Do you need a super quick and fun Valentine’s Day gift? Try this DIY idea: Candy in a Jar! This is a perfect idea for those of you needing several inexpensive little gifts for teachers, family members, friends or even neighbors.
It’s so simple. All you have to do is pour some sort of Valentine coloured candies into a jar, tie a ribbon around the jar then glue the label to the lid.
This Pumpkin Pie Sugar Scrub is a simple and delicious smelling DIY for yourself or a gift idea for the holidays!
My daughter and I had fun over the weekend whipping up some delicious smelling pumpkin pie sugar scrub! It was such a fun and easy activity to do together. Then of course, once we were finished, we had to try it out! Our skin was oh so soft afterwards.
Want to pamper yourself? Here’s how you can quickly make a batch of Pumpkin Pie Sugar Scrub. Double up to gift a friend!
Pumpkin Pie Sugar Scrub
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
– 1 cup of white sugar – ¾ cup of coconut oil (cold pressed, virgin coconut oil is excellent) – 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice – 1 teaspoon of brown sugar – glass jar
DIRECTIONS: 1. In a bowl, mix the coconut oil and white sugar. Simply mash it together with a spoon until mixed. 2. Add in the pumpkin pie seasoning and continue to mash. 3. You can now add in the brown sugar. Mix well. If you feel like your scrub is too dry, you can add a small dab of coconut oil to add some moisture. 4. Spoon the pumpkin pie sugar scrub into a glass jar and sprinkle the top with additional brown sugar. This not only adds a little more “scrub” to the scrub but makes it sparkle. 5. Cover with an air tight lid and store in a cool place for up to one week. 6. To use your pumpkin pie sugar scrub, simply apply to wet skin in a circular motion. Rinse with warm water and repeat if necessary.
Have you ever made Sun Tea? It’s my favourite way to enjoy iced tea in the summer! The taste of real brewed tea and endless flavour options is what gets me really excited about brewing a batch.
Sun Tea is a method of brewing tea slowly by using the heat of the sun to steep tea bags. I find it fascinating to watch the water in the glass jar slowly change colour as the sun works its magic on the tea bags. 🙂
Sun Tea is really easy to make and is very adaptable to your own personal flavour preferences.
Place in the direct sun for 3 – 5 hours, or until desired strength is reached. Remove tea bags.
Place in the fridge.
To serve: add sliced lemons, fresh mint, sweetener (honey, simple syrup, agave…etc.) if desired.
For the batch I brewed pictured below, I used 2 Ginger Peach tea bags and 6 Orange Pekoe tea bags. I added some of the Simple Syrup I featured the other day until I was happy with the sweetness. I think it tastes pretty darn good, but if I had some lemons on hand I would have added a few slices to make it perfect!
My daughters love decorating gingerbread houses every year before Christmas. Probably, most likely, because they get to consume candy. But I also like to think it’s because of the creative process and making something cute.
We like to make a special evening or weekend day out of it by adding hot chocolate and having Christmas carols playing in the background.
This year, I thought it would be fun to create little gingerbread house kits. I even had fun creating a Build Your Own Gingerbread House tag to make them way more official. Lol.
To assemble them, add 8 square graham crackers or 4 of the large rectangle ones if they are the brand name ones by Christie (pictured below). I like the brand name ones best because you can cut the large rectangle on the top half on an angle so it has a point. This is so the roof crackers have a sturdier resting point.
After this, fill the bag with an assortment of candy. I bought all of ours from Bulk Barn. Seal the sandwich bag.
Once you’ve printed out the tag, cut it out, fold it in half, then staple it to the top of the sandwich bag. Ta da!
The icing I used didn’t fit inside the bags, however, you could create a mini piping bag filled with icing that should fit nicely if you’re giving it as a gift!
You can make your own icing or you can buy it like I do. The premade icing in a can by Betty Crocker and the likes, also works really well!
I think it would be so fun to have a Gingerbread House making party with a bunch of friends! Young or old!
What are your holiday traditions that you find yourself doing every year?
I think this Homemade Sore Muscle Soak would make a perfect gift for someone on your list! Or perhaps it would make a great addition to a spa basket you can make up?
I often find myself with sore muscles in the fall. I think it’s because we’re out hiking more and working outside more. 🙂 Because of this, I find it really nice to have a warm bath with some of my homemade sore muscle soak! This one smells delicious because it uses fresh mint and lavender (or essential oils). Here’s how you can easily make up your own batch of homemade sore muscle soak:
¼ cup of fresh mint leaves, chopped OR 7-10 drops of peppermint oil
¼ cup of fresh lavender, chopped OR 7-10 drops of lavender oil
DIRECTIONS:
Begin by mixing your Epsom salt and baking soda in a bowl. Mix well.
Chop your herbs fine and add them to the mixture. Or, add your oils at this time. For the mixture you see here, I used fresh mint and used lavender oil in place of the fresh lavender.
Continue mixing well. The moisture from the herbs and oils may cause some clumping. This is not a big deal. Just use your spoon to break through the clumps.
Store the mixture in a glass jar with lid or air tight container. I like to let it sit for a few hours before using.
To use your homemade sore muscle soak, just pour it into a running bath. The lavender will help you relax and ease muscle tension, the mint will help revitalize, and the Epsom salt and baking soda will help with inflammation and pain.
When done, drain your tub as usual. You may wish to remove any larger herb clippings by hand to avoid drain issues.
Are you up to your ears in leaves? If your yard is home to numerous trees, you might find yourself overwhelmed with leaves this fall season. So what exactly can you do with all of those leaves, other than rake them? Well the good news is they do have a few fun uses! Take a peek at these 5 creative ways to use fallen leaves, in ways that are both fun and frugal!
1. Craft a scarecrow.
Fallen leaves are perfect for stuffing and filling scarecrows. Save leaves so when you are ready to craft your scarecrow, you have plenty to create the body, legs, arms, and of course, head. Leaves make perfect stuffing material and fill up the scarecrow nicely.
2. Make giant yard pumpkins.
Buy orange yard waste bags found at your local home improvement store or Amazon. Some are plain orange while others might have the pumpkin faces already on them. No worries if you can’t find any with faces, you can always add your own with a black marker. Simply fill the bags up with leaves, then tie the top for yard pumpkins that make the perfect outdoor fall décor.
3. Craft spooky ghosts.
Take white trash bags and fill the bottom with a handful of leaves. Twist the bag and tie it to create a round head shape. You can use a black marker to draw the face of a ghost directly onto the bag, and then add string for hanging. Place the ghost in a tree or porch for a spooky effect.
4. Make spooky yard spiders.
Take a black trash bag and fill it with fallen leaves. You can then use white paper to craft eyes and attach them with craft glue. Painted PVC piping can make legs as well as long cardboard tubes or even pool noodles. How spooky would these be to see in your yard around Halloween!
5. Create a leaf fort.
Find a large cardboard box that can be used as the fort’s main foundation. Cut a square to enter. Spray the box with spray adhesive and apply the leaves to the outside of the box. One or two layers is sufficient. When you are done you should not be able to see the box and it will look like the entire piece is made from leaves.
Did you ever think that leaves could provide so much fun? Start raking up those fall leaves and then give these fun ideas a try and see all the ways you can put those fallen leaves to use. You are sure to enjoy lots of family fun with very little cost to you.
