You Don't Have To Be A Scrooge To Have A Good Christmas! Pt. 2--Homemade Goodness Again!!

Some other ideas came to me about homemade goodies, but in the form of bath & body care. For these gifts, you have to plan ahead at least 2 weeks...some of the recipes will need time to 'cure' or absorb the scents. Again, making these in bulk will give you several gifts...these are good for all the female relatives in your family (including teens), babysitters, neighbors, teachers and so on.
So what am I waiting for, you ask...Christmas?!!

Bath Salts
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There are lots of varieties for these...I found one basic recipe and a couple of great ideas:
4 cups Epsom salts; 2 cups sea salt*; Essential oils* for scent; Food coloring (optional)--Mix the two salts together; this is the base for your bath salts. Using 2 cups of salt at a time, add 4 to 15 drops of essential oil and food coloring as desired. Mix well, then place in a ziplock bag. Let cure for two weeks, shaking at least once daily. Once salts have cured for two weeks, transfer to containers for use in gift basket.
*Many natural food stores will carry the sea salt in bulk & will have better prices on essential oils...
Candy Cane Version: Divide your base in half. To one half, add 3-6 drops of peppermint oil. To the other half, add a few drops of red food coloring. Layer in a clear jar, alternating white and red. Add a candy cane to the package!
Chocolate Mint: Use peppermint & chocolate oils. Use food coloring if desired. Tie a ribbon around the jar with 2 small chocolate mints (hard candy type)
Energizing: Use any type of citrus or eucalyptus scents (mix the two!) & food coloring if desired.
Relaxing: Lavender is a perfect relaxation scent! Buy a sprig or 2 of Lavender and tie that to the ribbon.

Other Bath Goodies
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Here's a basic recipe for a sugar scrub to get you started. Tailor your batch to whatever scents sound good!
1 C. Sugar (either white or brown), 1/4-1/2 C. almond, olive, or grapeseed oil.
Mocha Spice: Whisk sugar with 1 T. ground coffee, 1 T. cocoa, 1 t. cinnamon, generous pinch of both nutmeg & ginger. Whisk in 1/4 C. oil, adding more by the tablespoon until desired consistency is reached.
Honey Citrus: Mix in 3-4 T. honey & a lemon or orange essential oil. Package with some honey sticks, found in most tea shops.
Vanilla Lavender: Place 1-3 vanilla beans** in the sugar for 2 weeks, to allow the sugar to absorb the vanilla. Add lavender essential oil & mix. **You can substitute pure vanilla extract, adding it with the lavender oil.
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Moving on, I found this yummy sounding bubble bath recipe, that seems very easy to prepare.
Milk baths are popular and soothing to dry skin, especially in the winter. Anyone could appreciate a chocolate milk bath, and you could throw in the mix the Chocolate Mint bath salts, some Hershey Kisses and a sample packet of cocoa! Perfect!
Some other great store bought partners for the above homemade gifts include:
Votive candles in a complimentary scent
Matchbook incense
A small bottles of wine (as mentioned in previous blog) or a split of Asti Spumante
A box of Andes Mints
Again, packets of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate (and the honey sticks with the tea!)
Add some chocolate mint sticks
How about some chocolate covered spoons?

Again, use your imagination and creativity. These are perfect projects to take on during a long winter's day, when it's too cold outside to do anything. Kids again can help, and many would love to give gifts like these to their teachers, being able to say "I made it myself". That means a lot.

More to come with my Christmas ideas...next up I'll have some ideas on how to shop without breaking the bank....

You Don't Have To Be A Scrooge To Have A Good Christmas! Pt. 1--Homemade Goodness

Like so many others, I have been seriously wondering how we're going to cut corners this Christmas! So, I put together a list of ideas for lots of people on your list. And the best part is most of them cost less than $10!!!!

One of my favorite ideas for just about anyone is something fresh from your kitchen. It doesn't have to be glamorous or expensive-- anything made by you is going to add that 'special something' that a gift from namethatstore.com can't. What follows are some great ideas, with information on where to find the recipes. Enjoy browsing!

**The links included in no way mean I endorse any particular brand, product or store--They are simply there to show examples of cost, recipes or product type.

