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Category: General Crafts

Peppermint Bath Salts

bath_salts
Nothing warms the heart as much as a handmade gift does. These homemade bath salts are a great stocking stuffer that can be made in bulk and passed out freely.

Things you need: (for each tube of salts)
3/4 c. coarse sea salt (you can blend the sea salt half and half with Epsom salts if you choose)
1/2 t. liquid glycerin
Clear plastic tube with a stopper
Peppermint essential oil
Red food or soap colorant
Gift tag
Cardstock
1/2 yard of 1/4″ white ribbon
2 resealable plastic bags
Plastic spoons
Glue sticks
Scissors
Ultra-fine tipped Sharpie

Things to do:
1. Pour the sea salt into a resealable plastic bag. Add 8 to 10 drops of the peppermint oil until you reach the desired strength. Add the glycerin. Mix well.
2. Divide the salts placing half in the other plastic bag. Add colorant to one of the bags and mix well.
Note: When adding the color, do it drop by drop taking care to mix it in. Too much colorant will bleed onto the white salt when the colors are layered.
3. Spoon the salts into the tube, alternating colors between the red and white so that the finished product resembles a candy cane. Insert the stopper.
4. Use the cardstock to make two labels. On the first, hand-write a note or just label Peppermint Bath Salts”. On the second, write use instructions: Add 2 to 4 tablespoons to a full tub.”
5. Glue the labels onto the front and back of gift tag. Thread the ribbon through the hole and tie a bow around the tube. You may need to secure the ribbon with a little glue or a small piece of scotch tape to keep it from sliding down the tube.
Keep the salts out of sunlight. These will keep for 18 to 24 months.

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Children’s Art Tray with Mod Podge

Childrens_Art_Tray_Mod_Podge
When it’s cold outside, we spend a lot of evenings at our house curled up in the living room with mugs of hot chocolate or tea by our sides. It took me many years before realizing that having small trays handy in the kitchen made this evening tradition much simpler. But now that I have figured it out, I’m a try addict, and I’m passing it on to friends and family. This year Grandma and Grandpa, devoted tea drinkers themselves, are getting a tea tray decorated with kid art as a Christmas gift, which really, is two presents in one, making it all the more better. Look for inexpensive plastic trays at home stores such as Target or Ikea, to use as your base.

Things you need:
Plastic Tray
Several pieces of children’s art (make copies of them if they are really special)
Scissors
Modge Podge
Foam brush
220-grit sandpaper

Things to do:
1. Lightly sand the entire top of the tray to help the Modge Podge adhere better.
Childrens_Art_Tray_Mod_Podge2
2. Arrange the art, trimming as necessary and taking into account the raised sides of the tray. If you think the art medium will run under the glue, spray with a fixative before proceeding.
3. Once you have the piece ready, coat the tray thinly with Modge Podge and smooth the art onto the tray, working out any bubbles as you go. Allow this layer to dry completely.
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4. Trim off any excess paper and coat with several thin layers of Modge Podge, allowing each to dry before applying the next. Optionally you can coat the entire tray in polyurethane for extra protection.
Childrens_Art_Tray_Mod_Podge4

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