You see pretty patterns in the magazines and think, How hard can it be to make a Calder mobile for my nephew’s crib?

Then you start scoring the felt and realize, Oh, my.

Do-it-yourself too often devolves into whoa-I’m-a-klutz. The instructions seem so easy. Why can’t they warn you that looks are deceiving before you end up waist-deep in papier-mache?

Clever English girls get their creative guidance from Thriftdeluxe.com, a DIY site full of easy and cheap ideas that one can actually, well, execute. Projects are super stylish (milk-carton gift-wrapping boxes, Coca-Cola vases, vinyl-record bowls) and bound to inspire even the uncoordinated. Transform a humble cheese grater into a sleek conversation-piece lamp? Easy peasy.

Especially when the instructions remind you to drink the soda before you fill it with paint.

For more information, go to thriftdeluxe.com.