Homemade Gifts Edition #1.

I woke up this morning with a sore throat and a blocked nose, and as i am typing this post my head is swirling. Almost everyone in my class is fighting a cold, and since I got to Germany I have been taking the necessary precautions as to not get the cold. I have doubled my vitamin C, B, and zinc intake by eating lots of greens and orange fruits and veggies. Additionally, my daily multivitamin accompanied by breakfast is my mantra everyday.  Getting sick was the last thing on my mind, but I am; so i am wrapped up in bed with no vicks vapor rub (couldn't find any) taking these pills for the cold that I got from the pharmacy and hoping for the best. I guess coming from a hot climate to an extremely cold one (and I do mean cold, and it hasn't even snowed yet) can be a shock for anyone's body.  I have taken some wonder full pictures of Dresden, Prague,and Berlin however, I forgot the USB cord for my camera at home; so adding pictures will have to be a later project. I did promise more gift ideas and recipes for homemade gift giving; so here they are below: 

Scented  Sugar

Layer granulated sugar with aromatic edibles like: lemon, orange or lime  peel (first set out for a day to dry); rose petals,or vanilla beans. Mix small batches, and let them sit for a few days in the sun  in tightly sealed jars while the scents infuse the sugar. After a week they should be ready for gifting, just tie a beautiful bow around the neck and it would make a great addition to any gift basket.

Bath Salts

Ingredients
4 tablespoons jojoba seed or avocado seed oil
1 tablespoon organic essential oil: of lavender flowers, clary sage flowers, rosemary stems, or grapefruit, orange, lemon peel. (it all depends on what effect you are going for here. Do you want a relaxing calming effect?  then use lavender or chamomile.  The peels have a more anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effect so they would work for acne prone skin or to remove dead skin leaving a more fresh young skin).

      3 cups sea salt  ( the texture of the scrub is very important, I once gave my self a horrible rash because the grain of sugar that I had use in a scrub was too big.  You must know your skin, if it is very sensitive, then a course scrub is not the way to go.  Purchase a fine grain salt or sugar to be on the safe side with gift giving).  Some people use Epsom Salts, again it is all a matter of preference and grain size; maybe you can experiment with all. 

 

* You do not have to use any of the essential oils I have listed here, the sky is the limit but the they must be used in moderation. The oils can be purchased at a little store on Main Street, next to McKellys called 'Herbal Heaven' I find that his products are reasonably priced and they have listed on the bottles how and why they are used; i.e to combat what aliment. You should be able to purchase the Carrier oils( jojoba seed or avocado seed oil) here to if not just check Natures Way.

 

Bath Salts How-To
1. In a small bowl, stir base and essential oils together to combine.

       2. Then pour into a large bowl add salt and stir until well coated.  If the mixture appears too runny then add some more salt. If it is too dry then add more oil mixture, again feel the mixture between your fingers to see if it is a good consistency. 

     3. Divide mixture evenly between  sterilized jars and cover; you can even print labels from Microsoft to make these even more perfect. 

Crazy Crayons

Heat makes a crayon a little loopy; it may melt into a swirl or pool into a whirl. These blocks are easy for toddlers to hold and will surely inspire older artists. Encourage kids to come up with combinations: A blue-and-white blend for drawing the sky, for example, and a mix of reds and oranges for sunsets.

Materials
Old crayons
Mini-cake tins (use mini shaped tins  i.e. hearts, squares, fun shapes).

1. First you peel off the wrapping of old crayons and chop them up, take care to keep like colors separate so that they can be combined in interesting colors later. 

2.Preheat the oven to 150 degrees while children fill the tin with crayon pieces, arranging them in interesting designs.

 3.Bake just until the waxes have melted, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Remove the shapes after they have cooled. If they stick, place tray in the freezer for an hour, and the crayons will pop out.

Fruit Jars

 Ingredients

 1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted and cooled 

1/4 cup dried cranberries 

1/4 cup dried apricots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 

1/2 cup good-quality honey

*You can use any combination of fruits and nuts you want to. For example you can swap out the walnuts for almonds or hazelnuts or the apricots for dried apples or mangoes. 

Directions

1. Stir together nuts, honey,and fruit; transfer to a 6-ounce jar.Topping can be refrigerated in jar up to 1 month. 

Body Oil

  Ingredients

4 cups jojoba seed or avocado seed oil

1 pound dried herbs, flowers, or leaves, such as yarrow flowers, or dandelion leaves

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon organic essential oil of lavender flowers, clary sage flowers, rosemary stems, or grapefruit peel 

Directions

    

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees; place base oil and herbs in a casserole dish with a lid; stir until herbs are submerged. Cover and transfer casserole to oven for 4 to 8 hours, stirring every hour to ensure that herbs do not burn.

   2. Set a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth over a large heatproof glass measuring cup. Strain herb mixture into measuring cup, squeezing cheesecloth to remove liquid; discard solids.

  3. Pour strained liquid into casserole dish and stir in essential oil. Cover and let stand 24 hours. If fragrance is not strong enough, add another teaspoon of essential oil; let stand, covered, 8 hours more. 

4.  Using a funnel, divide liquid evenly between jars and cover. 

* You do not have to use any of the essential oils I have listed here, the sky is the limit but the they must be used in moderation. The oils can be purchased at a little store on Main Street, next to McKellys called 'Herbal Heaven' I find that his products are reasonably priced and they have listed on the bottles how and why they are used; i.e to combat what aliment. You should be able to purchase the Carrier oils( jojoba seed or avocado seed oil) here to if not just check Natures Way. 

Don't forget to take lots of pictures of the complete gifts and send them to me so that I can put them on Chic' Gourmet Face book page. If you get stuck along the way or have better ideas; or just want to say hi, please don't hesitate to leave a comment on the blog.