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I have featured projects on upcycling wine crates and there are so many other projects on the internet. But what if you can't find wine crates, or if you do but they are overpriced or expensive. As an alternative, you can always grab some offcuts of timber and board and make your own wine crates. Here's how... |
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This modular bathroom cabinet is made up of separate cubes that can be added to create the ultimate bathroom storage. Mounted on a sturdy base, you can add cubes with drawers, cubes for shelves, or cubes with doors for cupboard to hideaway bathroom clutter. |
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Pelmets are not only ideal for finishing off at the top of curtained windows, they also look great as a finishing touch for windows fitted with blinds - hiding the hardware out of sight. |
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This coffee table is designed for more than one purpose. It's also sturdy enough to use as a TV stand and has plenty of storage space inside for CDs, DVDs, books or magazines. To finish the project, use a whitewashing technique, distress, apply a liming wax, stain in your choice of finish, or paint your coffee table. |
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In this do-it-yourself storage headboard, storage, style and lighting come together in a project you can build in a couple of hours. Grab all your supplies from Builders Warehouse, have all the PG Bison 16mm SupaWood cut to size and you are ready to assemble. |
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These days dual purpose furniture is great for kids as it takes up less space than two separate pieces of furniture. But this dual purpose ping-pong table is perfect for a games room or den where children play because it also converts into a coffee table or games table, or even an activity table. |
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Being able to make use of branches from your own garden (or from a friend's garden) means that you can make these framed mirrors for next to nothing - and they look stunning in a bathroom. |
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I have recently been featuring projects for updating my built-in closet and the most recent was converting shelves to drawers. In this feature I'm going to show you how easy it is to make a trouser rack that you can pull out to make hanging and storing your trousers, pants and jeans so much easier, and they will take up far less space in a closet. |
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Although this cabinet is perfect as a bedside table for a child's bedroom, it can also be used as a bathroom storage cabinet or even a side table for a lounge. You can finish it with various techniques to fit in with your own personal style and add as little or as much detail as you want. |
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With its clean lines and large storage capacity this modern Shaker-style cabinet would be perfect in any room in a home. I made this single cabinet and a double cabinet for my dining room but will also be making another similar cabinet for my bathroom renovation, which I hope to tackle in the not too distant future. |
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Today we had our DIY Divas workshop and made this child's art and craft table and chair. We cut out all the curved pieces and sanded where necessary and the entire project (excluding painting) took 2 hours from start to finish. |
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This might be a small closet, but once you have tackled this project you will realise how simple it is to take this design and make it bigger, perhaps extend the length for a longer, more spacious closet. Using a board product such as PG Bison MelaWood allows you to match your existing decor in a light or dark wood finish, or you can use PG Bison SupaWood and paint it in your choice of colour. |
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I have just finished making a desk for a little girl that can also be purposed into a study desk for a child or adult, or a dressing table. This desk / dressing table can be painted in your choice of colour and even distressed if you are looking for a more cottage or shabby chic finish. |
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Finding a bed that you like these days is not an easy task. Design, finish and price all determine your final selection and you may end up with a bed that you don't really like. With only a little DIY savvy you can quite easily make your own bed, and in this project you'll find out how to make a platform bed that offers storage and style at a very affordable price - in three-quarter, double or queen bed size. |
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I have had my Bosch Biscuit Joiner for quite some time, but only recently realised the true worth of this tool. At many DIY Divas workshops I have discussed ways of joining sections of timber or board together and based on the cost of the Bosch Biscuit Joiner, have looked at alternative ways that are more affordable - but not necessarily as easy. |
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This DIY project shows that making a DIY wingback headboard is not as difficult as you might think. This DIY wingback headboard is upholstered in a dark grey fabric and complemented by shades of yellow and grey accessories. Here's how to make a Queen-size wingback headboard. |
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Only recently I featured an article on using cut branches for making a coat hanger or rack, and today I stumbled upon this wonderful mirror framed with cut branches on that's my letter. By far the best framed mirror project that I have seen using cut branches of different sizes - and so affordable and easy to make your own. |
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I love making upholstered headboard. Having made quite a few upholstered headboards in different shapes and styles, and upholstered in different fabrics, I have realised that this is a good business opportunity for anyone wanting to change careers. There aren't many companies that make custom upholstered headboards... |
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Quite a few readers have asked me to feature this project on the website. This circular ottoman appeared in last month's issue of Home-Dzine Online, but here it is again for those of you who prefer to read via the Home-Dzine website. Making this circular ottoman wasn't difficult once I figured out the best way to make it and I will definitely be making more of the same. |
