DIY Projects That Are Way More Than Just Arts and Crafts
In the age of convenience, when everything is available for next-day delivery, it’s easy to forget the simple pleasures of making something with your own hands. Luckily, because of that very same age of convenience, there are countless step-by-step guides on the internet that make DIY projects accessible and doable for anyone.
Case in point, we’ve rounded up our favorite DIY house projects and activities that are way more than just arts and crafts. We hope they’ll inspire you to make your life more homemade!
DIY Garden Tricks
Herb gardens are the perfect DIY project: They’re relatively easy to maintain and give you homegrown ingredients for all kinds of cooking recipes, teas, seasonings, and more. Whether your thumb has been green your whole life or you’re a greenhorn, our guide to growing the perfect DIY herb garden will come in handy.
Grow flowers in your garden? You’ll love our guide to making DIY flower arrangements, which includes tips on color palettes, conditioning, and using wildflower accents. Then, check out our guide on four ways to press flowers, plus seven ways to use pressed flowers in DIY decorations, projects, and gifts.
Let’s not forget all the feathered visitors to your garden who might benefit from your newfound DIY enthusiasm. Find instructions on how to make seven different DIY bird feeders that birds will love. Then, get our step-by-step on building your own owl box, which not only gives an owl a home but can help reduce rodent populations in your yard. (And if it’s insects you want gone, check out our guide on building a bat box.)
DIY Cleaning & Self-Care
Homemade hand sanitizer, glass cleaner, oven cleaner, and more — it’s all in our guide to DIY cleaning products. Then, turn over to our roundup of homeopathic, homemade first-aid tricks, including DIY mosquito repellent.
You can also get artsy in the bathroom with our guide to making eight different handmade soaps, which includes tips on scent palettes, molding, and more. For a little homemade “me” time, splash into our guide to making DIY bath bombs and shower melts, which can be decongestants as well as luxurious.
DIY Games & Activities
Think big with your DIY projects, and you just might find yourself running your own miniature carnival in the backyard. Our guide has everything you need to know about organizing carnival games, snacks, ticket booths, and shows for your party guests. (Go extra crazy with our tutorial on setting up a giant DIY slip-and-slide.)
But that’s just the beginning of DIY games. Check out this guide for six yard games you can build at home, from homemade cornhole boards to giant Jenga to the Texas-classic hook-and-ring game. Kids can also have some fun with DIY tie-dye, a fun way to spend an afternoon and give yourself a handmade souvenir. End the DIY day with an epic DIY home theater experience.
DIY Gifts
What’s more meaningful than a handmade gift? Some of these might seem like trinkets, but they are a great way to add a personal touch to any birthday, holiday, or anniversary celebration.
- Personalized Cowboy Hats: With our guide, you can learn how to make your own felt cowboy hat, complete with a custom brim, shape, and hatband. It’s the perfect gift for any wannabe cowboys and cowgirls in your life.
- Fishing Lures: Get your friends hooked on these DIY fishing lures, made from spoons, corks, and sticks. It’s a simple, fun little project that everyone will get caught up in.
- DIY Cat Toys: Cardboard castles, hammocks, fairy ring tree stumps — your cat(s) will love these DIY gifts that came straight from your heart.
Of all the DIY projects out there, is there anything better homemade than food? Check out our favorite recipes here.
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