Earlier this year you learned how to make a perfect wine bottle cut, now you can use it to make your own glass guitar slide that would make Robert Johnson proud. More »
If you’re looking for a novel way to use wine bottles that doesn’t involve turning them into candle holders, this indoor-friendly hack is it. More »
A wobbly table is one of life’s minor, yet avoidable, annoyances. Save the cork from your next bottle of wine to make a travel-friendly wobble fixer. More »
Looking for an inexpensive way add some interesting mood lighting to your next outdoor party? Recycle some jars into hanging candle lanterns. More »
You tried the old shredded-strips-of-newspaper trick, but it looked like your cat was “constantly throwing a kitty ticker tape parade” by dragging the strips around on her paws. Here’s a better way to save money with homemade kitty litter. More »
What to do with an empty cable spool? If you’re a student it’s a cheap end table. If you’re a cat lover, it’s the foundation for an awesome cat hide away. More »
Not all of us can devote the money or space to a full-size greenhouse, but anyone can get into gardening with a mini greenhouse. Instructables user kcrox1017 posts simple plans for a mini greenhouse will help you protect your seedlings from any unexpected cold snaps, and start growing them ahead of mother nature’s schedule. While he used an old window, with a little extra tweaking, you can use a sheet of scrap glass or acrylic instead. On the other hand, if the idea of keeping a greenhouse and the accompanying garden sounds like too much work, you might find a wine bottle terrarium to be all the green you need. For details on his project, check out the full tutorial below. Build a Seed House/Mini Green House [via Curbly]
Most moisturisers don’t come in convenient little containers, and if they do, you’ll likely pay a premium for the privilege. Use a contact lense case instead. Judy wrote into the Parent Hacks blog because she didn’t like carrying bulky container of moisturiser, but the cold winter weather made her son’s face really dry. Her solution? I found an unused contact lens case and realised it was perfect for carrying the lotion. It won’t leak, and if you want, the two sides are labelled so you could put two different items in it (i.e. lotion and Vaseline). They’re easy to clean, and if you’re a contact wearer, you’ll have a ton kicking around the house.
At first consideration it would seem a contact case wouldn’t be large enough to hold an appreciable amount of anything, but upon further inspection of the multitude of contact cases scattered around my house my opinion changed. The majority of cases were deep enough to easily hold more moisturiser than most people could reasonably use before being back home and able to fill it up again. Practical way to reuse a contact case and save space or repurposing gone too far?Photo by L. Marie. Carry a small amount of lotion in a contact lens case [via ]
Wired’s How-To Wiki guides newcomers gently into the soft terrain of composting, a great way to recycle biodegradable goods and create some of the best growing soil around. You can get started with something as simple and low-cost as a trash bag, the authors note: Just fill it up with a good mixture of browns (paper and plant pieces) and greens (kitchen scraps), soak it down, punch a few air holes and wait three months. Viola! Compost.
The wiki has more detailed advice for those who want to keep a tidier pile, or learn more about what makes for great material—one easy-to-find example, as previously posted, is non-glossy, low-colour junk mail. Are you composting? What’s your setup? Let us know in the comments. Photo by normanack. Compost [Wired How-To Wiki]
We asked earlier this week what disposable items you had found creative re-uses for, and the answers are in. Not surprisingly, some of you have some pretty crafty uses for household goods that usually end up at the curb. From CD-R spindles to corks, twist-ties to tissue boxes, lots of supposedly one-use items can save you money, free up space, and be seriously handy when the need arises. After the jump, a roundup of our readers’ waste-reducing reuses. Yogurt photo by Dan4th, all others by How can I recycle this.
