DIY Life

Did you all enjoy your Independence Day? I hope that you were able to celebrate with a safe fireworks display, either an organized event in your town, some (legal!) fireworks in your own backyard, or even a national event on your big-screen TV.

What I hope you didn't do was to try and DIY your own fireworks display -- not safe! In fact, one young man was so, shall we say, questionably innovative, as to try to become his own fireworks display.

Yes, I'm serious. After the break, I'll tell you exactly what he did.

Green? I bet you thought red, white, and blue would be the appropriate colors for an Independence Day BBQ, not green.

Think again. Clearly, most people are interested in doing even little things to help keep their families healthy and preserve the environment in this age of toxins and pollution. Here are some things you can do to help while throwing a bang-up July Fourth party:

• Skip the plastic plates and cups. Go for anything recyclable or reusable, even bamboo.
• Natural gas grills pollute the air less than charcoal grills.
• Don't shoot off polluting fireworks at home. If you'd like to enjoy the big boomers, find a town celebration nearby.
• Serve up local, organic food, which causes less transportation pollution to the environment -- and your food will be super-fresh.
• Throw a potluck party to share resources.

You'll find more details on how to have a greener Independence Day in Greenzer's article. So fire up that barbie with a clear conscience!

Look adorable -- and express your patriotism at the picnic! -- with this easy and stylish no-sew red, white, and blue hair sash.

If you dread donning predictable holiday attire, you can whip up your own originally designed homage to the Fourth of July in about an hour. You'll get full credit for being patriotic and part of the gang, but you'll have the satisifaction of doing it your own way.

You could even make these for the kids, the dog, and grandma, and turn out a matching do-rag for the hubby and anyone else who shares your distaste for manufactured stars and stripes garb; after the Fourth, you can still use these instructions to make yourself a great headband. You'll find complete instructions after the break, and a demonstration in the gallery below!

If I didn't have a calendar, there'd still be no doubt in my mind that July 4th is just around the corner. Every year, several homeowners in my neighborhood celebrate the season by setting off very loud and very illegal fireworks in the wee hours of the night. My poor dog will spend the majority of the week hiding under the bed.

While firing off illegal fireworks isn't really a good idea, there are plenty of legal versions that can make your Independence Day celebration a lot more fun for family members of all ages. Kids, especially, are dazzled by the bright colors. But for the holiday to be both fun and safe, everyone needs to follow a few rules.

Luckily, Howcast has you covered. They've taken the most commonsense safety rules and put them to an entertaining animated video that will help everyone remember how to enjoy this summer tradition without any exciting trips the the ER.

I think most people would agree that bath products make a nice gift. Unfortunately, they're a little over-gifted, if you know what I mean. But, if you take some effort to make your own products and to personalize them, what was old-hat suddenly becomes new again. Whipup's bath bomb surprises are a perfect gift idea that you can personalize for anyone.

You'll need baking soda, citric acid, your choice of essential oil, a spray bottle with witch hazel, and your choice of trinkets to insert in the bath bombs. You'll also need a large bowl, a whisk, an ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, and a tray covered with wax paper.

To make the bath bombs, combine the baking soda and citric acid. Then slowly spray in the essential oils. Adding the witch hazel can be a bit tricky as you need just the right amount of moisture. Once the consistency is right, you'll be able to use the ice cream scoop to create the halves of the bath bomb. Then insert the trinket and put the two halves together. Whipup has the details.

Keep reading for different gift ideas with these "surprise inside" bath bombs.

Americana: the soul of our nation.

Ever notice how spirited, charming, and just plain cute Main Street, U.S.A., can be? If not, while you're out this month vacationing and visiting those little home towns ... try to get back your patriotic spirit and take notice of all the flags flown (it happens to be what makes those towns so cute in the first place). Once home, if you don't already; you'll want to fly your own.

First though, you'll need to know the rules. Believe it or not, there are actually 13 rules covering everything from schools, caskets and parades, to how to properly hang it with other flags.

Lucky for us; the most important one is also the simplest:

• Display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on all days the weather permits. However, the flag may be displayed at night if properly illuminated with a spotlight.