Coconut Oil Sugar Scrub

 

I love making and receiving handmade gifts at Christmas. Last year my friend Megan gave me some lovely homemade Lemon Sugar Scrub made with olive oil and introduced me to this awesome winter trick. Let's be real, skin gets dry in the winter and I hate putting lotion on, I'd rather jump into some warmer clothing. I find that this natural oil and sugar combo leaves my skin perfectly moisturized - no lotion needed. Hooray!

This past Christmas I reused Megan's idea and made a coconut oil sugar scrub for some of my other girlfriends. I've kind of become obsessed with coconut oil lately. Read about the multitude of things you can do with coconut oil and how great it is for your body here.

Basic Sugar Scrub Recipe

via Wellness Mama

2 parts sugar (white or brown)

1 part oil (coconut, olive, or whatever suits your fancy)

1/2 tsp Vitamin E oil, optional (I left this out)

Essential Oils as desired

Mix. Put into fun jars and enjoy your silky smooth skin.

Admittedly, the coconut oil is less than ideal in the winter since it has such a low melting point (76°F). I've found that if I put a small jar in the bottom of the tub while I'm showering, the warm water will help it melt and it's ready to use after a couple of minutes.

 

Here's a previous homemade gift idea I made in 2010: Paperwhite Bulbs

Squirrels!

Did I mention I have a fondness for squirrels? I love this new squirrel from Jonathon Adler, although I'd have to brainstorm something else for the little guy to hold...

Birthday Month: Wish List

Happy April and happy birth month to me! And what would a birth month be without a wish list?
1. iPhone 4: I finally want to discover what this smart phone buzz is all about... but am questioning if the iPhone is really the one to get...

2. Iowa Native Bumper Magnet: I’m not a big fan of bummer stickers... at all. But my love and pride in the great state of Iowa far surpasses my dislike for clutter on my rear (or fridges for that matter).

3. Toaster: An essential for the new apartment.

4. Goat Cheese Cheesecake: A couple of years ago I had the most delicious cheesecake: a goat cheese cheesecake. I've been dreaming of it ever since and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate my birthday, Easter, and reunion with desserts after 40-days without.
Image (and recipe) from One Bite at a Time

5. Vacuum: Another new apartment essential. It must be bagless with a clear canister, because I like to watch all the dirty spin around and get bigger while I'm vacuuming. A little obsessive/gross, no?

6. Raygun Not Flat Tee: I've had my eye on this guy for a while, I think it would be a perfect addition to my RAGBRAI evening wear. (btw, Did I mention I registered for a full week of RAGBRAI? More about that craziness later...)

7. Wheatgrass seeds: I enjoy watching things grow. I'm not necessarily planning on eating it.
Image from Sarah Goes Organic

8. Rumikub: A good friend recently reminisced about how I would bring the electronic version of Catch Phrase to college parties... so winning! And I'd like to add that I most likely had a bottle of Malibu in there as well and by "parties" I mean get togethers. So to fulfill my lifelong addiction to board games, I'd like to add a family favorite to my collection, perhaps I'll whip it out at my next game night with you!

9. Aladdin Tea Infuser Mug: I like tea.

Inexpensive Gift Idea: Paperwhite Bulbs

So this is a little late, but I wanted to share what I gave to my co-workers for Christmas this year. Christmas 2009 I received a paperwhite bulb from a co-worker, it was such a unique, fun and memorable gift that I thought I would spread the joy to my new peers this year.

I decided to go with the same Christmas color palette as my cookie exchange (more to come on that later... hopefully), so I used olive, teal, and cognac. I wanted to use teal velvet ribbon (how chic would that have been?) but apparently my local JoAnn's does not carry such sass... so I settled for the beautiful olive satin instead. Classic.

These baby couldn't get any more simple...

1. Buy containers, rocks, and bulbs.

2. Place rocks in container.

3. Place bulb in container, perching on rocks.

4. Wrap with ribbon and instructions. (optional)

Above are the name tags and instructions I used.

Cost breakdown:

- Paperwhite bulbs: $6.98 for 6 = $1.16 each (I bought them at a local Home Depot, also available on-line or at nurseries. I guess I missed the big mark-downs, which happened near the beginning of December by my estimations, so many stores were sold out.)

- Glass containers: Glass cups from World Market = $1.49 each

- Decorative Rocks: $2.49 for 3 containers = $.83 each (I bought rocks at an estate sale during the summer)

- Ribbon: $3.49/spool = $.29 for approximately 12 packages

So there you have it, a unique, fun, and memorable Christmas gift for less than $4.00!

Of course you can always get funky with your container, a stemless martini glass for some sass? Or colored ramekins for the cooks in your life?

And at this rate, I'll be posting my New Year's resolutions in mid-February... that is if I had any.