Home Made Gifts! Awesome!
Written by Gayle
I love to make and give home made gifts, and I love to receive them too. It shows how much I love and appreciate people, and how much they mean to me.
And if you think that home made means a trip to your crafts store, think again! I made a whole bunch of gifts with ingredients that I picked up at Lassen’s! I even repurposed some containers (thank you, Talenti Gelato!)
Just for Holiday Fun:
Holiday Potpourri
Cut some orange peels into thin strips (I removed most of the inner white part of the peel). Let dry for several hours, or in the oven at 150 degrees.
In a small bag, add the dried orange peels, some cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and 1/8 tsp nutmeg.
To use: pour the contents of the bag into a small saucepan of water. Bring to a simmer, turn to low, and enjoy the scent of the holiday! Please watch the water level–it evaporates pretty quickly.
For the Foodie:
You can’t go wrong with dipping oil and flavored vinegars.
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| I found these cute bottles in a craft store–marketed as bud vases–for 25 cents each! I just added some corks for the top! |
Flavored Vinegars
Place your chosen flavorings in a quart-sized jar. For these three, I used
- Raspberries and fresh mint leaves (I used champagne vinegar)
- Slices of lemon peel, sliced garlic cloves, chopped fresh rosemary (I used white wine vinegar)
- Fresh cranberries (I used rice vinegar)
Pour the vinegar over the items into the jars. Cover with a non-metal lid (or put a piece of plastic wrap between the lid and the jar). Refrigerate for about three to four weeks, swirling it around every day.
After a month or so, pour the contents through a strainer and then into your chosen bottles (with a funnel). Add a gift tag (mine were just printable business cards that I got at an office supply store) with a ribbon. Viola!
Italian Sun-Dried Tomato Dipping Oil
I love to use dipping oil on bread when we eat Italian food. Here’s a simple recipe to do it yourself!
- 1/4 tsp each dried italian herbs–basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary
- 1 TBSP chopped sun-dried tomato (the kind that is packed in oil)
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly-ground pepper
- 1/2 TBSP chopped fresh organic parsley
- 3 TBSP grated organic parmesan cheese
- 2 cups Organic Extra-virgin Olive Oil
In a small pan, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil. add the herbs and the garlic, and just heat until softened.
Remove from the heat and let cool. Add the rest of the ingredients and the rest of the oil and then blend well. Pour into a bottle and allow to sit for several hours before serving. You can pour into gift bottles and spread a bit of your kitchen magic around to your friends and family! These should be used within about a week, or kept in the refrigerator.
Pampering Gifts
These DIY gifts were really easy. I think you’ll love making and giving them!
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| These are old Gelato jars! I just covered them with ribbon and added a label on top. |
Salt and Sugar Scrubs
Rose Vanilla Salt Scrub
- 1 cup fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup sweet almond oil
- 1/4 cup organic raw honey
- 1 organic vanilla bean, split and the pulp scraped (use the pulp)
- 1/2 tsp rose essential oil
- crushed dried rose petals
Mix all of the ingredients together and place in a decorative jar.
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Lemon Sugar Scrub
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup almond oil
- 1/2 tsp lemon essential oil
- the zest of 2 lemons
Mix all of the ingredients together and place in a decorative jar.
Pumpkin Body Scrub
- 1 cup pureed pumpkin
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 2 TBSP honey
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
Mix all of the ingredients and place in a decorative jar. This scrub needs to be refrigerated if not used within a few days.
Coconut Vanilla Body Scrub
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, or 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (use the scraped inside part)
- 1/3 cup Dead Sea Mineral bath salt
- 1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil
Blend everything together and then put in a decorative jar. This one is really moisturizing!
Oils and Skin Care
Gentle Massage Oil
- 1- 1 1/2 cup Organic Sweet Almond Oil
- An assortment of flowers–I used Calendula, Rose buds, and Chamomile
- 2 tsp Vitamin E oil
Put the flowers in a jar and then pour the oil over them. Cover and then let sit for about a month. I put mine on the window sill and turned it every day or so.
After a month, strain out the flowers, add the Vitamin E oil, and then pour into a bottle. I used one of those decorative bud vases with the cork!
Arnica-Lemon Herbal Relief Oil
- 2 oz Sweet Almond Oil (or 1 oz Almond Oil and 1 oz St. John’s Wort Herbal Oil)
- 1 oz Arnica Herbal Oil
- 15 drops lemon Essential Oil
Pour all ingredients into a glass bottle and gently roll to distribute oils evenly. This is a great massage oil for sore muscles. Use as needed.
Grapefruit Skin Repair Cream
This isn’t exactly a cream–it’s more like a solid, but it will work wonders on those dry elbows and heels! This makes a lot of jars, or even bars (as you’ll see later)
- 2 oz beeswax
- 1 oz cocoa butter
- 1 oz shea butter
- 2 oz jojoba oil
- 18-30 drops of grapefruit essential oil
Melt the beeswax, cocoa butter, and shea butter Use as low of heat as possible. Stir frequently.
Add the jojoba oil. It will harden some of the melted wax and butter, but don’t be alarmed. Keep stirring until everything is melted!
Add the essential oil.
Now you can pour the liquid into molds or into jars or tins. I did both.
This are silicone molds that are very easy to use. I also have some in heart shapes.
If you make this as bars, I would suggest giving the recipient a little dish to keep their bar on.
You can also pour the liquid into these terrific jars that we carry at Lassen’s in the cosmetics department. We carry them in several sizes.
I love this little tiny sized to keep in my purse!
Enjoy this wonderful season! If you start these gifts now, you’ll be ready for gift-giving in no time!
Love,
Lassen’s
Great post! And it follows my number one rule I generally abide by when it comes to gift giving: Give something that can be used up!