kattitudes

Theoretically, this particular masque is supposed to be a fantastic moisturizer and will serve to leave your face absolutely super soft. I cannot see the harm in it, and if nothing else, it would make a phenomenally wonderful smelling gift.

The Christmas tins that are available right now are just out of this world, which means that you could pick out some beautiful options and really dress up a spa basket.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup cocoa
3 tablespoon heavy cream
2 tablespoon cottage cheese
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoon oatmeal powder

Mix ingredients together; smooth onto face. Relax for 10 minutes; rinse with warm water.

Here is another great spa or personal care type recipe that packages up wonderfully and can make a great addition to a spa basket type gift for someone special this Christmas. It makes sense to include a label for your gift recipient that has instructions with information like the suggestion to warm this scrub in the microwave and so on.

This is the perfect time of year to find beautiful containers and jars and the like to package up scrubs like these too. You should have a lot of fun looking for the right container for these types of gifts.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup coarse or sea salt
1/4 cup sweet almond oil
2 or 3 drops peppermint essential oil

Mix together ingredients. Soak feet in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes before using scrub to help with exfoliation. If desired, try warming the scrub in the microwave.

Apply scrub to feet, rubbing in a circular motion. Let the scrub remain on feet for 10 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

So many people react to so many additives in everything these days that we have to be so careful about what we put on our skin. This includes post shaving issues for men.

Those with sensitive skin issues will often breakout from alcohol. However, the glycerine should help with soothing. Be careful of the essential oils if either you or your recipient has particularly sensitive skin.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup witch hazel
1/4 cup distilled water
3 tablespoons glycerine
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice concentrate
2 drops tea tree extract

optional: 1-2 drops essential oil of lemon or lime or cedar

Include a gift label to let your recipient know that this will last up to six months.

I have a number of recipes for wonderful spa type indulgences for you and for your girlfriends, and of course, those are absolutely appropriate for the menfolk too (even men keep a good soak in the tub and need to care for their skin). But sometimes, you need a gift specifically for the men.

I have a recipe I dug out from somewhere for an oldfashioned skin bracer (better known as aftershave). It is indeed the “old” type, in that it has alcohol in it. The original idea behind these mixtures was that after shaving, your skin would be left with microscopic nicks and cuts which would leave your skin open to infections. So the aftershave would be put on the skin to “brace” it from bacteria and dirt and close the nicks, cuts and pores.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup isopropyl alcohol (or 90-proof vodka)
1/4 cup distilled water
1/4 cup glycerine
1/4 cup witch hazel
1/2 teaspoon essential oil (if you wish to add a scent, but use caution)

Combine all ingredients and place in container. Attach gift label that says to shake before using. Will last up to a year.

Bath bombs were also quite popular for a while, but got to be old hat. This is an old recipe but easy to recharge and renew with a simple twist on an old favorite.

As the photo shows, instead of going through all the fuss and muss of shaping your bombs into little balls and waiting for them to dry just so, pack them down into disposable cups.

And as an additional treat, hide a dime store toy or waterproof prize of some sort in the middle of the bath bomb as you are packing the cup, so that as the bath bomb melts, the prize slowly reveals itself. In the photo, these bombs were made for boys and included a nice grubby snake - perfect for entertaining toddler boys.

Once the bath bombs are thoroughly dried, cut away the cups and voila. You have a wonderful bath bomb, complete with hidden surprise ready to package and gift. Sure, it is not a perfect sphere, but who the heck gives a toot? It works and that is all that matters!

Bomb recipe 1:

* 1/2 cup citric acid
* 1-1/8 cup baking soda
* 6-10 drops essential oil
* food coloring (use caution)

Bomb recipe 2:

* 2 tablespoons citric acid
* 2 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1/4 cup baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon fragrance oil
* 3-6 drops food color
* 3 tablespoons coconut oil (or any other emollient oil like sweet almond oil, avocado oil or apricot kernel oil)

Bomb recipe 1:

Mix citric acid with baking soda. Add several drops of essential oil and a few drops food coloring. Moisten by spraying with water or witch hazel. Witch hazel works better since it evaporates much more quickly. Moisten until mixture just begins to stick together. Take truffle sized scoops of the mixture and shape into balls. Bombs should be about one inch in diameter. Let balls rest on a sheet of waxed paper for two to three hours. Let the bombs dry and harden for 24-48 hours. To use drop 1-3 bombs into warm bath water.

Bomb recipe 2:

Place all of the dry ingredients (citric acid, cornstarch and baking soda) into a bowl and mix well. In a small glass bowl, combine oils then add fragrance and color. Slowly add oil mixture to dry ingredients and blend well. Take truffle sized scoops of the mixture and shape into balls. Bombs should be about one inch in diameter. Let balls rest on a sheet of waxed paper for 2-3 hours. Let the bombs dry and harden for 24-48 hours. Pack each bomb into its own candy cup. Store bombs in an airtight container. To use, drop 1-3 into warm bath water.

This is an old posting from long ago, but as it is getting time for the holidays, it is a popular one to drag out of the achieves. It is getting time for me to pull out of storage my recipes for different types of salts also, as we need to inject new blood into the tried and true recipes for bath salts. I will spend some time over this next weekend trying to find those old recipes. For the time being, at least I have these variations for your use.

These are always popular gifts as everyone, but everyone can use and appreciate epsom bath salts. Really, as long as you have a functional bathtub, epsom bath salts are good for aching muscles and a good soak.

