DIY iPhone Icon Magnets

My hubby was very sweet and cut out over 20 tiny little icons for me, and the top 20 were chosen to become magnets.  (Those are his hairy manly hands!)

Glass squares or tiles can be purchased as is, or you could use pieces from a sheet of glass mosaic tile - just peel the tiny glass squares off the backing.

Cut the magnets (I used a long strip piece) into squares that are slightly smaller than the back of the glass squares. (Don't want any magnet overhang!)  Use hot glue to attach magnets to glass.

 

After the glue is completely cool and hardened, attach the picture.  I used a mixture of super tacky craft glue and water (1:1 ratio) and, using a paintbrush, lightly covered the top of the glass with the glue mixture.  

The picture went on immediately and was straightened into place with a toothpick.  I had to work quickly in order to place the picture accurately before the glue dried, which was super fast!  I then repeated this with the other 19 tiles.

Using the same glue mixture, I painted a light coat over each picture ensuring the glue mixture went right to the edges of the glass.  Let it dry thoroughly.  

 

Repeat!

Let cure for 12 hours, then pop them right onto the fridge!  Great gift idea for the family techie!  (Or the one who thinks (s)he is! Ha!)

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Candy Flavoured Body Scrubs

This is a fun gift that I love to make as much for myself as for someone else!

I bought cute little glass jars that resembled old fashioned candy jars.  The blends were mixed in a bowl, then spooned into the jars.

Each jar got a different candy flavour: Candy Cane, Creamsicle, and Caramel.  The scents were completely made with essential oils and enhanced by the types of sugar that I used.  Grapeseed was my oil of choice as it is one of my favourites!

I cut the ribbon pieces and punched out the labels.

A dab of hot glue attaches the two ribbon ends together.

Another dab of glue to hold the label in place.

Put them in an organza gift bag, tie with matching ribbon, and glue a tag onto the ribbon.  Ta da!

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Warm Citrus Body Oil

Try smoothing this on after a warm bath!  For extra fabulousness, pour into a lidded bottle and leave it in a sink full of hot water while you are in the bath.  When you get out, the oil will be warm and cozy!

I whipped some up tonight and put in on my daughter after her bath.  She likes oil after her baths instead of lotion because, "Dat yotion is so cold, Mommy!"  Haha!   Now if only my hands were not so cold...

I mixed two oils in this recipe for extra richness in the blend:

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

2 TBSP grapeseed oil

3 drops bergamot essential oil

3 drops lemon essential oil

2 drops orange essential oil

1 drop ylang-ylang essential oil

Blend all ingredients and pour into dry, clean bottle.  Always test on a small area first!

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DIY Gift

You will need:

1 piece of cardstock

markers

scissors

small bag

filler (I used toasted coconut)

stapler

Place filler in the bag, filling it right to the top.  Cut a square piece of cardstock that is the same width as the bag.  Make it large enough to fold over the top of the bag.

 

Fold the cardstock in half; decorate both top and bottom of one side.  One side should say what is inside the bag.

 

Fold the decorated cardstock over the top of the bag and staple shut.  That's it!

 I gave this to a friend for her birthday (she loves coconut and has no luck toasting her own) and she loved it!  She thought I bought it at a specialty food store.  

This would be great for Christmas gifts, teacher gifts, or just anytime gifts! 

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Custom Edible Monogram

We were on our way to a birthday party, and I had just made a pan of Rice Krispie squares.  The gift was wrapped and needed some oomph!  So I cut a letter out of the fresh goody goodness, wrapped in plastic, and attached it to the gift!  I loved it and so did the lucky little girl who received it!!

Step 1: Wrap your gift and tie the ribbons securely.  Select the two longest for securing the letter.

 

Step 2: Wrap the letter in plastic wrap and attach to gift using the two longest ribbons.  Tie excess length into a bow. 

Sleepy Oil Recipe

I designed a logo for a friend last year and got a sweet thank you in the form of a gift certificate for a local spa.  After treating myself and my sister to pedis, I spent the rest of the gift certificate on essential oils.  I think I purchased about 12 or 15 different oils.  I just love essential oils and mixing up little lovelies with them.  Last night I made a calming oil blend that I applied all over, and it helped me drift right off to sleep. :)  Always make sure you avoid your eyes when applying.  Don't ingest this oil blend - for external use only!!

Ingredients

1/3 cup oil* (I used grapeseed)

5 drops vanilla essential oil

5-7 drops lavender essential oil

Directions

Pour oil into a clean plastic or glass container.  Make sure your container has a lid!  Add essential oil 1 drop at a time, vanilla first and then 5 drops of lavender.  Shake well (put the lid on first!!) and sniff.  Add more lavender, 1 drop at a time, shaking and smelling as you go.  Apply!

This would make a great gift!  To make a coordinating body scrub, simply add 3-4 TBSP of brown sugar to the recipe above and store in a wide-mouthed plastic container with lid.

*I use whatever oil I have on hand.  I always have olive oil and almost always have grapeseed oil.  I would not recommend using canola oil or similar oils.  I have also used sweet almond oil, which is lovely.  My favourite right now is grapeseed for a couple of reasons: (1) my skin likes it, (2) doesn't smell too oily, (3) absorbs quickly, and (4) it's not too greasy.

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Gumball Necklaces

Supplies:

Ribbon

Darning needle

Thread (if desired)

Lighter or lit candle

Gumballs (I used 10 per necklace)

Metal skewer

Directions:

1. Using the metal skewer, gently poke a hole into the gumball.  Once the skewer is through, lightly press it into the other side to make a faint indentation mark on the outside.  Remove skewer, turn gumball over and you should be able to see the indentation mark you made.  This is where you want to make the second hole.  Once you have made the second hole, your gumball should look like a bead.  Repeat for all gumballs.

2. Cut your ribbon to desired lengths.  I used two pieces (for necklace length) about 16" each.  I also cut several 4" pieces to tie in between each gumball.  Heat seal all ends using your lit candle or lighter.

3. Thread the needle.  Make sure it is doubled for strength.  Tie off the ends into a double knot.  Sew the thread several times to the end of one of your LONG pieces.  You can fold the end of the ribbon into an accordion and sew through it if you want it extra strong.  Now thread all the gumballs.  Don't tie off the thread.

 

4. Tie and knot a SHORT ribbon length in between each gumball.  Now you are going to sew the other LONG ribbon piece on, following the instructions above.  Finally, tie a SHORT piece where the LONG ribbons meet the gumballs.  

All done!  Wrap up in a jewelry box or organza bag for gift giving.  These would be great favours for a birthday party.  Enjoy!

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Use Cardboard Rolls for Wrapping Gifts

I made a lot of jewelry for gifts this year and instead of buying jewelry boxes, I used cardboard tubes. Toilet paper tubes are the perfect size and paper towel tubes would work well too.


Wrap your small gift in tissue paper and place inside cardboard roll. (A magazine rolled inside a long tube would be great!)


Place roll on wrapping paper and tape in place.


Roll up, tape, and leave ends open. Use curling ribbon to tie off each end.


Add lots more curling ribbon! I think this is so cute - it looks like a huge wrapped candy! :)