Tea Breads, Quick Breads, with Extra Goodies

These are especially good when you add in some extras. For instance, make a couple loaves of Mini Lemon Tea Bread and add a small container of Citrus Spread: 1/2 C. softened butter, 1 T. powdered sugar, 1 tsp. finely shredded orange or lemon peel. Or, try Pumpkin Bread with Nut Butter or Breakfast Butter: (Nut Butter) 1/2 C. finely chopped almonds or walnuts, 1/4 C. softened butter, 1/4 C. apricot or peach preserves; (Breakfast Butter) 1/2 C. softened butter, 2 T. honey or maple syrup.
Most recipes will make enough for 1-2 9" loaves, 3-4 4" loaves, a dozen muffins or 2 dozen mini muffins. This is where making enough for a whole crew of people comes in.
To make it even more special, purchase a package of tea samplers ($3-$6 for 20-25 tea bags), and include one or two of each flavor in with your bread. You can also add a package of hot cocoa mix or flavored coffee. Wrap it up pretty with some green Saran Wrap, red or printed tissue paper, and a pretty ribbon! Voila! You've got a personalized lovely gift for the whole family! And, if you have kids, get them involved. They can help mix, bake, wrap and learn about the real art of giving in the process.

Saucey Sauces***

This category has endless ideas, so let your imagination soar! Some of my own favorites include:

Homemade pesto, packaged with small votive candles, a package of pasta, and 2 mini bottles of wine.

Homemade chocolate sauce (recipe follows), packaged with a jar of marachino cherries, a small container of nuts, and an ice cream scoop.

Freezer Chocolate Fudge Sauce

½ cup margarine or butter 2 ½ cups sugar 3 squares (3 ounces) unsweetened chocolate 12 oz. can evaporated milk 1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt margarine in the top of a double boiler. Add chocolate and melt, while constantly stirring. Add sugar gradually, ¼ cup at a time, while stirring. Add salt and stir milk in gradually and finally add the vanilla. Cook until desired thickness – approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Pour the sauce into a clean, warm, wide-mouth quart jar or similar freezer-safe container(s). Allow the sauce to cool at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Seal and freeze.

Fiesta, Key West, and Smokey BBQ Sauce, cute packaged together. Go to a warehouse club to purchase some of the ingredients and make multiple batches to give to more than one household!

Other Delectable Treats

• Homemade chili, packaged in a jar with a couple of packages of hand warmers (which, btw, can be found in the outdoors section of most dept. stores).
• Biscotti, with sample size coffees.
• A loaf of Italian style bread with herbed olive oil for dipping. You can make the bread & buy the oil & spices, or vice versa!
• A box of gourmet pancake or waffle mix and a jar of homemade topping.

Also, with any of the items listed above, a nice tea towel or calendar towel tucked in is always a nice touch. Your gifts can be simple, delicious, and cost effective. Packaging can be simple, from colored saran wrap to tissue paper, from clear jars (save your jelly, spaghetti, mayo, salsa jars) with nifty labels you make through your computer or labels you make by hand...items can be tucked in gift bags or simple boxes, smothered in raffia. For the gift tag, you can write the recipe on an index card and write the recipients name on the front. Check your local dollar store for inexpensive packing materials. Make several batches to give to neighbors, relatives and friends to save the most buck! Or get with with a relative or friend, split the cost, and spend the day cooking up good gifts together.
I hope you've found these ideas inspiring! More ideas on the way soon....





***For any home canning, be sure to check the USDA Guide for safety!

We Are Living In A Material World & I Can't Afford To Be A Material Girl!

For many of us, saving money is a necessity that is becoming more difficult every day. We work hard, we have kids, we have mortgages, we have debt (or don't want debt!), we have medical bills--you name it, we have it. Our money seems to slowly trickle away, like those neat little displays you see at museums...the ones where you throw in a penny, and it circles around and around and around until finally disappearing into a hole, going who knows where. Only it doesn't seem so neat when it happens daily, and when it's not just pennies, but nickels, dimes, quarters and lots of dollar bills!
We live in a fast-paced, materialistic world. Seemingly gone are the days when we could eat dinner for mere pennies, stuff stockings with oranges and nuts, get married on a shoestring budget, and take trips with what we've saved in giant pickle jars. With the economy the way it is, we worry about our future...but don't know how to do it any other way, unless we go without.
I think we can spend less and do more. I think we can get back to basics in some ways, sharing time, talent and effort, without sacrificing quality. I think there are many untapped resources for birthdays and anniversaries that can make those times just as special without having to eat spaghetti for a month just to pay for it! And I think it's more important to focus on what each special moment means rather than how 'The Joneses' do it. It may come as a surprise that you can get married for $7000, for instance, without losing the special touches along the way. You can also vacation for one week's salary and have just as good of a time (really, it's true!)
I'm hoping to share some ideas with you that may work and I welcome any input or suggestions along the way. I know you're skeptical, but just give it a try. And then take all of the money you've saved and put it away for whatever your heart desires most. Preferably in an interest bearing account, so you can watch it grow even more!!