Easy Homemade Hand Scrub

I decided this year to make my Christmas gifts. I wanted to give something personal. I also believe that gift giving has gotten so out of hand that we are losing the true meaning behind what this season is about. Jesus! My attempt at home made gifts is to personalize the season, and to remind everyone that you don't have to spend an entire paycheck to show someone you care about them.  We should be doing that all year long, anyway. I also get to avoid the crowds of people who are frantically searching for the latest trend.  I LOVE this time of year, but it seems that people are careless and rude everywhere I go!Complaints aside, I settled on a hand scrub recipe that I found on...wait for it......... Pinterest! What I loved best about this particular scrub is that I had all of the ingredients in my kitchen! 

You will need: 

Sugar Dawn Hand Renewal dish soap (with Olay) 

Mason jar, size of your choosing. I used the 16oz. 

What to do:

1) Fill the jar about 3/4 full of sugar 

2) Pour the Dawn until it reaches just below the lip of the jar 3) Mix 

4) Add sugar until it's a pasty consistency 

That's it! I tied yarn around mine and put an ingredient tag for anyone who wants to make their own once it's all gone. My hands were amazingly soft!
(Excuse my photo that I labeled 1/3 cup sugar.)

I LOVE CREATING!

Homemade Air Freshener

I spend a lot of money on air fresheners.  Glade, Febreze, Airwick, Bath & Body Works Wallflowers.  You name it and chances are, I have it in my possession.  I do keep a clean house so it isn't as if I'm doing it to mask a smell.  (Well, we do have 2 dogs but they are bathed every other week.) With that said, I still have a fear of being one of those smelly homes.  Oh, you know the kind I mean.  It's the home that as soon as you walk in the door the immediate smell of dog smacks you in the face.  I've been known to ask every person who enters our home to please give me the honest smell test. "Does it smell like dog in here?  PLEASE tell me! You won't hurt my feelings.  I NEED to know!"  No one has ever said "Yes."  Yet. Soooo, after the number of people I've asked, I can't help but believe them. There would have to be an honest person in the bunch somewhere, right?  Right!  

Even still, I LOVE a yummy smelling home.  I came across a DIY air freshener that I  wanted to try immediately.  Unsure of how it would turn out, or how it would smell I decided to put my faith in it.  

Here's what you'll need:

A small jar (I used a 4 oz)

baking soda

your favorite essential oil

drilling tool

EXTRAs that I used:

spray paint

ribbon

I would love to tell you which "drill tool" that I used.  The truth is that I am ignorant when it comes to tools.  I needed something to punch holes in the top of the jar so I went into my husband's tool drawer and saw something that looked like it might work.  And it did!  It looks similar to a screwdriver but is very narrow at the end, like a sewing pin.  (Great description, huh?)

I first spray painted the jar using a Krylon fast drying paint.  10 minutes later, I was ready to make my first air freshener!  I filled the jar 1/4 of the way with baking soda, then placed about 12-13 drops of an apple cinnamon essential oil. (Happy fall!)  I then tied a ribbon around the top to give a decorative look.  *The original recipe called for 8-9 drops of oil but I immediately found that wasn't enough.  Tweak if needed.*

I liked it so much that I made one for my mom and one for my grandma, which I hand delivered this afternoon.  :) 

It smells delicious! However, I don't yet know how long it lasts.  I'll have to get back to you.  

Three things I know. One, it looks cute on my shelf.  Two, It smells nice...for now.  Three, I LOVE CREATING! 

UPDATE: October 15, 2012.  It has been about 24 hours since I made this.  Last night I noticed that I couldn't smell the contents anymore so I decided to move it from the living room to a smaller room, I chose the bathroom.  I'd like to say that I have a cold that is causing my senses to not work properly.  Or that I've gotten used to the smell.  Unfortunately, I do not think either is the case.  I can still smell the scent if I put my nose close to the jar.  Not exactly what I was hoping for. I'm bummed! Maybe I should add more oil?  More baking soda?  I think I'll revisit this another time.  I won't call this a fail because the smell isn't completely gone.   For now I think I may have to give this a C-.