[This is the original introduction page to the former Innovation DIY website 2020-2022, taken down in November 2022.]
Hello and welcome to Innovation DIY!
Hello and welcome! My name is Christina Engela, and I hail from Port Elizabeth, South Africa!
I have a wide variety of interests, crafts and hobbies – and I not only pursue them, I indulge them!
Not to brag (but since I’ve been asked to write this, it’s honesty time) I’ve always been artistic, creative and good with my hands. I love making things and producing simple solutions for difficult problems, or fixing things other people feel are past their abilities to repair or repurpose. That always felt like pulling off a magic trick to me!
I’m a writer first and foremost, but by vocation I’m a computer technician and IT instructor – and when it comes to things like woodwork, metalwork and refurbishing or revamping household items or décor, I’ve been a Jacqueline of all trades for pretty much all my life!
I feel that by doing these creative things myself, I’m expressing my creativity, artfulness, ingenuity and skill – so yes there’s an element of ‘showing off’ to it, I admit – but the most important reason to do it yourself is to save money. Why pay hundreds of rands for a simple wooden box for décor when you could make one just like it or better – and uniquely your own – for far less, or even, for nothing? Some things are simply either unavailable (like cardboard cat castles) or only available as expensive plastic or wooden kits imported from overseas!
Some spend thousands and thousands on buying décor items to impress visitors – but what impresses me is how they innovated a creative solution to a problem themselves, or decorated their home tastefully and purposefully with things they made that are uniquely theirs.
One of the biggest benefits to being able to do these things yourself is that you regain independence! You don’t need anyone else to hang a light or make a quick shelf – you can do it yourself!
It’s also challenging, and each successful project gives me a sense of accomplishment! If I need to do something, I research it or figure it out on my own, and do it – so that essentially means I’m self-taught! Let me show you what I’ve done – and inspire you to DIY too!
Thanks to the Weekend Post, readers in the Eastern Cape will also be able to read my articles in my column “DIY On A Dime” as of November 2020!
These are all projects I made myself at home, sometimes with a little help from my other half, Wendy! Hopefully they will serve to inspire you with ideas you can use yourself in your environment!
Comments welcome! 🙂
[Christina Engela and her wife Wendy K. (“Kay”) Engela live in Richmond Hill, Port Elizabeth with their three fur-children, Ash, Lily and Nyx.]
Below is a complete listing of Innovation DIY articles (reproduced in the Weekend Post as “DIY on a Dime”):
- Easy DIY #01: Suspended Monitor Rig
- Easy DIY #03: Wall-mounted Media Center Hard Drive Case
- Easy DIY #05: Revamp An Old Kitchen Cupboard
- Easy DIY #06: Power Tool Turntable
- Easy DIY #07: Wood Smoking Pipe
- Easy DIY #08: Tea Trolley
- Easy DIY #09: Hat Or Coat Rack Shelf
- Easy DIY #10: Raspberry Pi Cases – “The Bug”
- Easy DIY #11: Pull-Activated Ceiling Light
- Easy DIY #12: Folding Handles From Hinges
- Easy DIY #13: Guitar Wall Hook
- Easy DIY #15: Cat Bed For Gates & Windows
- Easy DIY #16: Corner Book Case
- Easy DIY #17: Projector & Playstation Wall Stand
- Easy DIY #18: Projector Screen
- Easy DIY #19: Catwalks
- Easy DIY #20: Rail Anvil
- Easy DIY #21: Custom PC Case
- Easy DIY #22: Restore An Old Radiogram
- Easy DIY #22: Mosquito Proof Screen-door
- Easy DIY #23: Cat Tent Bed
- Easy DIY #24: Kitchen Counter On Top Of Old Stove
- Easy DIY #25: Reuse An Old Mantlepiece Clock
- Easy DIY #26: Cardboard Cat Castle
- Easy DIY #27: Cupboard Under A Bench
- Easy DIY #28: Bath Side Table
- Easy DIY #29: Bathroom Shelf From Old Coffee Table
- Easy DIY #30: Jewelry Hangers, Coat Racks & Brush Hooks
- Easy DIY #31: Moneysaver – Clean & Reuse Your Spark Plugs
- Find Innovation DIY in the Weekly Weekend Post!
