For our first Maker video, I'd like to introduce an old friend, John Gleeson Connolly, who has a long resume, but needs no introduction. He speaks for himself and represents just the type of masterful, imaginative, skillful folk that we will be featuring in our new weekly videos. He will be bringing us highlights such as How to Make a Pirate Key, How to Make a Cypher Wheel, and How to Make a Mosaic Table. Check back on Wednesday as he teaches us How to Make a Hammered Light. More of his work can be seen here!

DIY furniture just got easier. The Tick universal leg system by Jakob Schenk is a bent metal wire structure that can be easily attached to any material of your choosing to turn it into a unique eco and budget friendly piece of furniture.

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As summer approaches, we're dreaming about lazy days out in the yard, and there's nothing quite like having your own swing to entertain the kids. So when we saw this brilliant upcycled 5 gallon bucket turned into a toddler swing, we knew we had to share. More

You may have seen this Seventh Generation cardboard detergent bottle in your local grocery store aisle and thought 'good idea.' However, the ingenious cardboard vessel does more than meets the eye — it streamlines the path from recyclable good to consumer product. We look at just how efficient this new bottle is, and where else you can expect to see it. More

Name: Lynne
Location: Rural countryside outside of Durham, Ontario, Canada

We are a family of 6, living in the countryside 2 hours northwest of Toronto. I am an interior designer and I love to travel. Most of my designs are inspired by travel and by the use of organic, natural elements. Two years ago, a friend of ours lost their barn to a tornado. The barn was beyond repair. Rather than see it burned, we bought the barn boards, beams and tin roof — and hired the local Amish to help us to transfer the barn to our property. More

Ex Libris Journals is an Etsy shop that turns old, rescued books into new prints and journals. I came across the shop while catching up on my blog reading, and the first print made smile. (I can relate.) There are many to choose from, and for the DIYers out there, the prints would be easy to recreate with your own quote. More

Anthropologie's Ordinal Dresser is one popular piece of furniture — so much that this is the second dresser makeover we've seen based off of it. The first one was a low, six-drawer version, but this one will have you thinking twice about which dresser is the original, and which is the knock-off. It's hard to believe, but the above dresser was made to look nearly identical to the Ordinal, all for only $30! More

We're big fans over here of clearing out your DVD clutter and geting rid of DVD cases. So we were inspired when we saw this project that actually upcycles those cases into something useful. And cute! More

I spent this past weekend in Houston, reveling in some of the city's more artistic sites. I meandered around The Menil Collection and its surrounding campus, taking in its fantastic contemporary art collection and enjoying the beautiful grounds. I took a restful stroll through the beautifully manicured Bayou Bend, reveling in the lushness and serenity there. But if I had to pick one place in Houston that was my favorite, it would certainly be The Beer Can House.
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While you may think some of your stuff has hit the end its life cyle, or is only good for one thing, much of it could be leading a double life in your garden! Before you give them the heave-ho, check out Real Simple's great list of 46 new uses for old things in the garden — here are our 10 favorite ideas. More