DIY Life

Do you remember those scented markers that were on the market during the 70s and 80s? Everything smelled great except the black licorice marker... that was utterly vile. While I'm sure there are still scented markers available for purchase, why not try painting with Kool-Aid?

Jacki wrote about this fun project over on That's Fit. Have your kids outline a picture with markers, but don't color it in. Mix different colors of Kool-Aid in different cups -- use only two tablespoons of water for each packet. Using paintbrushes, let your kids color in their masterpiece with the Kool-Aid "paint."

After about 20 minutes the paintings should be dry. Your kids can lightly scratch the surface of their painting and enjoy the scented colors. Fruit makes a great subject for the paintings because, as one young Kool-Aid artist exclaimed, "the oranges really smell like oranges!"

We have notoriously bad luck with dishwashers at my house. The last one caught on fire, and after my husband, father, stepfather, and repairman each separately reminded me that I needed to scrape the dishes before I loaded them, I nearly fired each of them. Sheesh.

I think I take pretty good care of my dishwasher (yes, I thoroughly scrape each dish before loading), but after reading this post on how to properly clean and maintain one... well, I could probably be doing more.

I clean it regularly and run a cup of vinegar through it, but rarely do I get down in there and disassemble it to make sure nothing has gotten stuck. WikiHow also recommends wiping around the doors and in the "dead spots" where water doesn't reach.

As I said, I usually use vinegar when cleaning my dishwasher, but did you know you can also use Kool-Aid? (Be sure not to use a strong color, however, as it may stain.) Once your dishwasher is freshly cleaned and ready to go, you can get the most out of each cycle using tips and tricks from Good Housekeeping.

If you have a project coming up that requires a particular color of dyed wool or silk, look no further than your kitchen. If you have a microwave and a package of unsweetened Kool-Aid, you can dye wool and silk in just a few minutes.

Myrrhmaid takes us through the process of dyeing light colored protein fiber with Kool-Aid. To do this simple project, you'll need microwave safe bowls, such as Pyrex, a colander or salad spinner, a wooden skewer or spoon to stir the wool, a mesh laundry bag to put the dyed wool in when you spin it dry in the wash machine, your favorite color Kool-Aid, and of course, a microwave.

According to Myrrhmaid, the dye is colorfast and will not fade or bleed, even after repeated washings. She says you can also use the Kool-Aid dye technique to dye wool skeins, wool socks, knit or crocheted wool items and even silk. How much more simple could it be?

Play dough is one of those things that parents and kids can sit down together and waste a whole chunk of time just playing around. You are the architect of whatever creation you've got planned for that little chunk of dough. Store bough play dough dries out pretty fast and has that disgusting smell. You know the smell, some of you probably like it because you immediately associate it with the fun of play dough. Still, the homemade stuff lasts way longer and gives you a lot more flexibility with color and fragrance.

Instructables posted this homemade play dough recipe. It's the same one that I've used many times and it works well. I've left out the cream of tar tar a few times and it does decrease the elasticity, so I'd recommend having some on hand.

Recently, we showed you how to freshen a laundry load with vinegar. This reminded me of a similar experience I had.

For many years, I worked in an industrial setting. Our dishwashers ran for several hours per day. Despite the near-constant cleaning, they'd occasionally get stained. I was wondering what to do about it when someone suggested, "Run it with a packet of Kool-Aid."

Lemonade Kool-Aid, to be exact. With no dishes and Kool-Aid in the detergent compartment, we began a cycle. At the end, the stains were gone, as the citric acid in the mix had removed the stains (kind of makes you wonder about putting it in your body, doesn't it?).

It's a trick I've re-used, and the folks at Real Simple have made the same discovery. So, the next time you're grocery shopping, pick up some Kool-Aid. Oh, yeah!