I started this little project at the beginning of November. I filled a 1.5L mason jar with olive oil and tons of herbs (chamomile, calendula, red clover, and lavender, to name a few). I then left the herbs and oil to infuse for about six weeks in a coll, dark place, shaking things up occasionally.
The week before Christmas I strained the oil through a cheesecloth and then divided it up for two different prezzies: lip balms and skin oil.
The lip balms I "eyeballed". No recipe. I warmed the oil in a double boiler, added 100% shea butter, beeswax and let it all melt together. I then added some all natural pink lipstick leftovers and peppermint essential oil to half of the mixture, and orange essential oil to the other. The end products? Pink Peppermint lip glass and orange lip balm/hand salve. This stuff is SO yummy. I only wish i had added some peppermint/orange flavour too....maybe next year?
I poured the rest of the oil into glass vanilla bottles with some lavender essential oil. The herbal combination is perfect for everything from stretch marks, to cradle cap, to eczema, to dry skin and more......plus it makes your babies smell sooo good! We go through it like crazy at this time of year!
Crafting with Kidlings
This can be a tough one when your kids are young. At two, Winn is completely obsessed with crafting and yet, with limited dexterity and an even more limited attention span, it can be hard to come up with new fun crafts that she can really get involved in. I tried a number of different things this season but here are my two favorites...
A Gingerbread House Extravaganza!
Winnie helped me every step of the way on this one. We whipped up the dough together, cut out the pieces and (and some extra cookies) and then decorated with a house full of 2-4 year olds!
Together we made 10 gingerbread houses and with the help of her friends (and parents!) decorated them all. It was a bit chaotic but lots of fun...I would love to do it again!
Homemade Potato Print Wrapping Paper
This was super fun and turned out beautifully. We moved all the furniture out of the living room and threw down long runs of newsprint, paper plates of paint and potato stamps (I made these during nap time). Then, we went crazy. Correction, Winnie went crazy and I, quite neurotically, followed her around fixing things up, spacing things out and balancing out the colors. It was a blast. Winn did bail before things were completely finished but she worked hard and loved the large canvas and freedom to throw the paint around. Take note of the post-painting feet:) So cute.
Tomorrow: Knitting and Felting!
Yay! Have you got a recipe for a good face oil? I've got some 5% Moroccan rose extract and some sweet almond oil, do I need anything else? I've got some sweet orange oil, too.
ReplyDeletegreat ideas Jillian! Where did you get your tins and glass bottles? I am assuming an online business, which one?
ReplyDeleteFor face oil, I love adding vitamin E. It's really thick but I love the way it feels around my eyes, especially in the winter!
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