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When you need extra counter space or a rmobile server or bar cart, this kitchen cart is the perfect solution. It can be as sleek or as casual as you like, depending on your colour choices and finishes. While this cart is fitted with a butcher block, a more affordable option would be to fit a Formica Laminate countertop that you will find at your local Builders Warehouse. |
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In the latest issue of Home-Dzine Online I show you how to make an ottoman in different styles: A basic square upholstered ottoman and a circular ottoman. The ottoman design featured below is the easiest ottoman to make and you can easily assemble and upholster in a day. |
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Sarah at sarah m dorsey designs has been wanting to make an ottoman table. There are varied designs for this table on the Internet, but I do love the design that she has made. My suggestion is to spray the fabric with Scotch Guard (buy at Builders Warehouse) to prevent stains and keep the fabric looking good for longer. Or add a layer of upholstery plastic. |
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I have had a lot of compliments on the console table since making the project earlier this year for Easy DIY magazine. I think more than everything else it's the paint finish. The Rust-Oleum Ultra Cover 2X spray finish is gloss apple red, but the high-gloss shine looks like a lacquer finish and it what makes all the difference to this project. |
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Over at bower power, Katie and hubby Jeremy found that sleeping with their new born was not exactly a restful night. To solve the problem they decided to move their existing bed into the guest bedroom and make themselves a new bigger bed that would fit two moderately chunky Bowers and one pint sized redhead. |
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My dressing room and bathroom do not have a bathroom door, and while that's all fine and well if your hubby is always on his best behaviour, mine has the manners of a donkey! It's definitely time to fit a sliding door to hide his bathroom manners. |
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This basic pine bookshelf is ideal for storing your book collection, or for displaying collectibles and accessories. Pop into your local Builders Warehouse for the laminated pine you need for this project. You can buy laminated pine in lengths of 1,8m or 2,4m, in various widths. You will need a 300mm wide board for this bookcase. |
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This drop-down drinks cabinet is ideal for on the patio, in a sun room, or even mounted on a balcony. It allows you to keep glasses and accessories handy, and the drop-down shelf provides a serving space without taking up any valuable floor space. |
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Here's a gift you can make for the 'Man who has everything!' Make a DIY beer caddy and then fill it up with his favourite beer! The beer caddy features a vintage bottle opening on one side and you might be lucky to find one of these at your local secondhand or antique shops, or leave it off. |
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Our kiddies craft table is perfect for a playroom, or make it smaller to fit into a bedroom. We based the design for this table on our garden table, but modified the top to allow for paint pots to hold crayons, pens, pencils, paintbrushes, and even water for painting. |
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I find chalkboard menu boards very useful. You can hang them in the kitchen to remind you of groceries to buy, or what's for dinner, hang them in the laundry or home office, or make one for the kids to use. Grab a can of Rust-Oleum Chalkboard spray paint at your local Builders Warehouse and start spraying...! |
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We recently had a jam-packed weekend at DIY Divas, where everyone made a bedside cabinet. The workshop was such a success that I wanted to share the project with you. The bedside cabinet is made using PG Bison 16mm SupaWood with a pine top and it will cost around R800 for two units, which is extremely affordable if you think how much you would spend to buy a ready-made bedside cabinet. |
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Kids love sand and making a basic frame allows you to provide children with a clean, safe environment to play in. This sandpit frame is very light, making it easy to move around. Plus, the added shade cloth ensures your child stays out of the sun during play. |
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When looking to make your own cottage, country or shabby chic furniture and accessories, you are going to need some beadboard. But here in SA, finding beadboard is like hunting for lost treasure. If you own a Dremel Trio, making your own beadboard is quick and easy... |
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I completed a garden table project for Easy DIY magazine. Having been inspired by the guys at Far Out Flora, who used reclaimed timber for their garden table, I wanted a more formal design for the garden, not to mention that I seem to have run out of reclaimed timber for the time being! |
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Making your own DIY storage unit is a quick and easy project that will only cost around R500 for materials and accessories. You can buy laminated pine board at your local Builders Warehouse and have this cut to size, and they also stock a range of castor wheels. |
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Home-Dzine reader, Emily, has begged me to put my new SketchUp skills to use and show her how to make this vintage cabinet. Since I adore vintage style furniture, how could I resist. |
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A storage bed that incorporates storage drawers, or a pullout bed, is one way to save on space in a small bedroom or guest bedroom. Storage drawers can be used to pack away toys and accessories in a child's bedroom, or used to store bed linen and other items in a guest bedroom. Here's how to make a storage bed. |
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Matsutake transformed a table that was used and abused by a family of 5 for 12 years, and finally relegated to the garage. This project shows how dowels can be used to join together or add new sections to an existing piece, and dowel joints are extremely strong once glued together. |
