Have a Saturday with nothing to do? How about a small project to pass the time? Some people make a hobby out of creating new things for use around the house. DIY projects are all the rage nowadays and they actually can save you money in the long run.

Storage Projects

We can’t stand a naked spot on the floor or a corner in a room. So clutter gathers in very little time. Instead of purchasing expensive shelves and storage containers, look around your home and see what you can make better use of.

Baskets are visually appealing and good for other things besides sitting on a shelf in the garage. Baskets can be used to store old magazine issues we want to keep. Instead of making a messy pile on the coffee table, sit a basket beside the couch and arrange the magazines there.

Baskets also work on bathroom counters for toiletries and clean towels and washcloths. They can be kept neatly rolled up instead of folded in the closet where everyone reaches for one and pulls the rest down with it. Add a basket to the guest room for towels and other items.

Do you have old towels? Instead of throwing them away, sew them up and add elastic to the ends. Hang one in the kitchen. Those plastic shopping bags can be stored there.

In the bathroom, a towel holder can hold rolls of toilet paper. Cut the ends off of a two liter soda bottle and use the cylinder to shape the towel holder for the toilet paper. This keeps it up off the floor.

Follow up:

Sewing Projects

If you like to sew, there are always scraps of fabric lying around. Use the scraps to construct a quilt. Old clothes can add colorful patches to the quilt. Larger pieces can be attached as tabs for the tops of curtains. This is an easy way to create holiday curtains without spending a lot of money for them.

Remember those towel holders we just talked about in the previous section? Stuff them with old newspaper and use them at your doors to block any air from coming in.

Tattered blankets can be sewn into patterns and stuffed with fluff to make throw pillows for the couch or the bed. Choose solid colors to better match your furniture. Old buttons with no homes can be used as accents.

Fixer Upper

Do you have a garage full of stuff that needs a little fixing? Get to work! Fix the legs on those chairs. If you’ve already purchased new ones for the family table, use the others on the porch or patio for warm summer evenings when company comes.

Old juice bottles and jugs can be used to gather water for your garden or used as planters. Cut the tops off and decorate them. It is far more cost effective to collect rain water instead of running a hose.

What can you do around your home? There are probably several little projects that have your name written all over them. Clear out the clutter and find some treasures along the way.

Submitted by:

Linda Allen
GirlfriendsCafe
http://www.girlfriendscafe.com