- Easy DIY #32: Window Shutters
- Easy DIY #33: Bric-a-brac Shelves
- Easy DIY #34: Make A Jig Or Circular Saw Cutting Stand
- Easy DIY #35: Fit LED Headlight Bulbs To An Older Car
- Easy DIY #36: Bench For Indoors Or Outdoors
- Easy DIY #37: Make A Backboard For Your Car
- Easy DIY #38: Make A Mini-Bar From An Old Cupboard
- Easy DIY #39: Painting Easel
- Easy DIY #40: Mini Tree Jewelry Stand
- Easy DIY #41: Electrify Old Candle Or Paraffin Lamp
- Easy DIY #42: Restore An Old Violin
- Easy DIY #43: Make A Toilet Roll Stand
- Easy DIY #44: Make A Wooden Chest Ottoman
- Easy DIY #45: Make A Door Partition
- About Innovation DIY
- Easy DIY #46: How To Change A Car Tire (For Those Who Don’t Know)
- Easy DIY #47: Revamp An Old Mirror Frame
- Easy DIY #48: From Curtain Rings To VW Headlight Springs
- Easy DIY #49: Make A Lectern
- Easy DIY #50: Wall-mounted Bedside Tables
- Easy DIY #51: Turn An Old Vinyl-top Kitchen Table Into A Wooden Kitchen Counter
- Easy DIY #52 Turn Pelmet Into A Display Shelf
- Easy DIY #53 Turn Your Cement Back Yard Into A Garden Paradise
- Easy DIY #54 Make A New Mat Set For Your VW Beetle
- Easy DIY #55 Relining An Old Wooden Box
- Easy DIY #56 Make An Elastic Gun
- Easy DIY #57 Make Wooden Coasters
- Easy DIY #58 Quick Coffee Table
- Easy DIY #59 Boost Your Bug’s Performance
- Easy DIY #60 Garden Shed, Cottage Partition & Door
- Easy DIY #61 Leather Toolbag For Your Bike
- Easy DIY #62 Forge A Knife From A Piece Of Steel
- Easy DIY #63 Make A Rainwater Barrel From An Old Bin
- Easy DIY #64 Make A Kitty Or Doggy Door
- Easy DIY #65 Hacks For Old Car Windshield Wipers
- Easy DIY #66 Turn Your Bicycle Into An Old-school Motorcycle
- Easy DIY #67 Wood Candlestick Stands
- Easy DIY #68 Renovate An Old Sewing Table
- Easy DIY #69 Decorative Miniature Viking Shields
- Easy DIY #70 Make A Center Console For Your VW Bug
- Easy DIY #71 Make A Viking Sword
- Easy DIY #72 Make A Dust-cover For Your Car
- Easy DIY #73 Make A Quaint Cupboard To Conceal A Breaker Panel
- Easy DIY #75 Replace A Toilet Cistern
- Easy DIY #76 Make A Support Breast Plate
- Easy DIY #77 Make A Wood Entrance Portico
- Easy DIY #78 Make Candle Sconces
- Easy DIY #80 Turn a coffee table into a bench
Cheers!
All material copyright © Christina Engela, 2021.
[This is the original introduction page to the former Innovation DIY website 2020-2022, taken down in November 2022.]
Hello and welcome to Innovation DIY!
Hello and welcome! My name is Christina Engela, and I hail from Port Elizabeth, South Africa!
I have a wide variety of interests, crafts and hobbies – and I not only pursue them, I indulge them!
Not to brag (but since I’ve been asked to write this, it’s honesty time) I’ve always been artistic, creative and good with my hands. I love making things and producing simple solutions for difficult problems, or fixing things other people feel are past their abilities to repair or repurpose. That always felt like pulling off a magic trick to me!
I’m a writer first and foremost, but by vocation I’m a computer technician and IT instructor – and when it comes to things like woodwork, metalwork and refurbishing or revamping household items or décor, I’ve been a Jacqueline of all trades for pretty much all my life!
I feel that by doing these creative things myself, I’m expressing my creativity, artfulness, ingenuity and skill – so yes there’s an element of ‘showing off’ to it, I admit – but the most important reason to do it yourself is to save money. Why pay hundreds of rands for a simple wooden box for décor when you could make one just like it or better – and uniquely your own – for far less, or even, for nothing? Some things are simply either unavailable (like cardboard cat castles) or only available as expensive plastic or wooden kits imported from overseas!
Some spend thousands and thousands on buying décor items to impress visitors – but what impresses me is how they innovated a creative solution to a problem themselves, or decorated their home tastefully and purposefully with things they made that are uniquely theirs.
One of the biggest benefits to being able to do these things yourself is that you regain independence! You don’t need anyone else to hang a light or make a quick shelf – you can do it yourself!
It’s also challenging, and each successful project gives me a sense of accomplishment! If I need to do something, I research it or figure it out on my own, and do it – so that essentially means I’m self-taught! Let me show you what I’ve done – and inspire you to DIY too!
Thanks to the Weekend Post, readers in the Eastern Cape will also be able to read my articles in my column “DIY On A Dime” as of November 2020!
These are all projects I made myself at home, sometimes with a little help from my other half, Wendy! Hopefully they will serve to inspire you with ideas you can use yourself in your environment!
Comments welcome! 🙂
[Christina Engela and her wife Wendy K. (“Kay”) Engela live in Richmond Hill, Port Elizabeth with their three fur-children, Ash, Lily and Nyx.]
