{Handmade Teacher Gifts on a Budget}

Squirrel has had a blast attending preschool this year. Unfortunately, because she attends the University's child lab preschool, she can only attend two of the three trimesters, which means her last day of school until April is this week. We wanted to find a nice way to say thanks to her teachers, and also to give a little Christmas cheer, all within our meager budget. So I thought some handmade items were in order. I whipped up a few batches of bath/body care items.

Here's Squirrel, VERY excited to make presents for her teachers, all our materials gathered and ready to go.

We used peppermint essential oil for each of the items, partly for a Christmas-y feel, 

and partly because I just love peppermint! We chose Sunflower Oil because 

I found some cheap at the Dollar Store (olive oil is another great alternative). 

Other items we used: Beeswax, Cornstarch, Powdered Milk, Coconut Oil, 

Candy Canes, Cornstarch, Mango Butter, White Sugar, and Honey. 

We also picked up some small zipper bags and cello sacks at the dollar store, as well as some lip balm tubes (19 cents each) and 1 oz containers (39 cents each) at the local health store. 

First up: Peppermint Milk Bath

1 Cup Powdered Milk

1/2 Cup Cornstarch

5-10 drops of Peppermint EO in a teaspoon of sunflower oil

Add ingredients together, mix, and you're done! 

We poured 1/4 cup milk bath into small baggies for individual baths. 

(This was definitely a mess-maker, but still fun!) 

Next up was Candy Cane Sugar Scrub. 

I decided for fun and color, to use candy canes because they are basically 

just sugar and peppermint oil, exactly what we needed. 

We opened and broke up about a dozen, and then pulverized them in the blender. 

{Candy Cane Dust!}

We used about a cup and a half of Sunflower Oil, and then added the candy cane powder. 

I then added about 2 more cups of white sugar until it was the right consistency. 

(Sugar should be about double the oil content, so 2 cups sugar, one cup oil.) 

Then we added a few more drops of Peppermint essential oil to punch up the aroma.

Lastly, we made some peppermint lip butter. 

We started with 1 oz of beeswax. (A double boiler would be easiest, 

but since I don't have one, I used a mason jar in a pot of boiling water. 

You can also use the microwave, just be careful not to overheat the wax!) 

Once the wax was melted, I added: 

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 tablespoon mango Butter

1/4 teaspoon honey

5 drops peppermint essential oil

We let it all melt, then poured it into lip balm containers. 

All we needed now was the labels... 

I created labels on the computer with directions and ingredients. 

Then I used packaging tape to apply them to the sugar scrub and lip balm containers, 

and stapled two milk bath baggies together with a tag. 

I put two baggies of milk bath, a container of sugar scrub, and a lip balm in cello bags. 

Then I tied on a note for each teacher and a candy cane to each bag, 

and they are ready to go! 

Squirrel is super excited to give her teachers their presents she helped make, and I'm happy that we made something homemade and super affordable. 

{Monster Hooded Towel} : : : A Tutorial

Ages and ages ago, I told Squirrel I'd make her a towel like Little Bird's. Well, I finally got around to it, and have tucked it away for Christmas as one of her handmade presents.

The kids love these hooded towels, so I thought while I made it, I'd create a tutorial for others to use as a handmade gift idea.

Please excuse the terrible photos--because I have busy fingers who like to sabotage my crafting, I am a nighttime seamstress, which makes photography a bit more difficult! :)

So here's the Monster (or Dino) Hooded Towel Tutorial!

Okay, here's what you need: 

1 regular sized bath towel

1 matching hand towel

1 contrasting hand towel

2 white wash rags

On the matching hand towel, fold it in half so the ends meet. Then use your favorite dinner plate to trace around and cut (the folded end).

With the contrasting hand towel, fold it in half (and then cut it) hot dog style, so you have two long strips of towel. Cut these roughly in half in a zig-zag style. Trim the ends so they have clear end points. 

Once you've cut them, you should have two two-layered strips that look roughly like this. We'll call them Scales A (layers one and two) and Scales B (layers one and two)

Next, pull apart the strips and sew Scales A, layer one to Scales B, layer one. 

Repeat for layers two. 

 When sewn, you should have two matching strips that look like this:

Next, sew layer one and layer two together, right sides together. In order to get the cleanest seam, use a straight stitch, and each time you come to a point where you need to zig or zag, make sure the needle is on the INSIDE of the corner: 

When you are done, you should have a set of scales that looks roughly like this: 

Now you need to turn these scales so the seams are on the inside. Use a pen to push the sharp corners of the scales out. 

