DIY Life

Join me each week as I explore the naturally aromatic side of DIY. Helpful recipes for your "scentual" pleasure: from essential oils, herbs, and other botanicals to soap-making, body care products, and other useful blends.

There's nothing like a cool drink to refresh on a hot summer day. Last week, we explored drinks made with fresh mint and essential oils. Now it's time to think beyond the mint.

Did you know that most citrus and herbal essential oils are sold to large food companies as flavoring? Hydrosols, which are the water left behind when plants are steam-distilled into essential oils, are also safe to ingest in small quantities when they're organic and top quality, according to Suzanne Catty, author of Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy.

Make sure your oils and hydrosols are organically grown and of good quality, then read on after the break for drink recipes -- citrus, herbal, and even some floral -- made with essential oils, herbs, and hydrosols.

When I was growing up, I wasn't allowed to drink soda. Even back then, my dad was pretty smart. He said the stuff would make me fat and rot my teeth. Seems research studies are proving him right about the unhealthiness of soda.

When I was old enough to move out of the house, I started drinking soda like mad. My dad was right; I did indeed gain some unneeded weight and I had to go to the dentist because I had cavities.

If you are trying to kick the soda habit, try jazzing up water with natural flavorings. You can make your water super cold with ice chips, then add in some lemon or lime juice, along with a couple slices of the fruit. Keeping water refrigerated at all times will get you reaching for the jug instead of the can.

Everyone needs coasters, right?

A set of Scrabble tile coasters were recently one of Craftster's featured projects. They're simple, requiring more patience than time or skill. The creator, Jessfun23, glued Scrabble tiles to thin cork sheets in clever drink-related patterns, then coated the tiles with a sealant.

She chose Mod Podge, but any waterproof, non-toxic clear sealant should be OK. Some sealants might yellow over time, but there's no ideal soft base for coasters that won't deteriorate over time anyway (most coasters have a finite life span by definition). Another Craftster user, TracyinNH, was inspired to try this project with a felt bottom and denim edging, for an entirely different look. You could try running a metallic gold paint pen around the edges before applying the sealant, or edging each coaster with glue and glitter. The possibilities are endless.

Acquiring the letter tiles for this project is probably the largest obstacle to hurdle. I did some research, and was able to find some surprising and interesting options... not just for sources of tiles, but also for the look of the tiles themselves. There's even a totally different way, shown in the photo above, to make a similar coaster. You'll find something for almost everyone, including your favorite l33t g33k, after the break.

There are many hot beverages that are great during cold weather in general, and the cozy, convivial Christmas-to-New-Year's-Day period in particular, but my favorite is spiced cider.

It's more warming and flavorful than hot cocoa, and not as cloying (don't get me wrong -- if you offer me cocoa, I'm not turning it down). The flavor is fresher and often more complex than that of mulled wine; it's also more family-friendly in its unfermented form. It's even a healthy drink for people who are under the weather.

You can get really fancy with the recipes, creating a concoction that's almost more of a punch than a cider and takes as much time to make as a small meal.

However, I know of two ways to make a few servings of tasty hot apple goodness in well under five minutes, with special ingredients that make it easy. You'll find more about them after the break!

Our sister site, Engadget, has a post about a coaster project from Evil Mad Scientist Labs.

These coasters are made from the photomasks used in semiconductor manufacturing; the patterns on the photomasks are etched into the components in the factory. The masks are solid glass with a thin metal design applied to them. You can get them from retailers who deal in electronics surplus.

Be sure to check out the comments on the Engadget post, where readers discuss safety issues and sources for the materials. It's useful to know, for example, that shattered quartz glass is unusually sharp -- and difficult to remove from a cut. The reader suggests backing the coasters with clear plastic; I suggest keeping them away from small children.