This step-by-step guide from DIY web site Instructables is far from difficult—all it requires is a few household tools, along with some thin pieces of wood and, of course, a stylish bistro tray. Plus, not only can you use the extra space to store flash drives, power cords, or other miscellaneous computer items below the laptop, but you can also still use the tray to carry drinks and such when it's not holding your laptop—and where once the tray was stylish but prone to spillage, it is now a spill-free multitasker.

We had a tough time finding the exact tray used in the post, but it looks to be this one from CB2. IKEA has similar trays that could work, though, if you're looking for something a bit different. If you find one that you like, feel free to share in the comments.

Create Your Own Sun Jar: Lifehacker Edition

Inspired by a tutorial we posted last year, we decided to make our own DIY sun jars. The trendy summer time lighting accessory retails for $30+ but we were able to make ours for around $10 each. The sun jars proved to be our most popular non-computer DIY of the entire year and readers shared their own creations with us.

The First-Timer's Guide to Building a Computer from Scratch

Building your own computer is a great way to get exactly what you want, the way you want it, without being constrained by the limits and high-prices of mass produced computers. We showed you how to build a computer from start to finish and have fun doing it.

Turn a Sharpie into a Liquid Fueled Rocket

What's standing between you and some office mayhem? Certainly not a lack of Sharpie markers and keyboard dusting spray. Combine the two with this fun DIY project and you've got one of the most awesome pieces of office-machinery we've ever featured.

Properly Erase Your Physical Media

You need to be properly erasing your physical media: all the time, every time. Our guide will show you how to get the job done and done right whether you use software to scrub your disks or you send them to the great data mine in the sky with a 21-gun salute.

Turn an Old Laptop into a Wall-Mounted Computer

Why settle for a digital picture frame when, in the same wall space, you could mount an entirely functional computer/slideshow player/TV tuner? One Lifehacker reader turned an old laptop into a super-charged digital frame.

$8 DIY Aluminum Laptop Stand

We've always been keen on DIY laptop stands, but reader Aaron Kravitz—inspired by an attractive $50 stand—went above and beyond, creating one of the most attractive DIY laptop stands we've featured to date.

Build an IKEA NAS On the Cheap

If the Hive Five on best home server software got you excited about setting up a home server but you're not keen on another unsightly PC in your home, check out this DIY IKEA NAS.

Build a DIY Portable Air Conditioner

We've shown you how to make an air conditioner (even for as low as $30), but what if you wanted something you can put in your car and take with you? While it's no substitute for a fully-charged and factory-fresh AC system, it'll keep you cool.

Turn a Bookshelf into a Secret Passage

Who hasn't dreamed of having a mystery-story-style secret passageway? While a trick bookshelf is pretty awesome in itself, this secret passage hides a home office with clever style. One industrious Lifehacker reader and his girlfriend had grown tired of seeing their office from their living space, so they hid it behind a wall of books.

Wire Your House with Ethernet Cable

You've ripped a movie on your laptop, and now want it on that fancy new home theater PC next to your TV. If you've got the time, wiring your house with Cat-5e cable could make transfer times a distant memory.

Rain Gutters as Cable Management Tools

We're all about creative cable management here at Lifehacker, so we were instantly drawn to reader Seandavid010's rain-gutter cable management setup. He was awesome enough to send detailed photos and step by step instructions to help other readers recreate his setup.

Build Your Own DTV Antenna

The lights went out on analog television this year and we were there with a guide to help you build a great DIY antenna for boosting your reception and getting that crisp digital picture you crave.

DIY Laptop Rack Hack Turns Your Monitor into an iMac

Lifehacker reader Matt Lumpkin saw our monitor stand from door stoppers post and thought we might like his laptop rack hack as another space-saving desktop solution for laptop-lovers. He was right.

Build Your Own Pizza Oven

Suppose you were inspired by the cheap DIY home pizza oven—but weren't so sure your home insurance would cover oven modifications. It's time to build a safer, more eye-pleasing oven, and we've got a thorough guide.

Crack a Master Combination Padlock Redux

Two years ago we highlighted how to crack a Master combination padlock for those of you who may have lost the combination to your bulletproof lock; now designer Mark Campos has turned the tried-and-true instructions into an easier-to-follow visual guide.

DIY Invisible Floating Bookshelves

We've covered the invisible floating bookshelf once or twice before, but if you liked the idea but weren't keen on ruining a book in the process, weblog May December Home's got you covered.

DIY Inverted Bookshelf

Instead of storing your books upright on top of the shelf, the inverted bookshelf holds all of your books in place using elastic webbing so you can hang them below the shelf—all the while allowing you to still take them out and put them back on as needed.

Build an Under-the-Cabinet Kitchen PC from an Old Laptop

Inspired by our guide to giving an old laptop new life with cheap or free projects, Lifehacker reader Brian turned his aging Dell laptop into an incredible under-the-cabinet kitchen PC.

Turn Storage Containers into Self Watering Tomato Planters

If you'd like to have delicious home-grown tomatoes but lack a garden to grow them in, you'll definitely want to check out this ingenious and inexpensive self-watering system.

