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We know you want to live a more DIY life—it's just that you don't have the time to weed through the hundreds of projects, directions, and ideas that crowd the internet every week. But don't worry: we have the time. Every week we bring you the best do-it-yourself plans we've seen over the last week, so you can spend your time doing projects instead of just searching for them.
This week, search your home for items you can re-use in the fun and easy projects below, from old magazines to weave into funky coasters and family photos that become personalized coloring books to pillowcases of all shapes and sizes to turn into aprons, skirts, and tops. Then give your garden a boost with compost tea and cut your energy bill with a homemade charging station. Read on to see how.
Say Cheese
Image courtesy of Photography by Dev Kumar.
Encourage your child's inner Monet with coloring books made from family vacation photos. In these few simple steps from Craft, you can modify and print (in black and white) pictures of places and people you've visited—and then give the kids the freedom to color purple skies, orange oceans, and blue giraffes.
Just in Case
Image courtesy of Craft Chi.
Pillowcases are just the right raw material for almost any project you can think of: they?re sized perfectly for aprons, shirts, and skirts; they come in endless varieties of color and pattern; and they hold up well enough that those vintage cases your parents got as a wedding gift can be tomorrow night's halter top. Need more inspiration? Check out this roundup of pillowcase projects from Threadbanger.
Power Up
Image courtesy of Alberto Ricci Bitti.
Charging stations make it easy to keep your electronics organized and at full power, but this eco-friendly, DIY greenbox comes with an added benefit: when you remove your items and close the lid, the charger disconnects from the power source?saving the energy that?s wasted when cords are left plugged in. (Via Make)
Brew Green
Image courtesy of Mike Harrington/Getty Images.
While adding compost to your garden is an easy way to reuse organic waste while improving the quality of your plants, you can get results even more quickly by brewing up some compost "tea," a liquid fertilizer. See how to perk up your greens with these compost tea instructions. (Via Lifehacker)
Start Coasting
Image courtesy of Jessica Jones.
Still trying to figure out what to do with that pile of almost-read magazines? Turn them into brightly-colored woven coasters and take your articles from piled-on-the-coffee-table to protecting the coffee table. (Via Re-Nest)
Read more about eco-friendly crafts:
View & Vote : DIY Around-the-House Projects
5 Reuses for CDs: Turn Old CDs into New Geek Gear
We Love Etsy for Unique, Handmade Gifts
DIY Puzzle Piece Friendship Necklace
Got a tip or a post idea for us to write about on Planet Green? Email pgtips (at) treehugger (dot) com.