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I am sure that you have seen these decorative mirrors on the Internet. They look gorgeous with the circular onlays. Buying one of these decorative mirrors can easily set you back over R100, but here's how to make your own decorative mirror on the cheap... |
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Shop around for a modular coffee table like this one in a furniture store and you could easily end up paying over R1000 each. Make it yourself and you'll spend around R600... for the set! |
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Making a 4-poster bed is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. If you consider that a 4-poster bed is simply a timber frame assembled with basic woodworking techniques and a few power tools. Here's how simple it is to make a 4-poster bed. |
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You can use any box to make a portable toybox. All you need are four castor wheels and some Rust-Oleum 2X spray paint and you have a portable toybox that can go anywhere! Designed by Erin Loechner at Design for Minikind. |
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This super easy project is one that anyone can do on the super cheap. I wanted some nice wall sconces for my guest bath downstairs. I looked high and low and couldn’t find anything I wanted and I couldn’t bring myself to spend on the overpriced ones that I did find. Using some scrap wood and small pebbles you can make your own decorative wall sconces. |
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In this project we show you how to use clean plastic bottles to make a storage caddy. This handy caddy can be used in a kitchen for storing mail, in a home office, in a craft or hobby room, or even in a child’s bedroom for corralling stationery supplies. |
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In Issue 6 of Easy DIY magazine I show you how easy it is to make your own picture frames using tongue and groove. These easy picture frames can be finished in a variety of ways to look stunning and professional, and you can hang them indoors or outdoors. |
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I think the idea of having a wall-mounted bedside table is great. It takes up less room than a free-standing bedside table, it's easier to clean the bedroom, and you can even use the space underneath for a storage basket if you need to. |
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with all the required PAR pine you can build this dining room set or patio set with a few basic tools. We used a pockethole jig for invisible joins and easy assembly. Have all the PAR pine cut to size in store at Builders Warehouse and you can build this dining set or patio set in a day! |
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Not only gorgeous to look at, building your own freestanding deck allows you to set up an entertainment area wherever you like, without having to spend money on plans and waiting months for approval. A basic timber deck like the one in this project, won't cost a fortune but will add to the value of your property. |
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A sawhorse is not only useful in the DIY workshop, they also come in very handy for tables and desks. You can use a sawhorse to assemble an instant garden table if you have an old door, or even a temporary place to set up your home office. Here's how to make a simple sawhorse. |
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I often get asked to make a DVD storage rack and have only now realised that I don't yet have one on Home-Dzine. There are many options for storing DVD's: from DVD cabinets, DVD shelves and DVD units, but this DVD storage rack is simple to make and won't cost a fortune. Plus, you can make it as large or small as you want. |
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Lap joints can be used to build up frames, interlock panels, create pictures frames and in so many other ways. They might not be as strong as dovetail joints, but allow more flexibility when designing decorative projects. |
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Using a wood chisel, backsaw and hammer you can easily make dovetail joints for frames and boxes. And we are going to show you how... |
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This easy wine rack is made using PG Bison SupaWood that is painted to give it a faux wood finish. The idea behind this project is to show that you can paint SupaWood for a wood-like finish. |
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I am still decorating the entrance to my home. Next to the door is a small alcove and I have been wanting to add shelves for ages. I have a small collection of African curios, and this seemed like the perfect place to add some shelves for display. |
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You’re used to seeing decorative shutters on the exteriors of houses, but we brought a pair of them indoors. They’re the perfect architectural detail for this seaside-inspired room. |
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I so have to try this rustic console table. Not only is it very easy to cut and assemble, it looks absolutely gorgeous. I can see this console table painted in ivory and distressed, or whitewashed for a seaside cottage or holiday home. |
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Over at Timber and Lace, Marci and hubby get creative with scrap timber and a hanging rail to make sliding barn doors to close off an alcove for Marci's craft room. |
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Find out how easy it is to replace a garden tabletop with a beautiful rustic piece of raw edged pine. |
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For those of you who haven't yet subscribed to Easy DIY magazine, or perhaps your local Builders Warehouse is always sold out of copies, here is the Bali Server that we made earlier this year.
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As far back as I can remember I have used cubes or boxes as the basis of design for hundreds of projects. From TV storage to storage bases for beds, boxes or cubes can be easily constructed and used in so many different ways.
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A few inexpensive lengths of pine moulding strips are all you need to make a high impact focal or feature wall in an entrance or room in a home.
