If you’ve always marveled at those DIY mavens who manage to make everything themselves, why not resolve to add a touch of homemade to your repertoire in 2012? Since every resolution needs helping hand, Earth911 dug up 12 crazy ways to go DIY in every room of your house this New Year. Self-sufficiency, here you come!

Project #2: Give that old, boring staircase a brand new look with custom newel posts that you can make yourself. Photo: Cassity/Remodelaholic

For the living room

1. Built-in shelving unit

If a lack of storage space is leaving your living room covered with clutter, think outside the “junk closet” and create a built-in shelving unit to banish the mess for good. Building shelves by hand may sound intimidating, but crafty couple Sherry and John Petersik make it look surprisingly easy.

In their blog, Young House Love, the Petersik’s chronicle their efforts to make an old home into something brand new for their growing family. By using waste wood from other remodeling projects, the handy newlyweds created a beautiful and functional built-in for less than $11, and it took way less time than you’d expect. Check out their detailed (and ultra-illustrated) tutorial to see how they did it.

2. Custom newel stair posts

Remodelaholic blogger Cassity and her husband Justin thought their stairway was looking a little dull. Rather than calling in the contractors, the DIY couple took to the project themselves – creating before-and-after photos that will shock you. Inspired yet? Head to their blog to find out how you can create your own newel stair posts, and give your living room and foyer an instant face-lift.

As you may expect, this project requires a pretty significant time commitment. But the couple’s detailed plans and step-by-step tutorial will help you get a result that’s well worth the effort.