What I saw today...

Sugar sugar

Today was a snow (ice) day, so I worked on Christmas presents and watched big fat flakes fall all morning long. Today's project: homemade sugar scrub. I used plain white sugar (you can use brown sugar or even salt, if you choose), almond oil, and a variety of essential oils. The kitchen was smelling heavenly with the scents of lavender and peppermint mingling in the air.



Sugar scrub is oh-so easy to make -- I've always loved having it around to smooth rough dry skin. I used to purchase it from Bath & Body works, but dang, that stuff's expensive. So for the past couple of years, I've been making my own. It's rather fun and makes you feel like a fancy chemist.



If you want to make some of your own, here are the ingredients:
- White or brown sugar, or salt (you can create a mixture of them, if you'd like)
- Oil. I like to use Almond oil. You can poke around the web for other recipes, but check out the great info on this blog first.
- Essential oils. I used lavender, sweet orange, peppermint, and rosewood. You only need a few drops per ounce of scrub. You never ever want it too concentrated, or it can be harmful to your skin.
- Vitamin E oil (I didn't have any, so I didn't use it. But it would be a nice addition)

I mixed it all up in some cute little jars that I snagged at American Science & Surplus for a mere 45 cents. I kept the consistency pretty gritty and not too oily. You want the sugar and oil to be thoroughly mixed, but not soupy. And I took it easy on the essential oils -- a little goes a long way.



I finished the jars off with some fancy shmancy labels and dubbed my concoction "Tough Love" sugar scrub. You know, for all those rough and tough patches that just need a little sugar lovin.' Happy snow day!

Owlies on a string

Earlier this week, whipup had a great post on their holiday craft picks. I absolutely loved Moonstitches' adorable owls, and felt the need to pull together a string for myself.

I was feeling a bit lazy and simplified them a little, using a single layer of felt and hand-stitching the bellies with some colored crafty string. The whole thing took only an hour or so to complete, and now I have cute little owlies decorating my front door for the holidays. Yay owlies!





Happy Sunday everyone. I've still got lots of presents to make, so next week, I'm turning up the heat. Watch out.

Making Christmas happen

This year, I have pledged to purchase handmade goods for my loved ones. But...uh...so far I've purchased ZERO handmade items. But don't fear. I haven't gone off the deep end and succumbed to the Target toy department. Nope. Not yet. Instead, I've been pouring my energy into making each and every Christmas present myself. Not really a new thing -- I've been doing it forever. But I've definitely never made this many before. Intense.

Today, I wrapped up my notebook-making project. Very simple little books, with my own designs printed on Epson Heavyweight Matte paper with my super-duper inkjet. I had tons of different kinds of filler paper lying around, mostly leftovers from college projects that never quite required a full 500 sheets. Finally, put to good use.







At first I couldn't decide whether to staple, hand sew, or machine sew the bindings. I wasn't sure if my sewing machine could handle the thickness of the paper. But a quick test took care of any fears I had. Piece of cake. An easy, cool Christmas present that's quick to make in bulk.

Turns out other folks had the same idea this year. You can see more at Angry Chicken and Design*Sponge. Very cool stuff!