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In the May issue of Home-Dzine Online we look at creating a vignette, or setting up an arrangement on a table or shelf. To tie in with this feature I decided to show you how to make a small decorative side table that you can use to create your first vignette.
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When my boyfriend and I moved in together we had a brand new king size mattress, but no base. Ideally we wanted a base with storage underneath for our extra linen and designed a base that would suit our needs.
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My dressing room and bathroom do not have a bathroom door, and while that’s all fine and well if your hubby is always on his best behaviour, mine has the manners of a donkey! It’s definitely time to fit a sliding door to hide his bathroom manners.
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Moulding and trim is an easy way to customise a shelf. And this handy shelf is the perfect solution for almost any room. It creates a storage surface and will upgrade your window’s style, too!
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What's nicer than relaxing in the afternoon on a gently swaying swing seat. I did say gently. vt vonen designed this gorgeous swing for indoor seating, but it would be perfect for outdoors on the patio.
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This cottage headboard is very simple to build - you can have all the pieces cut to size at your local Builders Warehouse - then the whole piece is painted white.
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Mom, dad, granny or grandad - This is a rocking crib and it only took a couple of hours to make and then paint. It's not a difficult design, but does look lovely once finished.
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Here's a great project where you can use any offcuts lying around or have some laminated pine shelving or meranti cut to size. |
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Put your favourite photos on display with these easy-to-make photo frames. Use 6 or 9mm plywood and clear acrylic or glass sheets to make each floating photo frame. |
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This stylish and unusual wine rack displays seven bottles of your favourite vintage without taking up too much counter space. |
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Dress up a hallway or entrance with a modern-look mirror and floating shelf. You can use PG Bison SupaWood, pine or plywood for this weekend project. |
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These shelves are very simple to make and can be jused for storage anywhere in the home. You can paint then any colour you want, to match your decor. |
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Love this project. The nice thing about this shelf is that you can easily hang in a rental home. Just use a couple of picture hanging nails to mount onto the wall. When you move out, fill in the holes with a bit of Polyfilla! |
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Dowel joints add strength to edge-to-edge joints. For this trestle shelving, the rails are attached to the legs using butt joints secured with dowels and wood glue. |
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Make this flip-up | flip-down table for a small townhouse or flat and simply flip-up the table when you don't need it. |
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This compact-sized, wall-mounted wrapping station keeps all of your ribbons, paper and accessories neatly organized. Build two identical pieces, one for paper and one for ribbons. |
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This lazy Susan is not only used for sauces and spices, it can also serve as a floral centrepiece.
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A sturdy, high-quality one can leave a hefty dent in your finances, but you can enhance a few stock kitchen base cabinets with moulding, furniture feet, and knobs to produce a handcrafted piece for a fraction of the cost of buying one ready-made.
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A loft bed has always been a popular furniture choice in children's bedrooms. There is plenty of room to play underneath, while the top part in our version is so imaginatively decorated that sweeter dreams are guaranteed! |
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My son actually made this project for the DIY Kids section, but having seen what is involved, I thought it would make a nice project for our DIY section - to make as a gift for a little boy, or for your son to play with during the coming holidays. |
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An upholstered ottoman is wonderful to have in a lounge or living area. They not only provide additional seating when required, but can also serve as an extra table if needed (with the addition of a glass top). These cubed ottomans are given a tufted and upholstered top. |
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You have probably seen projects that use board on board on board to build up a panelled look for walls. This project details how to use a few pieces of trim and moulding to create a panelled wall without all the fuss. |
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Trestles are easy to make as a DIY projects and great to have around the house. Use them as table support for indoors or outdoors, or use them in the workshop. |
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I think most kids spend the holidays saying "I'm bored" or "What can we do?" So, thanks to Skil and Sew Woodsy, you can now make a great game to keep the kids occupied during the school holidays! |
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This week's do-it-yourself project is an easy project that won't cost a fortune, requires basic power tools, and the end result in a modern coffee table that is perfect for your home. |
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Use off cuts to create a table lamp with a difference. Not something you would find on the shelf at your local home store, this is a unique piece that you can easily make in a morning. |
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Fancy saving yourself R8000 simply by making this coat tree stand yourself? |
"Launched in 2005, Home-Dzine was created to realise a dream; to express my love of home DIY and decor and share with other South Africans. As a non-commercial website I am free to express my own opinions and pass on valuable information to readers.
I feel that more people can benefit by being able to DIY home improvement and home repairs. And we're not talking about major DIY home repairs, but those that anyone with a bit of DIY savvy can do themselves."