Deter Thieves by Uglifying Your Camera

A few years ago, blogger Jimmie Rodgers's camera was stolen while volunteering in an impoverished Brazilian community, so he did what any sane person would do: He bought a new camera and made it ugly. With his uglified camera, Rodgers was able to snap pictures freely during the rest of his trip without worrying too much that his ostensibly crappy camera would end up stolen.

DIY TV or Monitor Stand from Door Stoppers

Nothing adds space to a desk or home theater setup like a simple monitor or TV stand, and weblog IKEA Hacker details how to build your own stand on-the-cheap with a few inexpensive items from IKEA.

Repurpose Your Analog Television

You don't need to run out and buy a new TV because of the DTV switchover. If you did anyways, Make Magazine has put together quite a guide to giving old TVs new life.

Use Ping-Pong Balls to Create Diffused Party Lights

If you need some cheap and novel ambient lighting for your next party, you're only a box of ping-pong balls and a string of lights away from solving your lighting worries.

Build a Custom-Made BoxeeBox

DeviceGuru blogger Rick Lehrbaum, inspired by the cheaper set-top boxes, made his own higher-powered "BoxeeBox" for the free, open-source media center. He posted all the parts, the how-to details, and lots of pictures.

Build a Sturdy Cardboard Laptop Stand

You already shelled out your hard earned cash for a swanky laptop, why drop more cash on an overpriced laptop stand? Cardboard alone can do the trick, as detailed in this step-by-step tutorial.

Install Snow Leopard on Your Hackintosh PC, No Hacking Required

Earlier this year we put together a wildly popular guide to building a Hackintosh with Snow Leopard, start to finish, and then followed it up with an even easier guide to install Snow Leopard on your Hackintosh PC, no hacking required. Computers + DIY is all sorts of geeky fun waiting to happen.

Have a favorite DIY from 2009 that wasn't highlighted here? Sound off in the comments with a link to your favorite project. Want to see more popular DIY guides courtesy of the ghost of Lifehacker past? Check out our huge DIY guide roundup from 2008.

The Price

$80 on pre-order now.

The Verdict

I like it both more and less than I expected to.

On one hand, AViiQ's portable laptop stand matches my MacBook while angling my keyboard at a truly perfect 12 degrees. And it folds, with relative ease, down to an absurdly thin, near-weightless strip of aluminum that can squeeze into any bag, I'm certain.
On the other, the stand feels cheaper than I'd expect for its $80 price. Sure, we're talking about aluminum, but more like flimsy, pop can aluminum than unibody Mac aluminum. And it folds through a plastic connective tissue that loosens over time but never feels 100% in terms of general structural integrity.

For $20, the investment would be a no-brainer. For $80...well, it's a bit more complicated. Do what you will depending on your particular socioeconomic status.

Super light

Crazy-thin

Excellent ergonomics

I can't help but worry about long-term durability

$80

UPDATE: This, from AViiQ:

"The product IS very light so it may seem less substantial, but in this case, it's a purposeful part of the design to make the product ultralight for easy travel. Alcan, the developer of Hylite, says that the hinges can be folded more than 5000 times without any wear. As for the price tag, like titanium or carbon fiber, lightweight often equals more expensive and Hylite certainly adheres to that truth. We tried making it out of a material that was lightweight and inexpensive, but feathers just don't have the structural strength we required (not to mention the sneezing it caused in the studio)."

The N100 probably won't surprise anyone—it's a more or less run-of-the-mill laptop cooling pad, powered by a single USB plug and avowing everything that such accessories do: silence! longevity! minimal impact on battery life! Really, the N100 is notable not for what it does, but because it's a reasonably-priced ($30) unit from a reputable company in an arena dominated by overpriced, heavy do-it-all units and shitty, off-brand Office Depot specials.

Logitech's second launch for the day is a laptop stand, but there's not much to say about it that isn't evident in the picture. There are three tilt settings for propping your laptop up, and the unit folds flat for easy transport. The price is also $30, which, for its pedestrian styling and lack of any kind of electronics, is a little harder to stomach than for the N100. Both units fit most netbooks or laptops up to 15.4", and will be available soon: the N100 this month, and the N110 in May. [Logitech]

The Price: $45

The Verdict: We've been fans of Kangaroom's organizational kits for a while now, and this bamboo laptop stand continues their tradition of quality organizational products with a gadgety tint. In this case, this product design combines four good concepts into one useful device.

• Laptop stands = useful
• Things made out of bamboo = fun for eco-fetishists and pandas
• Gadget charger dock = good times for gadget-heads
• Ventilated middle = keeps your laptop cool

And all of those features in a sturdily constructed shape means we'd gladly pay the $45 for one of these. It even feels nice when you take it off a desk and put it on your lap, giving a nice bamboo barrier between a hot laptop and your fleshy (uncharred) thighs.

[Kangaroom]

A flaked-out little man, legs akimbo (above right.) cRadia, who showed this off at Computex, is touting the Flex Mini as the smallest portable cooler ever. Let's hope they start exporting it as soon as is humanely possible. Less penis burn (or whatever the female equivalent is—minge singe? Apologies.) can only be a good thing. [cRadia via Aving USA]

Mike and Maaike are listening. Their colorful, soft laptop stands are perfect for home use, easily switching between desk angles and lounging-on-the-couch angles. Belkin is putting out their new line, and you can grab them in a variety of colors for $35 to $50 now. –Adam Frucci

Product Page [via Josh Spear]