This rice heat pack is super simple to make. Slice off a section of the legs of an old pair of jeans, stitch the top and the bottom (leave an opening in one end), fill with rice, and top-stitch to prevent spillage of rice. You can easily make one that is roughly the size of a hot water bottle, and I find that the rice version stays warm a lot longer – and smells pleasantly of freshly-cooked rice! Flannel is a prettier alternative, and plain old quilting cotton works as well. My kids think this makes a nice pillow. I think they’re a little quirky.
On a smaller scale, I love these hand warmers from Frugal Family Fun Blog – and these cute Valentine-themed hand warmers from Stitch/Craft.
Oh, and these make awesome ice packs, too. Rice in a Ziploc bag is great no-sew version (not microwave-safe, mind!)
