15 Cheap and Easy DIY Projects for Your Backyard

With the sun shining, the grass green, and the flowers blooming, it's an ideal time to tackle a few of those outside DIY projects you've had on the back burner. If you need some inspiration for your garden or other outdoor space, there are plenty of ideas to choose from.

Wipe down a pallet and paint the slats alternating red and white -- with the top three slats blue on the left side. Once it dries, stencil white stars over the blue. Use a clear enamel to seal it up, and it will last years leaning against the house or a nearby tree.

Have a boring cement square patio? Brighten it up with some latex floor paint.

If you've got bricks instead of cement, use latex floor paint to make a colorful checkered pattern. Alternatively, use the paint to stencil words on several bricks to make a playful decoration.

If you planted a garden this year, find medium- to large-size rocks and paint them in bright colors, stenciling the name of a plant on a rock to keep straight what's been planted where.

Spray paint outdoor furniture bright new colors or paint it all white to make outdoor space more inviting.

Use lattice to surround and hide an air conditioning unit, electrical box, or even trash can storage -- two to three cheap pieces of lattice should do the trick -- or make a covering with pieces of wood or pallets. Just make sure to give the equipment enough room for proper air flow.

A raised garden bed helps with weeding, keep pests out, ensures purer soil, and gives the bed better drainage -- all of which equals more bounty. Build one for less than $35 with directions from Queen Bee Coupons.

There are tons of ways to add outdoor lighting, including clamping solar lights to fence posts or hanging them from basket hooks.

Cut out a star or other shape from a large piece of cardboard or paper and use spray paint to stencil your lawn. The paint will wash away with rain.

Instead of tossing out broken flowerpots, create a fairy garden with them. Just add soil, arrange the broken pieces, and add succulents or other plants.

Take an old skateboard, loop a rope around each end (inside the wheels) and hang it from a sturdy branch to make a swing.

Don't get rid of that old rusty wagon or wheelbarrow. Instead, fill the bed with soil and plant flowers for a pretty yard display.

Secure two pallets together standing up, then secure stone slabs on top to make a bar surface.

Gather four cinder blocks and two slabs of plywood, painting the cinder blocks one color and the plywood another. Sit two blocks upright and lay one piece of plywood over them, then repeat above to make a second shelf. Decorate with potted plants.

Take an old dining room chandelier -- maybe one from a thrift store -- and repurpose it into a bird feeder by simply filling the light holders with birdseed and using the chain to hang it from the nearest branch.