DIY Life

Take a look in your bathroom vanity. Chances are -- especially if you've got young kids in the house -- there's a bottle of baby shampoo hidden in there somewhere, even if those kids aren't babies anymore. And if you don't, baby shampoo is inexpensive and easy to find, and often even turns up in thrift stores and garage sales.

That half-used bottle -- or an inexpensive new one -- is a soapy gold mine. Baby shampoo can be used for jobs around the house, as a stand-in for personal care products and for family fun, too. Here are some ideas:

Around the House

• Zipper stuck? Don't get annoyed. Instead, dip a q-tip in baby shampoo and rub it on the stuck spot. It'll lubricate the zipper and get things moving again.
• Groan. You've just discovered that you shrunk your favorite sweater in the wash. You can hand it down to your daughter, or you can try to resize it using a sinkful of water and some baby shampoo. Use it to wash your delicates, too!
• Some baby shampoos contain mineral oil, excellent for revitalizing leather shoes, coats and purses. Dab a little shampoo onto a soft cloth and rub the shampoo onto the leather, leaving it soft and gleaming.
• Take advantage of shampoo's natural grease-cutting properties. Mix it with a little baking soda and use it to clean your chrome faucets.

Do you need a Halloween costume for a child in rapid fashion? You could spend $20 at your local department store or you could try this quick idea from me:

1. Using appropriate face paint or other suitable makeup, give the child a mouse face.
2. After you give the child the right makeup, take any gray sweatshirt without a hood and turn it inside out. Place it on the child backwards and zip it up.
3. Make mouse ears out of stiff black paper and attach them to the back of any hat which fits the child. In a pinch you can use paper plates cut to size. Color a black outer rim and pink inner ear.
   
4. Add gray or black sweat pants, perhaps tucking the sweat top into the waist band.
5. Twist together two or three black shoe laces and attach for a tail. An easy cape adds to the fun.
   
6. Squeak, squeak... instant mouse!

Just in time for Halloween, this video shows you how to make fake wounds with gum or Fx wax. These gashes look pretty realistic. They can be pulled off simply and inexpensively. Here's what you need:

Materials

1. Fx wax or gum
2. Skin tone foundation
3. Blade
4. Black and red makeup
5. Fake blood

The video shows the transformation from bare foot to seriously injured foot. It's quite impressive. He sure makes it look easy slicing through the gum; personally, I'd be a bit nervous about that part. I guess it's the price we'll pay for a great gag. Top off your costume with these realistic looking wounds and you'll be ready to terrify your neighbors this Halloween.

Nowadays, it seems like it may be nearly impossible to travel with just a single bag that you carry onto the plane with you. Airline regulations have made it so that it's more convenient to check certain innocuous items, like toiletries, than to try to tote them with you. If you can manage it, though, it's great to travel with a single small bag: you're traveling light, you don't have to wait in baggage claim areas, your bags will never be lost somewhere in fair Slovenia.

If you're looking for tips on how to manage this, you don't need to look any further than the redoubtable One Bag website. It's full of travel tips, supply ideas, and packing lists. If you want a slightly different and more basic perspective, check out WikiHow's Travel With One Bag article.

The essence of the One Bag concept is that you make a packing list of only the things you can't do without (nothing you "might need" but aren't sure about). You purchase items that are well-suited for travel: lightweight clothing that doesn't wrinkle and that will dry overnight if washed in your hotel bathroom. You're careful with your money in terms of how you carry it, but you're willing to both buy and discard items when you reach your destination.

The concept is tailor-made for male travelers... and female travelers who are able to subvert or ignore cultural expectations. If you aren't one of those women, though, and you're wondering how single-bag travel can work for you, keep reading after the break!