Practical projects and tips for the backyard DIY fanatic
Solid Perfume – The French Alternative Most perfumes are made from alcohol, and they evaporate quickly. Jackie French’s recipe for solid perfume is a combination of essential oils and beeswax, and so the fragrance lingers for hours. Homemade solid perfume...
Stylish Photo Albums Use these step by step instructions from Rita Hill to jazz up your old photo albums. You’ll be surprised how stylish they can look! You will need fabric cardboard (Rita used cardboard with a decorative, marbled pattern) spray adhesive strong...
Tile and Bathroom Cleanser – The French Alternative Jackie French recommends this tile and bathroom cleanser. It is simple to make, works a treat and smells divine. Ingredients 6 tablespoons crushed white chalk 1/2 cup Lux soap flakes 6 tablespoons bicarbonate...
Floor cubes or ottomans are great for kids and adults alike. In bright colours they’re fun in a playroom, while in stylish tones they’re the perfect footrest for the lounge room. You will need Cardboard to cut the templates. About 1.5m fabric for a 50 x 50...
Rita Hill used special porcelain paints to jazz up some plain white serving platters. You will need: ceramic platters methylated spirits Pébéo Porcelaine paints paintbrushes (soft taklon or sable) Pébéo Porcelaine outliner or felt tip pen a soft lead pencil Clean...
Scott Cam demonstrated how to turn a secondhand door into a dining table. Scott’s table is cheap, easy to make and it looks great! Measurements Door: 2100 x 850 x 40mm Framework: 1800 x 450 x 810mm Table: 850mm high Timber Sizes 4 x legs 100 x 100mm –...
Scott Cam showed how easy it is to install a shade sail in the garden. You can have your sails custom-made, or buy them ready-made. Most shade sails are designed to suit a specific area, so they will vary in size, shape and number. Several small sails may look better,...
Backyard Blitz builder, Scott Cam, was helping out at home when a floorboard gave way beneath his foot! Floorboards often fail because of damp rot or termite attack. However, in this case the floorboard had become loose and slipped off the joist underneath. Scott said...
Scott Cam demonstrated how to fix a leaking toilet by either replacing the perished washers or installing a new cistern outlet valve. What to do Turn the water off at the tap just beside the pan. Flush the toilet to drain the cistern. Unscrew the button on top of the...
Louise and Barry Brooks have 9 children under the age of 12, and another child on the way. To accommodate their growing family they bought a huge, ugly brick house built on a double block. Although the Brooks describe the house itself as unattractive, they say it has...