I’ve been making this homemade chapstick for years, and I LOVE it! It’s natural, smooth, easy to make, and affordable. AND you get to reuse chapstick containers!
There are many, many recipes for homemade chapsticks online if you start searching. You can easily reuse a chapstick container you’ve already used, or you can buy empty ones. I’ve purchased them at Natural Grocers in the past, but once you have some, they’re great to reuse. I usually like to put a label on them with the date I made them, just so I know. I don’t make too many at once, since it doesn’t have the same preservative chemicals that store-bought ones have.
This recipe makes four tubes, but you can easily double it, halve it, etc. I also love that you could make these as gifts, especially if you just need something small for a bunch of people. Or, you could create a gift basket with homemade body scrub, homemade lotion, etc. and include this as part of a bundle of gifts.
I’ve searched and searched the Internet to give a link and credit to this recipe, as I really dislike sharing recipes that aren’t mine. But the only credit I found when I wrote this down years and years ago was Yahoo.com, which is no help, and I cannot find this anywhere. I’ll post this modified version here with huge apologies to whoever wrote the original. But, as I said there are many other recipes out there.
The beeswax takes a bit of patience when it’s melting, and cleanup can be a bit greasy, but it’s really super simple to make these. I find beeswax at Natural Grocers or local Farmer’s markets, but it seems beeswax is much easier to find than it once was.
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Modified recipe:
Orange Lip Balm
Melt together:
8 tsp. sunflower oil or almond oil
2 tsp. (.3 oz or so) or beeswax
Remove from heat. Then add:
1 tsp honey
6 drops orange essential oil (or your choice)
Stir well. Pour while still liquid into 4 chapstick containers
(If you don’t have chapstick container, you can pour into a small container such as an Altoid tin and use as a balm.)
I fell in love with some of the beautiful bubble wands I saw online recently, and I was surprised to find they were so simple to make. Obviously, support local and independent artists when you can, but if you’re not in a position to or you’re feeling crafty, here’s an idea for making your own.
I love any time I can make gifts of my own. In a world of overconsumption, excess packaging, and one-click gifts, I think it’s special to be able to give somebody something unique and homemade. This would also be a great project to do with kids. Depending on ages, they may need varying levels of help, but they can at least choose beads and thread them. We have long been fans of making our own bubble solution, mainly for avoiding those plastic bottles. Try upcycling an old glass jar and making a batch for yourself! A bottle of solution (or at least a recipe card) would be great to include with a bubble wand you are gifting.
In an attempt to learn how to make the 60-second “shorts” on YouTube, I tried to squeeze this one into a quick video. Here are some more details:
Materials:
—wire (Sadly, the wire I used did not list the gauge. I think I picked it up at a yard sale years ago. My guess is 20 or 21 gauge, since I do have a 19 gauge wire that is labeled and is too thick for me to do the twisted effect.)
—beads (Obviously, these need to have holes for threading. We loved having the excuse to visit our local bead shop. (Look for one in your area-you’d be surprised where these are tucked in!). Some beads were a super snug fit, but I also didn’t want them to be too loose. You may want to bring along a sample of your wire to check. Just remember to double it over first if that’s your plan.)
—pliers/wire cutters (The wire only needs to be cut once. Mostly I need small jewelry-type pliers to twist and shape the wire.)
Instructions (or, at least how I made mine):
–Measure 10″ of wire and then DOUBLE it over on itself.
–Cut 20″ of wire total.
–Twist the doubled-over wire for its entire length.
–Use small pliers to form a spiral-like loop on the doubled-over end. This will be the base of the wand.
–Start threading beads! Thread about 10 beads, depending on preference and the size of the beads.
–Leave enough wire to form the bubble-blowing circle loop at the top.
–Leave a small bit of excess wire and use the pliers to twist it around the base of the loop.
–Squeeze the wire to tuck in any pointy bits.
–Adjust and bend as desired to create the wand shape you’d like.
–Enjoy!
TIP: Wipe down the wand after use to prolong the life of the wire.
I hope this post can provide some inspiration for making your own bubble wands!
Bubble wands make great gifts for any time, but here are some ideas:
–A child’s birthday (especially those old enough to blow bubbles and not consume the bubble solution)
–An adult’s birthday, because adults deserve fun bubble-blowing time too!
–Before a trip to the beach
–An alternative activity on 4th of July
–Wedding favors or to use as a send-off
–In memory of a loved one – bubbles can be a way for everyone (including children) to take some slow breaths and meditate on a loved one who has passed
Love this simple idea! Even though it’s reusing a very small bit of paper, it can be a wonderful visual reminder of the beauty of reusing. These can also be a unique, homemade gift that’s easy to customize for your recipient. Whether you’re decorating your own home or gifting this to someone else, I hope you enjoy this project!
Heating up my corn bags at night is one of my favorite parts of the day.I get a touch of sadness when the weather becomes too warm to rationalize my corn bag.
Corn bags or heating pads, or whatever you want to call them, are these lovely filled bags which can be heated in the microwave and used for achey bodies or just for coziness and warmth.
What I love about this project is that it’s a really great way for novice sewers to practice sewing.
Here’s the basic idea:
–Cut a piece of 100% cotton fabric into the size you want.