If you are in doubt as to whether your recipient might appreciate such a gift, my one recommendation would be to leave out the fragrance. Honestly. You can dress it up with any type of herb or botanical that you would like, but leave the artificial smellies out of the recipes, as that always seems to turn people off. As long as you go with good natural ingredients, you just cannot go wrong.

Variation 1 Ingredients:

* 2 cups Epsom salts
* 1/2 teaspoon food coloring (if color is desired, however, use with caution)
* 1/2 drop fragrance oil (1/2 to 1 drop)
* 1/2 cup dried rose petals (crumble to near powder)

Variation 2 Ingredients:

* 4 cups Epsom salts
* 2 cups sea salt
* essential oils (for scent)
* glycerin if desired (no more than 2 tablespoons)

Variation 3 Ingredients:

* 2 cups Epsom salts
* 1 cup sea or rock salt
* 3 tablespoons glycerin
* scented oil (1/2 to 1 drop)
* food coloring, if desired

Variation 1: mix all ingredients, package in favorite bottle appropriate for gift giving season. If you wish to use food coloring, use caution so as not to stain fiberglass tubs.

Variation 2: The sea salts act as the base salts for this recipe. You can add whatever essential oils you prefer for scents, but as a general rule, I go easy on scents. I add no more than a drop or 2.

Mix the two salts together and use as the base. Measure two cups and scent as desired. Color as above if desired also. Glycerin will soften skin, but place a warning tag that reads “NOT FOR USE in jacuzzi“. I don’t know what it does to the jacuzzi jets, but everywhere I’ve read says not to use it in jacuzzi, and I’d rather you not ruin your tubs! Store salts in a zip lock bag for two weeks, shaking daily. After 2 week ripening period is finished, dispense into gift containers and decorate.

Variation 3: Mix together in large bowl and bag in appropriate gift container. Decorate as appropriate.

Starting today, you will find a very handy page over there on the right hand side of the blog (it is listed under the pages). I have created a page that lists pretty quick and dirty some of my favorite shopping places online.

It is a first draft, so not all my bookmarks are up there by any means. However, some of the multitudinous places I wander online are up there so that you too can wander in and find some of the remarkable bargains I’m finding.

If you have places that you love, please - by all that is holy - let me know. I am always looking for a new place to shop. Send me a note, leave a comment, and I would love to check it out. I live to comparison shop (must. comparison. shop. It is in my blood).

Keep in mind, these are not places to purchase finished products. These are stores for you to purchase supplies for you to make your own gifts and wonders. This is for you to get your own crafty on.

Orange.
Whole cloves.

That’s what you need.

What you end up with is this divine smelling creation that is just out of this world.

You would think that the orange begins to rot and starts to mold and stink and all types of science project themes being to spring to mind. Instead what happens is the warm air constantly being blown over the orange slowly dries out the fruit and does amazing things.

So how do we do this fantastic thing?

First, it should be said that apples and other citrus fruits can be used to make pomanders, but oranges are classically used. Having said that, lemons are absolutely wonderful. (I love lemon pomanders, but that is because I adore lemons).

Anyway, on to the orange pomander.

Poke holes in an orange with a toothpick, fork or other sharp point. In order for the fruit to last, the entire piece of fruit must be covered with cloves, so take your time and cover the whole thing.

In order for the skin of the orange to hold the clove in place, the holes must not touch each other. This is very important. There must be space between each hole and the cloves must not touch or the cloves will fall out and create opportunity for mold to begin. Eew.

OK, back to the instruction.

So you are poking holes in your orange. Push whole cloves into the holes that you create.

At this point, you have two choices. You can either place the orange in a very low oven and bake it off for an hour (low as in 200 degrees).

Or you can simply let the fruit dry naturally. Often I have seen this take place by hanging from or near a table lamp. The heat from the table lamp will dry out the pomander better than anything else could do.

In order to hang, gently wrap ribbons around the orange, creating a sling to suspend the orange. Then attach the orange to the lamp and let it dry naturally.

The smell is fantastic and as we go into the holiday season, it looks like a classical holiday decoration also. So really, you have a two-for decoration. During the American Thanksgiving season, you get something that makes your house smell amazing and that still works into the Christmas season without having to worry.

Plus, it’s something that you can give to little hands to put together without having to worry (too much) about destroying anything. And if things go disastrously wrong, it’s just an orange and a bottle of whole cloves. Easily replaceable.

This is a great gift for you and for a best friend too. I don’t know about you, but I am one of those people who is always trying to get stronger nails. I’ve heard (and tried) pretty much all the tricks under the sun, and I just do not want to keep buying expensive bottles of chemicals to slather on my nails.

The travel size aisle in your drugstore is just full of little empty containers that are the perfect size to fill up with these mixes and scrubs. You can whip together a whole set of homemade spa recipes and personal care products for all your girlfriends this Christmas. Make up some baskets for an afternoon of spa indulgence, and include a few homemade chocolate truffles to top off the afternoon. Talk about decadence.

Materials Needed:

* 1/2 cup shelled walnuts
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 tablespoon castor oil
* 1 teaspoon honey

Grind walnuts to a coarse powder. Add olive oil, caster oil and honey to make a thick paste. Vigorously rub hands and feet with the paste.

Rinse with warm water. Pat dry and moisturize.

4 cups sugar
4 cups brown sugar
1 cup finely ground almond meal or apricot meal
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup almond oil or apricot kernel oil
5-10 drops vitamin E oil
sunflower oil, as needed

Combine all ingredients (except sunflower oil) and spoon into desired container. Allow the scrub to sit overnight. After sitting, if more oil is necessary, add the sunflower oil to your desired scrub consistency.