Below is a complete listing of Innovation DIY articles (reproduced in the Weekend Post as “DIY on a Dime”):
- Easy DIY #01: Suspended Monitor Rig
- Easy DIY #03: Wall-mounted Media Center Hard Drive Case
- Easy DIY #05: Revamp An Old Kitchen Cupboard
- Easy DIY #06: Power Tool Turntable
- Easy DIY #07: Wood Smoking Pipe
- Easy DIY #08: Tea Trolley
- Easy DIY #09: Hat Or Coat Rack Shelf
- Easy DIY #10: Raspberry Pi Cases – “The Bug”
- Easy DIY #11: Pull-Activated Ceiling Light
- Easy DIY #12: Folding Handles From Hinges
- Easy DIY #13: Guitar Wall Hook
- Easy DIY #15: Cat Bed For Gates & Windows
- Easy DIY #16: Corner Book Case
- Easy DIY #17: Projector & Playstation Wall Stand
- Easy DIY #18: Projector Screen
- Easy DIY #19: Catwalks
- Easy DIY #20: Rail Anvil
- Easy DIY #21: Custom PC Case
- Easy DIY #22: Restore An Old Radiogram
- Easy DIY #22: Mosquito Proof Screen-door
- Easy DIY #23: Cat Tent Bed
- Easy DIY #24: Kitchen Counter On Top Of Old Stove
- Easy DIY #25: Reuse An Old Mantlepiece Clock
- Easy DIY #26: Cardboard Cat Castle
- Easy DIY #27: Cupboard Under A Bench
- Easy DIY #28: Bath Side Table
- Easy DIY #29: Bathroom Shelf From Old Coffee Table
- Easy DIY #30: Jewelry Hangers, Coat Racks & Brush Hooks
- Easy DIY #31: Moneysaver – Clean & Reuse Your Spark Plugs
- Find Innovation DIY in the Weekly Weekend Post!
- Easy DIY #32: Window Shutters
- Easy DIY #33: Bric-a-brac Shelves
- Easy DIY #34: Make A Jig Or Circular Saw Cutting Stand
- Easy DIY #35: Fit LED Headlight Bulbs To An Older Car
- Easy DIY #36: Bench For Indoors Or Outdoors
- Easy DIY #37: Make A Backboard For Your Car
- Easy DIY #38: Make A Mini-Bar From An Old Cupboard
- Easy DIY #39: Painting Easel
- Easy DIY #40: Mini Tree Jewelry Stand
- Easy DIY #41: Electrify Old Candle Or Paraffin Lamp
- Easy DIY #42: Restore An Old Violin
- Easy DIY #43: Make A Toilet Roll Stand
- Easy DIY #44: Make A Wooden Chest Ottoman
- Easy DIY #45: Make A Door Partition
- About Innovation DIY
- Easy DIY #46: How To Change A Car Tire (For Those Who Don’t Know)
- Easy DIY #47: Revamp An Old Mirror Frame
- Easy DIY #48: From Curtain Rings To VW Headlight Springs
- Easy DIY #49: Make A Lectern
- Easy DIY #50: Wall-mounted Bedside Tables
- Easy DIY #51: Turn An Old Vinyl-top Kitchen Table Into A Wooden Kitchen Counter
- Easy DIY #52 Turn Pelmet Into A Display Shelf
- Easy DIY #53 Turn Your Cement Back Yard Into A Garden Paradise
- Easy DIY #54 Make A New Mat Set For Your VW Beetle
- Easy DIY #55 Relining An Old Wooden Box
- Easy DIY #56 Make An Elastic Gun
- Easy DIY #57 Make Wooden Coasters
- Easy DIY #58 Quick Coffee Table
- Easy DIY #59 Boost Your Bug’s Performance
- Easy DIY #60 Garden Shed, Cottage Partition & Door
- Easy DIY #61 Leather Toolbag For Your Bike
- Easy DIY #62 Forge A Knife From A Piece Of Steel
- Easy DIY #63 Make A Rainwater Barrel From An Old Bin
- Easy DIY #64 Make A Kitty Or Doggy Door
- Easy DIY #65 Hacks For Old Car Windshield Wipers
- Easy DIY #66 Turn Your Bicycle Into An Old-school Motorcycle
- Easy DIY #67 Wood Candlestick Stands
- Easy DIY #68 Renovate An Old Sewing Table
- Easy DIY #69 Decorative Miniature Viking Shields
- Easy DIY #70 Make A Center Console For Your VW Bug
- Easy DIY #71 Make A Viking Sword
- Easy DIY #72 Make A Dust-cover For Your Car
- Easy DIY #73 Make A Quaint Cupboard To Conceal A Breaker Panel
- Easy DIY #75 Replace A Toilet Cistern
- Easy DIY #76 Make A Support Breast Plate
- Easy DIY #77 Make A Wood Entrance Portico
- Easy DIY #78 Make Candle Sconces
- Easy DIY #80 Turn a coffee table into a bench
Cheers!
All material copyright © Christina Engela, 2021.