This is another part I love about this project.It’s a GREAT way to reuse fabric.I’ve heard of people using cloth napkins they found at thrift shops, knee-high socks, bits from clothing that may have been holey or stained in parts and unable to go to a donation store.Just make sure your fabric is 100% cotton and doesn’t have any gold-type threads or glitter on it, since it will be going in the microwave.
–Cut your fabric to the size you want.
Since I’m a self-taught sewer, I really don’t deal in preciseness and measurement the same way others might.So, if you’re feeling you need that, check out some online tutorials on this topic.Regardless, the first step would be to decide if you want a heating bag to go around your neck or on your back or by your feet at night.Play around with what size will work best for you.My daughter and I recently sewed these bitty corn bags for her to use at night.
–With the fabric right sides together, you will sew all but one side.Be sure to back stitch at the beginning and the end.I always like to sew around the border twice, just to be sure that the corn doesn’t have a chance of escape.
–I usually like to wash my fabric at this point, if I haven’t already, just to be sure it’s clean.
–Next, once your fabric is right sides out again, you will fill the bag with your choice of filling.
Some people like to use rice.I’ve always used something called feed corn.I find this at a local feed store for ridiculously cheap.You could probably also find it a tractor type store.I personally can’t stand supporting Amazon or Walmart, so I always look for something local.Sometimes the corn needs to be picked through I’ve heard, if there are hay bits, etc.But the $4, 10 pound bag I get is always very clean.The one piece of advice I will strongly encourage though, if you are using feed corn, is, please microwave it right away.Not in its packaging, of course.But portion out a bit of it at a time in a microwavable bowl that you’ll clean and heat it up for at least a couple minutes.Do this before storing the corn with your craft supplies.Let it cool, and then proceed.Without this step, you may notice small, mysterious bugs by your bag of feed corn a few months down the road.Once you’ve heated it once though, this won’t happen, so don’t freak out.
–Fill your bag with the amount of feed corn (not unpopped popcorn, please!) or rice that feels right.
At one point, I used to use a funnel for this, but I often found that for me at least, this sometimes made it tougher than just pouring the corn in using a measuring cup or scoop.I do still like to do this over a baking tray or big bowl, so I don’t have run away feed corn everywhere.
–Fold the top closed and sew.Again, I like to sew it twice to ensure nothing will be able to escape.
Once you’ve got the corn and made this even once, the process is ridiculously simple.These are fun to make, so great to use (even those non-microwave people often make an exception for these), and they can make great, simple gifts.
If you’re gifting it to someone, you might want to heat it up once to test it before you gift it.It might be a good idea to make a tag with a label so the recipient knows what it’s for and approximately how long to heat it.Depending on the size of your heating bag and the effectiveness of your microwave and how hot you would like the corn bag, this could range from 1 to 2 minutes usually.If the bag is especially small or for a child, I would start with 30 seconds.
Once in awhile, I feel my corn bags need a wash.If that happens, I cut the edge, empty the corn into a bowl temporarily, shake out the bits of flaky corn pieces, run it with my wash, make sure it’s completely dry, put the corn back in, sew the end closed again.
Here’s a quick recap:
—100% cotton fabric (try to find material that can be reused)
—Cut to desired size
—With right sides together, sew three sides
—Turn right side out
—Fill with feed corn or rice(Heat that feed corn as soon as you get it!)
I’m a big fan of finding alternative ways to wrap gifts. Wrapping paper must go through a lot of manufacturing and transportation to get to us, only to be thrown away in a matter of seconds. And even for those who want to recycle their mounds of wrapping paper, the sad news is that many papers contain gold bits or glitter that make them impossible to recycle.
I love using fabric wrap, but if you don’t prefer that option, wrapping gifts can be super simple by reimagining your old magazines!
MAGAZINES!
Step 1: Reduce
(I say magazines here, but I think of these interchangeably with catalogs, at least for the purpose of gift wrap.)
To reduce magazines, consider whether you’re reading them regularly. Can you share with a friend or family member? Can you read the magazine at a library? Can you read it online instead?
To reduce catalogs, consider whether you need a catalog to view the shop items. Could you look online instead? Getting on catalog mailing lists seems mysterious sometimes, but canceling a catalog is easy. There’s (usually) a phone number on the back and the process takes less than two minutes. Consider canceling your own unwanted catalogs and maybe those that arrive at your place of work as well. The less printing, pages, and transportation, the better.
Step 2: Reuse!
Can you donate your magazine to a friend, family member, or local library? Sometimes even thrift shops will take magazines, especially if there’s a set.
Step 3: Reimagine!
There are SO many wonderful projects that use old paper pages; I can’t wait to share more! But, this post is about gift wrap. And using magazine/catalog pages as gift wrap is so simple. It’s eco-friendly, affordable, and, best of all, looks super cute and creative. If your gift is bigger than a page, no problem. Just tape several pages together. I love picking out special images for future wrapping and having them on hand.
This gift wrap idea works great with so many other types of paper – catalogs, old coloring pages, newspapers, phone book pages, old maps, pages from damaged books, and more!
Step 4: Recycle
Just like you would with any of these pages, recycle when done.
