterative to plumbing snake.

Also, when you are working under the sink, you can use a two-liter soda bottle as an air pillow to keep your neck supported. If you want to keep your hand tools shiny, you can use toothpaste to shine it.

How To Repair Grout

That space between your tiles is called the grout and almost all of the time, with the passing of time; they might get cracked or be stained. But before you call professionals to replace or repair your grout, remember that you can do it on your own.

What you will need is a grout saw, grout mixture, colorant, and a sponge. First, use the grout saw to remove the old grout. Then clean the area using water. Remember to use the right type of grout depending on the type of tile you are using. Then, using the sponge, apply the grout mixture. Follow the instruction on the container of the grout filler to know when it has cured properly and use the sponge and water to wipe off those excess grout filler. If the grout is just stained, then you can just use the colorant.

Inspect Your Own Home

You can save a lot of money if you can cut down on your energy consumption. So if you have a cooling or heating system at home, it is always good to keep them working efficiently. Also, since these systems heat or cool air, keeping those conditioned air inside your home is one way of cutting down on your energy bills.

One way to check if you are wasting conditioned air due to leaks is to close all doors and windows in your home and shutting down combustion appliances. Then, turn on all exhaust fans. Use lighted incense sticks to track down the spaces where your precious conditioned air leak.

Treat For Halloween

With the Halloween coming right at us very fast, you might want to grab some ideas for your kids. Apart from making their costumes and decorating your home with a Halloween theme using furnishings from your local furniture stores, you can also prepare a treat for your kids.

For one, you can make a pizza with monster faces. What you need are the same ingredients for making a pizza. The only variation with this treat is that let the children design scary faces on the dough using the toppings. After they have designed the faces, cook them as per instruction and there you go, an easy treat for your kids this Halloween.

How To Replace Shingles

If you have a shingle that needs replacing you might enlist the help of professionals which could set you back some serious bucks. So if you want to save, you can replace it yourself. What you need to do is get a shingle that matches the one you use. You will also need a hammer, some roofing nails, a crowbar, and a caulking gun with roof tar tube.

You have to replace the shingle on a warm day but not too hot as it could crack the shingle. Also, it is not advisable to do it on a cold day for obvious reasons. First thing you have to do is to remove the damaged shingle carefully as not to break any undamaged shingle, use the crowbar for this. After the damaged shingles are cleared, align the new shingles carefully and affix them to the roof using your hammer and the roofing nails. Then use the tar roof over the head of the nails to keep water out.

Pick Your Own Windows

It is known that keeping your cooling and heating system working efficiently does a lot to reduce your energy costs. But, you should not also forget that your windows can also help you keep that precious conditioned air inside your home. Therefore, you should choose the right window for your home.

Steel windows are the best when it comes to durability. But these are pricey so if you cannot afford them, it is best to find other alternatives such as vinyl. These are affordable and could help you keep your home insulated. The only drawback though is that they deteriorate fast when exposed to extreme heat or cold.

Easy Letter Holder

If you are bored and would like to make something for the home just to pass the time, maybe you could try making a letter holder. All you would need are panel boards, wood, panel pins, wood screws, key hooks, some sandpaper, and a small amount of wood glue.

Basically, you just have to cut the panel boards in your desired shape of the letter holder and use the wood to connect the panel boards on its three sides. Of course, you have to leave the top side open. For the complete instruction on how to go about making a letter holder, click here.

Adhesives We Use At Home

In almost any home do-it-yourself projects, we need to join pieces of materials together. There are some cases where the old fashioned use of nail is enough or screws for that matter. But when these are not applicable, we turn to adhesives which we have to know better.

There's the epoxy first. It could come in two tubes for resin and hardener which you have to mix first to use. Epoxies after drying is rock hard and can be used to join several types of materials like metal, wood or glass. If you want something made especially for wood, then there's the wood glue. Of course, there's also the all around use duct tape if you dare to use it.

Basic DIY Tips

So you have found a DIY project for your home, the next step of course is putting them into action. And when doing these projects, it helps to know some basic tips. For example, if you are working using a tool belt, make sure you have a magnet in there to help you with keeping track of small metallic objects you might lose otherwise.

Another basic tip you might want to consider when working with epoxy is to squeeze resin and hardener simultaneously. This will make sure that you will get the right mixture every time. When cleaning sawdust and dirt from your floor without a dustpan, all you need is a piece of newspaper and tape. Just tape the paper onto the floor and sweep the dust onto the paper. After that, just wad up the paper and dispose of it properly.

Repair Or Replace Tiles

If you have a cracked tile in the bathroom or the kitchen, you need not replace it if there is only a slight crack. All you have to do is a get a paint matching the color of your tiles and mi it with tile filler. Using a cotton swab, apply it to the crack and before it hardens completely, wipe it with a damp cloth.

