Turn your shampoo bottle into a caddy!

Have you ever walked out of your home forgetting something like your wallet or your keys? Have you tried to have a designated bowl by the door so you don't forget these things, but then end up with a bowl that contains random things like gum, baseballs, or markers? That's the problem we have at our place. So when I saw this post by ProjectSunlight (after seeing it on the Today show), I figured I'd give it a try! If you want to reuse and make your own caddy, here's what you'll need:

1. An empty bottle (you could use a shampoo or body wash bottle but the flatter and taller, the better!)

2. Scissors and/or a knife

3. Sandpaper

4. A marker

5. Paint, fabric (with spray adhesive), markers, whatever you want to use to decorate it!

Start by taking off the top of the bottle. This will be a little tricky, I'll be honest. I drew a line where I wanted to make the cut, however scissors just didn't do it. I had to use a large kitchen knife and saw at it like a piece of wood. Once you cut through the front of the bottle, the sides and back of the bottle will be a piece o' cake.

Next, draw a square on the back of the bottle about 1-2" from the top. Keep in mind you can always make the square bigger but not smaller. If you have doorknobs, you'll need a wide square.

Once you're done drawing your square, draw lines halfway down the side of the bottle (you can put your phone or wallet up against and see how much space from the bottom to give). Draw a line across the front of the bottle (it helps to remove any labeling you might have).

Just like before, take your scissors or knife and cut out the square and the lines.

Use sandpaper to smooth out the bottle, so you don't have stray pieces of plastic sticking out.

Now you're free to decorate however you want. I tried putting on fabric but it didn't look good at all. It's such an awkward shape, I just couldn't get the fabric to fit on the bottle so I opted for permanent marker instead.

Put it in your kitchen, by your front door, your bathroom, wherever you want, and enjoying using your new/reusable caddy!

TOTAL COSTS: Free!

Shampoo bottle, scissors, knife, sandpaper, and markers all on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 30 minutes

20 minutes to draw, cut, and sand the bottle

10 minutes to decorate 

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 3 out of 5

The hardest parts would be cutting off the top of the bottle and making sure the hole was big enough for your doorknob. I had to make quite a few adjustments before I was able to slip it on. Other than that, this would be a great project for kids to help with, as they learn how to reuse items and can decorate the caddy to their hearts content!

DIY Body Wash/Shaving Lotion

I've been on a bit of a DIY kick lately and this post from AHouseWife was no exception. C'mon, when you have all the ingredients in your bathroom, how can you resist giving it a shot? This one is particularly helpful now that we're entering warmer weather and shorts and skirts are a must. I have no shame in showing some leg hair but if this will make my legs smooth and moisturized at the same time (not to mention, provide enough to last me a few weeks!), then it's definitely worth a try.


Go to your bathroom and grab:

1 Full bottle of shampoo
1 Full bottle of conditioner
Lotion
Baby Oil

Combine 1 cup of shampoo and 1 cup of conditioner into a bowl. I recommend having full bottles because you'd be surprised how much of it is going into this recipe.

Add 5 Tablespoons of lotion and 5 Tablespoons of baby oil.

Combine everything until you have a big bowl of bubbles and goo.

Very carefully, add the mixture to an empty bottle or jar. I used an old 23oz. Olay body wash bottle and I'd say a good 20oz. went in (I may have spilled an ounce or two onto the table in the process). Give it an hour to sit before putting it to work.

So, how is it? Well, it doesn't have the consistency of body wash or shaving gel. More like... water. So if you decide to make this yourself, don't use so much baby oil. A tablespoon or two would probably do the trick. And the original post says this would be a good shaving lotion but I also used it as a body wash. It does make your legs silky smooth so I'll definitely use it (since I have so much of it)!

TOTAL COSTS: About $13 to make about 20oz. (and cheaper lotion would bring the cost down even more)
$.99 for Suave Juice Green Apple shampoo
$.99 for Suave Juice Gren Apple conditioner
$4.99 for Johnson's Baby Oil
$6.49 for Nivea Body Lotion
Old bottle already on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 1 hour, 10 minutes
10 minutes to combine ingredients
1 hour to let stand

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 1 out of 5
I like doing easy projects once in a while and this was certainly that! If something had to be considered "difficult", it was pouring the mixture into the bottle without making a mess. Which I did. All over the table.