10 Solar-Powered Crafts

Summer is a great time to marshal the power of the sun to your will. Check out the list below, and find all of the great solar-powered crafts and projects that you can do on the next sunny day!

10 Solar-Powered Crafts

1. chemical-free sun printed fabric. If you want to try sun printing without using the special cyanotype chemicals, try this easy technique that requires only cotton fabric and watered-down acrylic paint.

2. dehydrator. This takes some woodworking skills to accomplish, but if you want to have authentic homemade sun-dried tomatoes… well, you have to have a way to dry them!

3. Mason jar solar lantern. I wouldn’t buy new solar light stakes for this project, but I bet that you can Freecycle some.

4. mosaic sundial. Not only will your sundial be beautiful, but if you find your latitude, you can also make it accurate.

5. raisins. You know that you want to try making your own raisins. Here’s how you do it!

6. recycled crayons. Have you ever had a crayon melt in the car on a hot day? This is the same concept, but on purpose!

7. restore vintage fabrics. Do you have any vintage fabrics that are yellowed or stained? You might think that you’re stuck having them professionally restored, or even just living with the look, but it’s shocking what simple, gentle sun bleaching can do.

8. solar hot dog oven. Want a roasted hot dog but it’s too hot to start up the campfire? Keep this solar hot dog oven, made from recycled materials, handy!

9. sun-melted crayon art. Make an abstract piece of art for your walls, or recreate the look of a crayon-melted canvas.

10. sun prints on paper. This is a great way to make art prints for display, or greeting cards, or, heck–if you’ve got kids, just let them play around with it!