If the damage is beyond repair and you have to replace the tile, get a towel and drape it over the tile then shatter it with a hammer. Remove all the debris and you are ready to put on that new tile. This replace or repair mantra should also be used on other furniture pieces in your home.

General Tips For Messy Jobs

There would be times when decorating your home means more than just rearranging furniture pieces. Sometimes you will have to get down and dirty and for these jobs, I have a few tips for you. For one, if you are going to drill a hole in your ceiling like when installing a ceiling lamp, you sure don't want dust falling directly into your eyes. To solve this problem, first drill a hole in the center of a plastic container lid. Then, push it into the bit while you drill the hole in the ceiling. It will collect the dust.

Also, when pouring materials like powder and you are out of a funnel, just cut out a corner of an envelope and you have a funnel. And when washing clothes, it is recommended that you use cold water and a cold-water detergent. It will do the same cleaning job without the energy consumption required when you use heated water.

Turn Your Basement Into An Entertainment Room

Are you looking to add an entertainment room into your home but still does not know what to do? You can add a patio to entertain guest if you want to. But the best way to go about making an entertainment room is by refurnishing your basement. You can turn your basement into an entertainment room by cleaning it up, installing carpets on your own, and adding the essential entertainment room furnishings. By doing it yourself, you can save a lot of money especially in laying out the carpet. All you need is the right attitude towards tackling the project.

Choosing A Towel Rack

If you are looking to add something to your bathroom without shelling out too much, then you should go for a towel rack. Apart from being very practical to have inside the bathroom, it can also change the way your bathroom looks. Since there are different types of towel racks, you have to choose what will fit the style of your bathroom.

If you are short of space, then a towel rack for rolled up towels is the right choice. There are also towel stands which can pivot meaning the towels can be positioned is such a way that they do not hinder your movement in the bathroom. There are also two-tiered bathroom towel racks which are more sophisticated but would set you back more than those simple towel racks. If you are wiling to spend more, you can try those heated towel racks.

Clean Shower Heads With Vinegar

If you have a showerhead which you want to clean but is not to keen about dumping chemicals down the sink after using them, there is an alternative I'd be more than happy to share with you. You can clean those gunks off of showerheads using vinegar.

Here's what you should do: First, find a pot which will accommodate the showerhead and can be filled with vinegar so that the showerhead is submerged completely. Now, pour in vinegar in the pot and submerge the showerhead into the pot without it touching the bottom of the pot. Use your ingenuity on that one. Then, warm the pot over a fire but don't let it boil. Just let the vinegar warm up and simmer for a few minutes. After that, the gunk would be easy to scrub off the showerhead.

Insulating Basics

To save on your energy bills especially during winter, you have to have your home properly insulated. And if you are thinking about doing the insulation yourself, then you should at least have an idea about insulation materials. One thing that you have to be familiar with is the R-value.

It stands for resistance to heat flow. That means, the higher the R-value of the insulation material, the better it would insulate your home. If you live in an area known for harsh winters, then you have to use insulating materials with high R-value. This is just another way of protecting your investment that is your home along with its contemporary furniture pieces.

Make Your Own Autumn Decoration

The color of autumn is such a good thing to look at. It is thus not surprising that many homeowners tend to use the rich colors connected with autumn on their homes. It can match up perfectly with a casual themed or a formal themed home.

To make your own autumn décor, all you need is a Styrofoam which you need to cut into a shape of a maple leaf or an oak leaf. After cutting it to desired size, attach artificial pine cones, leaves and other things you'll see around during autumn. Then, stick it to your front door and you are ready to welcome autumn.

Create A CD Lamp

If you are into computers, then chances are, you have a lot of CDs at home for which you have no use. Instead of throwing them away and adding to our waste problem, you should put them to good use by making a CD lamp. Intrigued?

The end result would be a good addition to any bedroom or study table. For the steps in making a CD lamp, click here. This is surely one DIY project that you would love if you are into cool furniture that stands out.

Stencil A Candle

Personalizing is definitely part of home decorating. It is always a good choice to match your personality with the things that surround you. The good thing about this is that you can personalize even small things such as a candle.

To stencil a candle for decorating purposes, you will need a vanilla candle, a stencil, stencil adhesive, white craft paint and candle painting medium, rubbing alcohol, sponge brush, and some cotton balls.

Start off by putting on the stencil adhesive on the stencil and allowing it to dry. Then, using the cotton balls, swab the candle surface to be painted using the rubbing alcohol and let it dry. After that, mix the craft paint with the candle painting medium. Stick the stencil into the candle and with the sponge brush, apply the paint mixture. After removing the stencil carefully, you're done!