More MIY Projects

I love making things. I get such joy when I see the finished product and think, "I made that myself!"

If you're a DIY kind of person, here are some MIY (Make It Yourself!) projects for you to try this summer!

Deodorant 

This was my most exciting discovery from this year! As soon as my store-bought deodorant ran out, I pulled out a recipe I had been saving. A little mixing and voila! homemade deodorant! What is amazing is that when you first mix it, the concoction looks liquidy and nothing like solid deodorant. The first time I made this, I put the mixture in a a little jar to see what would happen. The liquid solidified after a day! Then I tried making some in my old plastic deodorant container: just twisted the push-up part all the way down again and spooned in the "soupy" deodorant, and the next day, I came back to perfect stick deodorant! 

Here is the recipe:

1) Mix together 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup baking soda. 

2) Add 2 tablespoons liquified coconut oil and mix. (You can put the coconut oil in the microwave for a few seconds to melt it.)

3) Spoon into your container of choice and allow to firm up.

Facial Scrub

I also started making my own facial scrub! It's fine enough to use on my face, but I also use it on my body. If you prefer less graininess, use less sugar. If you want more graininess, you can add more sugar, or use regular sugar (for a body scrub only... regular sugar is too rough for your face). I keep the scrub in a small jar identical to my deodorant jar.

Mix together:

1/2 tablespoon coconut oil

1/2 tablespoon olive oil (or more coconut oil)

2 tablespoons of baker's sugar (superfine sugar)

Fingerless Gloves 

Are you cleaning out winter clothes and discovering some old sweaters that you need to throw out? Cut the sleeves off and make fingerless gloves! 

1) Take two pieces of an old sweater, fit them around your hand. If you are using the end of two sleeves, they may fit perfectly! If they are too big (or you are using two rectangular pieces), you will need to sew them first. 

2) Fold over the cut edges and hem. In the pair I made, I only had to hem the top. 

3) Add a few stitches between the thumb and finger, and you're done! 

(In this picture, you can see the stitch I made between the thumb and finger. It's bright blue.)

Little Pumpkins

You can also use old sweaters to make these adorable pumpkins! The instructions can be found on my friend Kim's blog: Kim Chew Cooks and Crafts

Laminated Book Marks

Another simple project is to make book marks, using heavy packing tape to "laminate" them.

1) Create your design on a piece of cardstock. 

2) Cut a piece of heavy packing tape that is longer than your bookmark. 

3) Carefully lay the tape down, sticky side up. Center your bookmark over the tape and lay it on the tape.

4) Cut another piece of packing tape to match the first. Carefully lay it down, sticky side down, over your bookmark (sandwiching your bookmark between the two pieces of tape.)

5) Smooth down to press out any air bubbles.

Homemade Playdough

This recipe is from my friend Rebecca, and it's such a good one that I shared it in my new book (yes, there are recipes!) It's a fun "cooking" project to do with your kids! (That's my daughter's hand in the picture... she saw me "playing" with her play dough and couldn't help herself!)

1) In a large pot, mix together 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, and 2 tablespoons cream of tartar.

2) Add 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons oil. At this point, you can add a few drops of food coloring, if you want only one color of play dough.

3) Cook on medium-low heat until a ball magically forms!

4) Knead on floured surface (add little bits of flour if it's sticky.) If you haven't already added the food coloring, you can divide your dough up into separate balls and add your food coloring to the balls. Knead to mix. (Your hands will get some color of them!)

5) Store in an air-tight bag or container in the refrigerator.

My next MIY project is taking a set of white cotton napkins and tie-dying them with my kids! I'll let you know how they turn out!

(For more MIY projects, check out my older posts: Make It Yourself! and Craft Ideas for Busy Moms)