What's better than DIY?!

I am always using Pinterest to save a bunch of crap that I will never do. I have good intentions, promise! It's about time I started doing this stuff. There are a bunch of sites that are basically nothing but DIY projects. Some examples are MakeUseOf, Makezine, Lifehacker, and Instructables. There are many more, but those four were the ones that I found to have more of the stuff I would be interested in. MakeUseOf is really shows you how to get the most out of certain products. I am going to kind of skip over it. However, I will be using it to help out with a few blogs that are coming! I have found quite a few things I would be interested in checking out, maybe eventually, I will find the motivation to do them.

Cornhole

Possibly my favorite thing to do during the summer is camping. However, I think it is more so the activities that take place during camping. I always take my cousins two kids with me when I go. They love being outside, fishing, playing, and basically running free. I would like to make them some cornhole boards. I think they would enjoy themselves playing. I meant to make them during the summer, but work got in the way. So right now it is put on the back burner.

Stripped Screw Nightmares

The struggle is real when it comes to screws stripping. They always tend to make things a lot more difficult than what they need to be. Lifehacker makes some suggestions to attempt to make it a little easier in this article. While it will never be a walk in the park there are a few tricks that might lighten the situation. One of them is using a wide rubber band. You simply just put the rubber band over the screw head, and grab a larger screw driver. It will help gain some traction.

Laser Scissors!

These sound like a complete blessing during the holidays for wrapping gifts. Especially if you have a mother like mine who is obsessive about the packages that go underneath her tree. While they make laser guided scissors already, they typically have either some crappy blades or are just weird. So why not make your own with scissors of your choice? Below is the video provided by Lifehacker!

The Holidays Are Here

Geek's Charlie Brown Tree

Why not find some purposes for some old junk that will never have any other purpose. I found this and found it pretty amusing. I typically put the regular christmas tree up in the living room, but I also like to have some other crafty things throughout the house. Why not be festive with some old memory? All you need is a piece of pipe, some wood, and some floral foam. Plus a few tools and other old computer equipment like HD platters and processor socket to decorate with. 

Christmas Village

Since I have been a kid, my mom has been collecting a "village" of figures. There are houses, churches, skating rings, a hot air balloon, and many more. She always puts them on the bookcases that separates the tv room and the living room. Either the bookcases are getting smaller, or her collection has gotten too large. I personally believe it is the latter. Instructables has a tutorial for creating a village. You essentially just have to build a platform, cover it with cotton or white felt, and place your decorations.

Online Photo Manipulation Tools

Photoshop Express Online

Photoshop Express Online is a good alternative for minor changes to a photo. Maybe if something needs to be brightened up a little bit, or a little editing. While it is nothing compared to the actual Photoshop program, it is a helpful tool to use. It includes a few of the same features that is also included in a Photoshop license. Such as the burn and dodge tool. The photo below on the left is the original photo that I found on Google. I used the burn tool to bring out the colors on the same photo to the right. As you can see the the grass sky is a brighter blue, and there is more detail in the leaves. If you only need a photo editing tool to make some minor changes, this is a great tool that is free, and you don't have to download anything. There is also no registration required.

PicMonkey

PicMonkey has some pretty cool features that are seasonal. This is the month of October, and there are all kinds of spooky things going on. PicMonkey allows you to make yourself into a zombie, vampire, demon and numerous other themes related to Halloween. As you can see to the right, I used PicMonkey to turn Bruce Wayne into a zombie. Among many other features that are unrelated to the time of year. This include things such as a blemish remover and teeth whitener. You can also add eye make up such as eye liner and eye shadow. There is even a weight loss tool. What more can you ask for?

There is a downfall to PicMonkey, all of its features are not free. Many of the really cool effects you must pay for. For a premium package it is either $4.99 a month or $33.00 for a year. Is it worth it?  I probably wouldn't by a subscription, but it does have some handy features to play with.

BeFunky

BeFunky is a cool website. To me it pretty much seemed like photo editing for dummies. There are many things that you can do. I choose to use the sample photo they offered it is to the left. It put me in mind of an old diner. I decided to give it a vintage look to make it look like an old photo. The second option in the photo edit that looks like a wand gives you an abundance of effects the choose from. I choose one from "Old Photo." I then choose a frame from the instant menu. Lastly I choose a texture, which is the last choose on the task bar, to make it look scratched up. and below was my results. I am impressed with what all was offered without evening have to sign up for an account.