People everywhere love the idea of summer… until reality (more like the heat) hits and you wish you could be back in spring. But even the heat can’t slow you down when it comes to swimming or hiking or traveling. In my case, this summer is going to consist of my own DIY projects to liven up my mood in the blazing heat. I have a few DIYs for you to beat the heat or to eat, or when you’re just bored.

Frozen Aloe- Sunburns are a pain. To cool it and treat it and the same time, put aloe in an ice tray before you go play in the sun, just so you’re prepared. Keep it in there for at least an hour just to be sure it’s completely frozen.

Frozen Fudge Pops- Combine ½ cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 2 ½ cups of milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon butter and put it all into a small saucepan. Bring it to a simmer until thick. Remove from the heat and then stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon butter. Refrigerate it until cool. Then mix in ¼ cup of chocolate chips and pour into molds. Put in the freezer for easily four hours and you will have a small treat to cool yourself down.

Mason Jar Lights- For this all you need is a Mason jar, thread, super gel adhesive, and heavy duty white suede. Firstly, measure the suede around the neck of the jar to where it just barely overlaps. Next, cut three reasonable sized pieces of suede from the cord. Taking a long piece of suede, fold one end over a short strip, creating a tiny loop around the suede, then glue the pieces closed. Wrap a piece of the thread around the glue spot, hiding your work cleverly. Repeat this process twice more for three strips to hang from the jar. Then glue the ends of your short piece together to create a loop big enough for the neck of the jar and once again, wrap the thread around the glue spot. The final thing for the harness is to make a hook. Take the ends of your three long strips and create a loop, maybe three inches long. Glue where the ends meet the cord, wrap your thread around the glue spot. Unscrew the lid and attach the harness over the mouth and down the neck. Screw only the outer rim of the lid to the jar and finally you can make a magical light by dropping inside a tea light.

DIYs are the perfect small things to do when you need to liven up your summer. It takes your mind off things and just helps you to explore the more creative sides of you. These are just three out of the thousands to pick from. Get creating!