One of the most overpriced stuff you can buy in a toy store would be the bubble mix. Usually, they’re packaged with bubble blowers. In case you bought some for your kids, don’t throw it away once you run out of the mix. Just make your own. Here’s how.

What you need:

• 3 parts dishwashing liquid
• 7 parts water
• 1 part glycerol (sugar also works)

What to do:

1. Mix all the ingredients into a container.
2. If you’re wondering about glycerol, it thickens the solution and makes the bubbles last longer.
3. For larger bubbles, you don’t need a bubble wand, you can fashion one from an old wire clothes hanger.

Crafts can be fun for small kids and one of the classic activities you can do with them is creating papier-mache.  It’s a versatile crafts material. You can make a piñata or owls or dinosaurs. One of the key materials (aside from old newspaper) is the paste. Here’s how to make non-toxic and perfectly safe papier-mache paste.

What you need:

• All-purpose flour
• Water
• Mixing stick
• Plastic bowl
• Salt

What to do:

1. Pour equal parts of flour and water into the plastic bowl.
2. A mix of 2 cups each would be enough for a small project.
3. Mix using the mixing stick until you get a smooth consistency.
4. Try to get rid of lumps as much as you can.
5. Add more flour for a thicker consistency.
6. Adding salt is for mold prevention just in case you need to store it or on the material you’re using it on.

Quite a lot of stuff have stickers slapped on to them – whether labels or price tags. Now, if you’re planning to reuse them or just remove the unwanted eyesore, it can be quite tricky. Here are a few tips on how to remove stickers.

To remove stickers from glass and metal surfaces, try using mineral oil or baby oil. Apply the oil on a piece of cloth or rag and cover the surface of the sticker. Saturating the area would be better. After the sticker soaks, you can peel the sticker from the surface. Use the cloth to remove any sticker residue. For bare metal surfaces, try using WD-40.

For plastic surfaces, try using alcohol to remove the sticker. Follow the steps mentioned in the previous section. For harder plastics such as those use for storage, you try using cooking oil. To remove the oily feel usually left on plastic food ware, a good wash using dishwashing soap would do the job nicely.

It can get tricky with porous materials such as cardboard and paper products. Commercial solvents are available for this sort of thing. Just make sure you don’t get too much on the surrounding surface or it can ruin the material.

In some instances when the surface isn’t that sensitive to contact such as plain glass, you may use a razor blade or craft knife to scrape off and peel away at the sticker. With care, this can be used to remove vinyl from car surfaces.

Here’s something you can do to keep your kids amused – invisible ink. Sure, they can be found at joke shops, but doing it yourself can be part of the fun experience. Have them write secret message to their siblings or to you for a classic at-home spy game.

Onion and Lemon Method

What you need:

• Onion Juice
• Lemon Juice
• Toothpick
• Paper
• Lightbulb

What to do:

1. It’s either onion or lemon juice. Getting lemon juice is pretty straightforward. Just slice the lemon and squeeze into a small bowl.
2. As for onion juice, you can do this by grating a peeled onion and squeezing the grated onion for its juice.
3. Dip one end of the toothpick in the juice and write on paper. Let the paper totally dry.
4. To read the message, hold it over a hot lightbulb or in front of a candle flame (be careful!).

Milk Method

What you need:

• Milk
• Toothpick
• Paper
• Pencil shavings/ash

What to do:

1. Just like with the other method, wet the toothpick with the milk and write on the paper.
2. Let the milk dry.
3. To read the message, lightly rub the surface with some fine pencil shavings. It will expose the message since the shavings will only cling to the paper and not on the milk message.

Headphones and headsets make listening to music much more accessible even when we are busy with our daily routines. However, much care and caution should be considered while engrossed in the music we are listening. Here are some tips on headphones, headsets and their use.

Opt for open-air headsets as these can allow you to hear the sound from “outside” the headsets.

Try on headsets and headphones first before buying them. Make sure that these rests comfortably on your ears with no uneasiness even after an hour of wearing them. Consult the manfacturer’s warrnty or the store’s exchange policy if you find your headsets or headphones to be uncomfortable after a long period of wearing them.

