Beazer's Garden Body, Bath & Home Journal

by DIYHacksAndHowTos I love how people can automate items and make them move as props for events.  This seems like such a cool project, but I wouldn't have foggiest idea of how to go about setting it up . If you are good with computer programming, have fun! Take pictures and share your creations. Interactive Halloween props are always fun and they are surprisingly easy to make. This year I designed a simple system that rotates a skull to face you and follows you movements as you walk by. To accomplish this I used light sensors to detect a person's shadow. An Arduino microcontroller then calculates where they are standing and activates a servo that turns the skull to face them. When they move, the skull turns to follows them. Step 1: Select a Halloween Prop to Use The first thing that you need to do is select a Halloween prop that will turn and follow people walking by. Look for props that are both creepy and light weight. I chose ...

Not everyone needs a garden shed.  But, if you’ve no more space on your garage wall for that new leaf rake, if you can’t find your potting trowel because it fell behind the kids’ bikes, and if your car has that forlorn, neglected look since the brand-new snowthrower moved in last fall, it’s time to face the undeniable truth—your outdoor tools need a home of their own. The design of your garden shed can take any form, from a simple lean-to to a large free-standing building. Ours occupies a modest 6 x 6 x 8-ft. area - enough for a variety of tools, but not so large that it dominates a backyard landscape. The straightforward design is easy to expand—up to about 8 x 12 ft.—to suit your storage needs. Before you begin work, contact your local building codes office and find out about necessary permits or other requirements for this type of building. Our shed uses standard framing techniques and materials. It’s sheathed with 1⁄2-in. C/D plywood and sided ...