Jana

Jana

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Thursday's Crafting: Homemade (or semi-homemade) Christmas Gifts: This Year's Favorites

I haven't posted anything else this week because I have been super busy making presents. Well, let me rephrase this, I wasn't making them for the past 4 days, but I have been getting materials and ingredients to make them, making them, and then getting stuff to make them pretty. Today I should be done with the Christmas gifts, which is perfect since tomorrow we are decorating the house (more about that later). Needless to say, my house is a disaster, and I am currently in a fight with my garbage disposal (it decided to go on strike at the worst possible time). BUT I am thoroughly enjoying this year's crafts. I normally pick 1 thing (or 2 things if the one I choose is girly) to make a year (see what I've done in the past), but this year I found so many great ideas, and they weren't hard or expensive to do, that I felt I could do a few of them. It's working out great since I'm actually getting requests this year. So I'm going to share the links of what I found. I am not doing all of these, but these were the ones I was going to attempt this year. Check them out:

1. BBQ or Meat Rubs. Pastor Frank, DON'T go to this website until after Christmas. This one's for you! :) The meat rubs I made a few years ago went over really well. In the past I paired it with hotplates and coasters (to be blogged about next week, I promise). I must say, this is pretty easy to make and is really good! This website is not the one I used before, but I like it so much more because it has a good collection of all types of meat rubs that I'm sure to try in the future.

2. Minty Bath Salts. I must admit, I am a sucker for peppermint. Maybe it's because it helps cure my headaches, stomach aches, and curbs my hunger, but I love the stuff. So when I found this site, I was tempted to make it just for me, but I know some lovely ladies who would love to have it as well. And by the way, it was suggested to be paired with Peppermint Hot Chocolate (from my favorite frugal blog, Money Saving Mom). Great idea! I haven't decided if I'm going to do any pairing yet, but if I were, this would be a great idea.

3. Cookie Bath. This is another pairing that I think is a great idea. This includes making oatmeal cookies and then an Oatmeal Cookie Bath. I know, don't freak out. Remember, oatmeal is actually good for your skin. This was so easy to make! Seriously, you just blend the ingredients and then place in an air tight container. Most if the ingredients are stuff you should have in your house already, so this is a great gift to make for teachers or that last minute gift for someone who got you a gift that you didn't think of getting one for them (don't judge! You know it happens to you too!)

4. Peppermint Foaming Soap. Here I go again with the peppermint. You really could use any soothing scent with this recipe. This requires a few ingredients that you may not have around your house, so plan a little ahead on this one. Really it's only 3 ingredients, and if you buy those ingredients, you really should have enough to make all your friends. My hardest part was finding the foam dispenser. But once you get what you need, this is worth it!

5. Kitchen Hand Scrub. I love, love, love this! And this one is actually good for guys and gals. It's a hand scrub that removes odors from your hands that you might get while cooking. Why is that good for guys? Well, if they are fishing, or cutting up onions to go with their famous hamburgers, this will help remove that odor. I tried this out as I was making it, and really I was a so sad I didn't have enough for me, that I ran out to the store to pick up more ingredients. This one is one I may actually keep around my home year-round!

6. DIY Dishes. Okay, I'm NOT doing this link, so my friends who are into this, don't get too excited. BUT I am doing something similar. I didn't want to not include the last thing I'm making for family and friends, but this one I've been keeping a secret for a pretty long time (since last May when I found the tutorial). So I'm including something along the same lines. And by the way, these glasses in the link are selling for $12-$15 a cup. You can make a half dozen SET for that price.

Okay, that's it for this week. Keep in mind that if you STILL haven't gotten a present for your kids' teachers,  most of these will work great! It's not too late to give an original gift to the teachers that won't be another coffee cup, ornament, or "apple" jewelry.

Have a great Christmas, everyone! I will try to squeeze in another DIY before next week.

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