A few of the crafts on my summer list include:

1. Mason Jar Tea Lights

Summer nights bring warm breezes and fun memories. And if you're going for that awesome country look, you'll love making mason jar lights for the entire family to enjoy.

You'll need a few items before we get started:

• Super glue or crazy glue
• Mason jar
• Thread
• White suede

I love colored mason jars for this craft, so choose a nice soft color: blue or pink works very well. You'll want to tie your suede around the neck of the jar. 

You'll need to measure the neck of the jar:

• cut three strips of suede that just overlap

You'll want to do the following:

• Poke holes in the lid of the mason jar to allow oxygen in to keep the flame going.
• Cut three long strips of suede long enough to tie to a hook (the jar will hang from)
• Using the glue, make a tiny loop attaching the long strips to the strips that go around the neck of the jar. 

You'll have three hanging strands that attach to a hook with all of the strands around the neck helping to support the jar. Place a tea light candle inside and light. Enjoy your new hanging mason jar tea light.

2. Custom T-Shirts

You can use a heat press, or you can use heat transfers, which can be ironed on, for this method. The ironing method is a low-cost option, and it's normally what most people try to do first. But, when using a standard iron-on, you can expect the design to: Crack or Fade.

If you're making a shirt that's only going to be used once or twice, this isn't much of a concern. You'll be able to make a variety of different design, such as:

• Cartoons
• Sport teams
• Names
• Family names
• Years
• Logos

And if you use a heat press, you'll even be able to make hats, jackets and custom backpack designs. This is a great craft on Valentine's Day, too, as you can create super cute shirts and garments for your child to wear.

You can also do a lot with monogram machines, which allow you to embroider your garments to add a personal touch to your clothes or your child's clothes.

3. Flower Necklace

Want to revitalize some of your parental energy? It's time to head to the beach to gather some seashells. There are a lot of options available with this craft, and you can even buy some seashells online, but what fun is that?

If you live anywhere near the sea, you can go and find your own seashells to use in this craft. It's also a great excuse for a vacation, wink wink!

You'll need a few items to get started:

• Seashells
• Linen cord (or another material for the necklace)
• Drill (small bit required)
• Beads (optional)

If you can find seashells that have holes in them already, this makes the process much easier. You'll need to make a small hole in the shell that will be used to feed the necklace material through so that you can tie it around your neck or your child's neck.

You can just make a hole, loop in the necklace and let the seashell hang.

It's that easy.

Or you can add beads between multiple seashells to make a necklace with a slew of seashells on it. If you have glue, you can also glue the beads in place, leaving 1/2" between the beads. This will allow you to secure the shell in place while also being able to make your necklace more ornate.

Summer is the perfect time to get out of your comfort zone and have some fun. These three crafts will all be fun, quick and functional, so there's no excuse for a lazy summer day again.