8 Crafts You Can Make in a Slow Cooker

As I was prepping dinner one morning earlier this week (roast with carrots and potatoes, yum) and thinking, "Thank goodness for this slow cooker," I started wondering: Can you craft in a slow cooker? The answer is a resounding "Yes!" You may know your slow cooker as a Crock Pot, a brand that has become synonymous with slow cookers, like Kleenex or Q-tips, but whatever you call, it's amazing. And in addition to being extremely useful for making dinner-making easier (especially in winter), a slow cooker can also be quite useful for crafts where low, even heat is desired. Think: candle-making, soap-making, fabric-dyeing and more. Using a slow cooker for these crafts can even minimize energy-usage (as a slow cooker typically uses less energy than your stove top).

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If you go the slow cooker crafting route, my advice is to keep two slow cookers on hand - one for food and one for crafts. A lot of the crafts use food-safe ingredients, but some don't, so it's best to be safe. You could pick up a smaller one for crafts, or shop your local thrift store to reclaim a used Crock Pot as a craft pot. That's what I did to test some of the ideas.

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If you like these slow cooker crafts, I'm pretty sure you'll also love ideas for gourmet gifts, including several for DIY gift baskets. Cooking and crafting just belong together, right? You can find these slow cooker crafts and more Christmas craft ideas at DIYNetwork.com and the Made + Remade blog.

-By Kelly Smith Trimble for DIYNetwork.com

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