I Actually Made Something off Pinterest

It seems like all the time birthdays or other gift giving holidays sneak up on us and we are left the night before trying to think of something nice to gift our loved ones. This year was no different when we got smacked in the face with b's mom's birthday that we would be celebrating with our weekend trip up to Kansas City. So the night before we were set to leave I pursued the inter web in search of an easy/clever/inexpensive/cute idea to DIY. I came across this amazing website on pinterest and after browsing through most of them I settled on three of the ideas to create a sort of gift basket/package thing. 

I've been guilty (like tons of you) of loving ideas on pinterest but never really doing them because they seem too difficult or too expensive to make. But the Mint Eye Mask, the Chocolate Mint Soap and Chocolate Mint Body Scrub that I picked out to gift took me no time at all...really. I picked up all my supplies Friday around noon and had them finished by 5:30 that afternoon and just in time for B to get home around 6:30 so we could head out to Kansas City. And this was split up with packing and running around the house like a crazy person so really....they're easy.

First up is the Mint Eye Mask. I picked up a 1/4 yard of grey wool felt along with 4 colors of embroidery floss from Joanne's and some white rice from the grocery store. I knew I'd like to make extra masks (I also knocked out my sister-in-law's b-day gifts that falls later this month). The link lets you print off the template that makes for easy cutting and also comes with cute instructions tags for the eye mask wearer. 

Sorry for the no action shots, but I was short on time and it truly is that easy. Just pick a pattern that you want on the front of the mask and stitch that on, then lay two pieces together and stitch it up along the edges. Make sure the edges are tight stitches so no rice slips out. In my 1/2 cup of rice I added about 10 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil and shook it around before I funneled it into the mask (once I had all but about 2 inches stitched up). Then I just finished that gap and voila!

The mask above is the one I made for my MIL and this one below is the one for my SIL. Yes they both got the same gifts for their birthdays, but they are planning a wedding together this year and I think they both might need some relaxation at some point.

Next up is the Chocolate Mint Soap. I went to Akin's (our local natural grocery/drugstore) and picked up the chunk of Beeswax for my soap base and my essential oil. I also used some mint leaves chopped up and 2 tbs of cocoa powder.

First you melt about 1/3 of the beeswax over a double boiler. Once that's a liquid turn off the heat and add in your chopped mint, cocoa and mint drops (about 10-15). Stir it all together and pour into your chosen soap mold (I just used a small ramekin).

Let this sit for about an hour to harden then pop it in the freezer for about 20 minutes so you can easily pop it out. I chopped mine up into large chunks and split it up so I could get two gifts worth. This soap lasts for about 3 months so I didn't want to give them too much at one time.

Finally I made the Chocolate Mint Body Scrub. Also at Atkin's I purchased a small bottle of Almond oil - this helps with the lubrication and hydration of the scrub. In a large bowl mix together 1/2 cup of white sugar, 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 2 tbs of cocoa powder. Stir together and get out most of the clumps then add 1/3 cup of Almond oil and 10 drops of Peppermint oil and stir together. Then just add to your sealable container of choice. 

Here is the Mint Chocolate Chip Relaxation Gift Bundle. I put the scrub in a wide mouth mason jar so it would be easy to seal up and scoop out. I wrapped the soap chunks in a cut up brown paper bag and added cute gift tags.

Price Breakdown:

Felt: 3.50

Embroidery Floss: 1.50

Heavy Duty Needles: .50

Rice: 1.50

Peppermint Essential Oil: 11.00

Cocoa: free (had on hand)

Mint: 3.00

Beeswax: 10.00

Brown Sugar: free (had on hand)

White Sugar: free (had on hand)

Mason Jar: free (had on hand

= $31.00

Divide by 4 (I can get 4 total masks out of the 1/4 yard felt, 4 total soaps out of the one block of beeswax, and I have enough mint to do 4 total gift sets, but I will for sure have left over essential oil and obviously sugars) = $7.75 each. I say that is quite the deal for a spa gift set.