Homemade gifts=bliss

This year we decided to do mostly homemade gifts for our families as well! (I showed you in the last post what I made for hubs).

Scarf:
Measures about 5ft 2 in long. I used 2 kinds of fleece (solid black, and black/white squares). Sewed them together straight down the middle (using the lightening bolt stitch) and cut the fringe. Fleece is glorious because it won’t unravel.

Homemade Laundry Detergent:
We’ve been using this mix for months. I seriously will NEVER go back to storebought JUNK. Here’s the recipe I use (I’d be interested sometime in making liquid, but for now the powder works!)
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
1/2 cup oxiclean
1 bar of soap (I use Dove unscented becasue we have very sensitive skin in this house) grated.
Also, I leave out the bar of soap for my Cloth Diaper Recipe. I do use Tide every couple of loads for the diapers for some microfiber stink issues I’m having. I would love to switch out the microfiber inserts for some hemp or bamboo but that’s a totally different topic for a different post.
When I use it in the wash, I always start with warm water to dissolve the powder. Then turn it to cold.

Wool Dryer Balls:
The biggest trick to this is finding 100% wool yarn. I wrapped it around a tennis ball, sent it through a hot wash/dry in a sock tied tight with string. Although I haven’t made one for myself, they are supposed to be a natural fabric softner. We don’t use dryer sheets anyways, but this is supposed to soften clothes in the dryer. Some sites I visited said they can last up to 2 years! Woot to saving moolah and being eco friendly!

Hand or foot scrub:
I eye-balled this one. I started with 2 cups of organic sugar and added peppermint essential oil to preference (haha I almost said taste, but this is not for eating!). Next I drizzled in so Extra Virgin Olive Oil until the sugar was wet but not soaked. I tested out what was left in the bowl after I filled the mason jars and I was SHOCKED at how soft this left my hands! I also added some coloring into the mix. I used soap dye from hobby lobby.

Mousepad:
This idea I got off pinterest (which is where most of my ideas come from). I found some cork at a thrift store (wally sells it for $5 for 4 panels). I found my template online and cut the cork according to it. Cutting the cork was the.hardest.part. Next I cut the fabric a little smaller. ModPodge the fabric to the cork and then a coat of modpodge and sealer…voila! I wish I had taken a picture of the backside. Because the cork is smooth, it will slip on the desk-top, so I put some hot glue dots on the back and left it to air dry. The hot glue sets and creates a rubbery slip grip.

Christmas Tree Shirt:
Scraps of ribbon- heat sealed on the ends. Sewn to a shirt!
Coasters:
4- 4×4 tiles. Printed pictures, glued to tile. Spray sealer to set ink. ModPodge picture to tile (4-5 coats). Then I added 2-3 more coats of sealer. I wish I could say this was as easy as it looks, but it was annoying. At first the ink smeared. Then the pictures bubbled up. ARGH. :) I added felt “feet” on the back.
Initial Ornaments:
Made these for my co-workers. Acrylic paint, sealer, and ribbon scraps.

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