Christmas countdown!

It's the time of year again. As crazy as that feels, it's true. Time to start thinking about Christmas gifts, if you haven't already. When it comes to Christmas gifts, there are really 2 things I appreciate most:

-practical gifts-yes, I am the woman who actually wants a toaster for Christmas. One time I spent weeks trying to convince a friend that I really did want a mop for a gift. I really did!

-handmade gifts-because handmade is awesome

So here are some links to 5 awesome handmade gifts you may want to consider this year, followed up with a quick and easy sugar scrub by yours truly.

1. Givember Massage Oil on the incredible Soap Queen blog.

You should be able to find these ingredients at your local craft store or natural foods store. If you can't find jojoba, you can always sub it, or leave it out. If you're going to use something else, you want an oil that has a long shelf life and absorbs quickly into the skin, like sweet almond oil. But of course, it's always best to follow the recipe as closely as possible.

2. The Easiest Body Butter Bars Ever by lovely Marie at humblebeeandme.com.

These really are the easiest body butter bars ever. 1 ingredient and they make you smell like you've been dipped in chocolate. Seriously, there's no reason not to make these.

 

3. Detox Bath Soak by Katie at one of my favorite blogs: wellnessmama.com

I recommend trying the Clay Detox Bath. It's simple and all the ingredients are dry, so it would be an easy one to gift. Make sure you package it in a glass or plastic container. The bentonite clay loses some of it's detox power when it comes into contact with metal. Again, that's an ingredient you should be able to get at your local heath or natural foods store.

 

4. Homemade Floral Waters by the incomparable Hildablue



These are wonderful instructions on how to infuse flowers or herbs in distilled water. If you feel up to something a bit more complex, there's a link on that page to some great diy products made from the infused water!

 

5. Moisturizing Bath Candy by one of the best blogs around, Crunch Betty



These were originally done as a Valentine's diy gift, but there's no reason these wouldn't be perfect for Christmas as well. Especially if you get a Christmas tree or gingerbread man tray. These are similar to the body butter, but with an added exfoliating aspect. I recommend trying the lavender chocolate or chocomint versions. The ingredients for these should be pretty easy to find. And how perfect is a chocolate mint scent for the Holidays!

 

And finally, a simple sugar scrub recipe using things you probably already have in your kitchen:

 

 - 1 cup white or brown sugar

 - 1/2 cup skin-loving oil such as sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil or virgin olive oil. Or any combination of these if your feeling fancy.

 

Mix well and place in a mason jar, bail jar or other container for gifting. That's it. Seriously. You can dress it up by adding a few drops of essential oil, fragrance oil, coffee grounds, tea leaves, a dash of cinnamon, pumpkin spice or nutmeg...this is the part where you can be creative! If you've never tried exfoliating scrubs with oil, they are addicting. And the sugar is a mild enough exfoliant that you can use it every day. It's even safe for use on your face.

 

So try one or all of these and let me know how it goes! Check back next week for my diy gift ideas!