Even if you can hear the outside noise, don’t turn the volume up to the maximum level. This is dangerous since your attention is fixated on the sounds and not on your surroundings. High sound volumes can damage your hearing as well. As a general rule, if the person next to you can hear the music you’re listening, the volume is way too loud.

If you like to listen to music until you fall asleep, invest on headphone and audio players that have sleep timers or can automatically shut-off.

Cameras, camcorders and other A/V equipment are delightful to own but a chore to carry around. Here are some tips on carrying your A/V equipment around.

Opt for a backpack rather than the other bag types. Backpacks distribute the weight of the back on both shoulders and the back if it has a waist strap. You will barely feel the weight of your camera or camcorder on you back pack as opposed to shoulder bags.

If you lose you camera case, you can replace it with an old cassette tape case. It can also hold other things inside like batteries, cables and memory cards. You can stuff some cloth or handkercheifs inside for makeshift cushioning. Your improvised camera bag can also be placed inside your checked-in luggage or carry-on bag without taking too much room.

Invest in a photographers vest if you plan to do a lot of photography along with your other outdor activities. It will help you store your small photography euquipment and you will not waste any time rummaging through your bag to get one small item.

Have a waterproof bag with you if you plan to have a photography or video shoot together with outdoor water activities like fishing and swimming. A resealable plastic bag is okay for the little point and shoot cameras. A coffee can with a lid can also be used for medium to big sized equipment even if it is still inside the bag.

Here are some tips on how to customize your schoolbags:

You don’t need to buy expensive backpacks just so you can have
colorful and unique ones. Buy a plain solid-colored backpack and
decorate it to your heart’s content.

Buy fabric paint and stencils from craft stores and you can paint
different patterns in different colors on your bag. For little kids,
perhaps using fabric markers would be better as they are easier to
wield.

Sew or glue other embellishments such as buttons, lace, scraps of
fabric, glitters, and patches. You can also add colorful pins, beads,
crystals, etc.

Here are some tips on how to while away your time during a flight layover:

If you brought your laptop or notebook with you, and provided that the
airport boasts of a WIFI network, you  can always do some internet
work. You can post on your social network site and e-mail family and
friends.  If you have a business, you can check on your work e-mail or
company website. You can also write reports and such.

If you’re a bookworm and you brought or bought some reading material
with you, it’s actually a good time to catch up on your reading. Once
you get engrossed, you’ll be surprised at how time actually flew fast!

Some airports offer a lot of shops and forms of entertainment. Others
even have spas in them. You can try the local restaurants and even get
yourself a full-body massage while you wait!

Don’t throw away old shoes. Check them first for damages and depending on the severity, you might find out that you can still recycle footwear.

Add decorations. You can stitch or glue on jewelled beads, ribbons, lace, and sequins to old shoes (make sure it’s compatible with the material of your shoes. It might be difficult to stitch if you’re recycling leather).

Again, depending on the material, you can spray, using craft spray paint or dye your shoes. Just make sure that you follow the instructions on the package of the dye kits. Cover your work area with a lot of old newspaper so you don’t get paint or dye on the rest of your home. Make sure to dry completely before wearing.

Has your handwriting been a sore point in your otherwise perfectly impeccable skills set? No worries. Here are some suggestions on how to make your chicken scrawls more legible:

You’ll be needing some tools so get them ready:

• lined paper in a rule with which you are comfortable using
• pen or pencil that you can grip comfortably with your fingers

Improving one’s handwriting does not happen overnight so be prepared to do a lot of practice.

Set a few minutes everyday wherein you can sit down at a table and practice writing a few lines. Five to ten minutes every night after dinner is long enough.

Start with individual letters. One or two letters a day is fine. Concentrate on the strokes. Don’t bother with speed at first. Do this until you’re done with the whole alphabet.

Continue with words and/or phrases. Pay close attention to how your writing flows from one word to the next. Mind your spacing between words too.

Next, choose a test sentence. You can develop a new one every week. Write it at the top of your practice page. Write this sentence over and over, gradually trying to increase speed without breaking your stride.

Do this until you are satisfied with the results.