{ Handmade Christmas - #3 }

I'm sure a lot of you make these for yourselves, and possibly for gifts as well, so it may not be a surprise, but for those that don't, these are the perfect gifts for a mom, sister, grandma, best friend etc.

I always have a jar in my kitchen and one in my bathroom, but this year I thought it would be a great idea to make some extra to give as Christmas gifts.

Body and Hand Scrubs.

You will find a bunch of different versions online but they're so easy to make that soon you'll be able to take the general idea and add whatever scent you wish to yours.

One of the things that seems to be the most debated is about the shelf life when it comes to some especially the Lemon Sugar Scrub, but I've never had a problem with it going bad, truth be told it doesn't last a long time in my house, I use the heck out of these.

Lemon Sugar Scrub

2 and a 1/2 Cups of Sugar
1 Cup of Olive Oil
4 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. 

Spoon into mason jars and close tight making sure it's sealed properly. 

You can keep these in a dark place and out of the sun, it will stay for quite a while. 

IF you are worried about it's shelf life because of the lemon juice, you can also refrigerate it :)  After sitting for a bit, you may need to give it a good shake or mix it with a spoon as the sugar may settle.  If you find that the olive oil is too strong for your liking, add a little more lemon juice and you can even add in a little peppermint essential oil......lemon and peppermint smell divine together.

Instructions:   Apply a small amount to hands over the sink so it doesn't make a mess.  Rub into hands for a minute or so, then rinse with warm water and pat dry.  Hands will be silky smooth and smell amazing.

I made some labels, printed them out and then tore the edges before applying with mod podge, you can see that the paper is still wet on these pics.  These make really cute gifts :)

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Body Scrub

2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, making sure to mix everything well.

Spoon into mason jars and seal well. These last a really long time, about 6 months, but honestly I don't know if they'll sit around that long once you try it out. :) Just be sure not to let water into the container because it may cause bacterial growth.

To use, scrub all over your body when taking a shower or bath.

For more ideas on different scrubs, check out Tip Junkie's list.

{ Handmade Christmas - #2 }

So you love mason jars just as much as I do.

You have tons, you've either bought or collected, or reused, and you're wondering what to do with them.

I have another great idea for an inexpensive and yet adorable Christmas gift, that just like my previous one with the Personalized Candles, opens up a whole world of possibilities.

This one comes from Arrow and Apple.

First here's some homemade Mod Podge.  So easy. 

Mod Podge

A jar

Elmers Glue

Water

Empty the glue bottle into the jar, add water.  It has to be a 50% glue, 50% water solution.  Close the lid tight and shake really well.  That's it :)

Bookpage Jars

Credit:  Arrow & Apple

Jars
Mod Podge
Old book pages, newspaper, anything paper

Step 1 - Rinse out your jars and remove labels. A good way to get labels off is to first fill the jars with hot water, let them soak a few minutes, and while the hot water is in the jar, just peel the label off. Brilliant.

Step 2 - Pick out your pages and glue them with mod-podge onto the jars.

Step 3 - Let your jars dry on wax paper for a few hours.

Step 4 - Do extra decorating if you like - tie ribbon or string around for a little more color!

Step 5 - Put candles in and you're done.

OR pop in a flower :)

I think there are so many ways to do this. I'm thinking for someone who loves cooking, maybe an old recipe?

For someone who loves music, print out some music sheets and use those?

Photos, pictures, text. You name it :)

I think that's another Christmas gift figured out for me.