5 Incredibly Clever DIYs That You'll Actually Want To Try

Fancy up your life with very little effort.

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1. Trace out the design or phrase you want on top of a homemade cake with a toothpick first, then write over that with icing.

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It gives you a little template, and you can easily "erase" any mistakes by smoothing the icing back out. Then, to make it even easier, fill out the text with small stars instead of trying to write out the letters like you would with a pen.

Here's the tutorial. And check out 28 other ways to easily decorate a cake here.

2. Add some sparkle to a transparent phone case by attaching a piece of glitter vinyl.

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You can buy a 5-pack of glitter vinyl sheets (that will make lots of phone cases, or that you can use for other projects) for $20.49 here. Make sure your piece of vinyl is a little larger than your phone case, both vertically and horizontally. Then slowly apply the sheet from left to right, making sure you tuck in the edges neatly, and smooth out any air bubbles.

Here’s the tutorial.

3. Hot-glue a few yards of colorful fringe to your beach or patio umbrella to easily refresh it.

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It's ~like~ you bought a new one, but you didn't actually have to spend more than a few dollars (you can get chainette fringe for about $1.50/yard here). Don't rush this project: Make sure the glue dries in each section so the fringe doesn't fall as you go along. You could also use the same technique to add coordinating fringe to your outdoor pillows or throws.

Here's the tutorial.

4. Turn an empty, well-washed milk jug into a reuseable sandwich container.

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This is a classic case of "measure twice, cut once," although you can just get another milk jug if you mess it up too terribly. To make it easy to thread in your button and buttonhole, poke holes in the plastic first, then attach your materials.

Here's the tutorial.

5. Stencil your house number or family monogram onto an inexpensive doormat using a large permanent marker.

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Picking a mat with a straight line on it already is super helpful, so you know your individual stencils will be correctly aligned. If you want to stencil on a plain mat, though, just use a long strip of masking tape to make sure they're all in one line — or simply tape them down until you're done coloring them in.

Also, make sure you use a large enough permanent marker, so you're not spending hours trying to color with a fine tip. You can get a similar pen for $4.19 here.

Here's the full tutorial.