You should now have a set of scales that looks something like this: 

Next, fold the bath towel in half, and cut along the fold. 

Pick up those hood pieces from before, and lay them like this on the halves of the large towel. Sew each hood piece to the towel piece, only on the bottom. I used a serger, but if you don't have one, just use a zig-zag stitch or a french seam.

Once you sew them, they should look like this: 

Now, you are going to place the scales between the towels. 

With the scales facing inward, layer them this way (towel, scales, towel) and right sides together. 

A towel/scales sandwich:

Make sure to pin really well! Those scales can slip around on you! 

Then, sew the seam, making sure you are catching all layers, from the front of the hood to the bottom of the bath towel, putting it all back together. 

Turn it right side out, and voila! Almost done! 

Next, use your two washcloths to cut out some teeth! 

And eyes! 

And use the scraps from the contrasting towel (scales color) to cut pupils for the eyes.

Sew the teeth in the same way you sewed the scales (straight stitch!) and then flip them. Pin them to the underside of the hood, and just do a single straight stitch across them. 

Use a straight stitch to sew two layers of eyes together, and then a zig zag stitch to sew one layer of pupils onto the eyes. 

Using a zig zag stitch, sew the eyes onto the monster!

You're done! 

Much cuter on a kid than a mommy, but hey, I sew at night.

You can also make a monster towel with horns instead of scales. (like the one seen here:http://apumpkintomyself.blogspot.com/2010/02/simply-handmade-little-birds-birthday.html ) 

 If you wish to do this, simply make the hood FIRST. Do not cut the large bath towel in half. One the hood is sewn, attach it to the bath towel. Make eye(s) and teeth in the same manner and attach. 

Cut out two 2-layer horns. Sew the horn layers together, leaving the bottom open. Stuff each horn with towel scraps. 

Cut a slit on each side of the hood. 

Insert horns. 

Sew the slit, and the horn closed with a straight stitch. 

Enjoy. 

Handmade Holidays

A couple of years ago, the Mister and I decided to take the handmade pledge--we worked our buns off to only give handmade gifts. It was pretty difficult, especially considering that I grew up with Christmases of the requisite grotesque display of commercialism (which I absolutely loved as a kid, but which I wrestled with quite a bit once I had a child of my own). I think the desire to have a Christmas that represents what the holiday is about and fighting the lure of commercialism and gift-buying that is glamorized this time of year is one of the toughest balances to find. I think my own parents did a remarkable job, and I grew up with a lot more joy in giving than receiving, but I doubt my own abilities to instill the same values in my own children. Those doubts turned into skepticism about the need for the commercial aspect of the holiday at all. And so it was that we threw ourselves into a handmade holiday. It did, in fact, turn out to be one of my very favorite years we had celebrated.

Buying and making handmade items was a choice we made for personal, economic, and idealogical reasons, but I found it benefited our ability to experience the season they way we wanted to, with the true spirit of giving coming to the forefront.  Giving handmade forced us to think more thoughtfully about what to give to our family members, rather than choosing the fanciest gizmo that popped up in the ads. We poured our own time and energy into the gifts, making the thank-yous more memorable. And ultimately, we established a tradition that I hope will stay in our home.

Though our Christmases are not 100% handmade/homemade this year, we try to put an emphasis on creating things from scratch, repurposing used items, and being extremely selective about what we do purchase.  Each of the kids are receiving a mixture of mom- and dad-made items, used/repaired items, and store bought presents from "Santa." We also try to make donations in other's names as presents. Handmade presents feel more thoughtful to me, help me feel like I'm not just marching junk in a parade to the landfill, and give me hope that working and economic conditions can start to improve around the globe. It may seem small, but if you haven't already taken the handmade pledge, give it a try!

Though it probably isn't too much help at this stage in the game, I'll be attempting to post some of the items I--and the Mister--are making this year. For now, I thought I'd round up some links for you, just full of ideas for a handmade holiday.

Sew, Mama, Sew! : : : Ultimate Handmade Gift Guide

Craft Stew: : : 50 Handmade  Gift Ideas (Gift Ideas by your Skill)

Mother Nature Network: : : 10 Elegant, Inexpensive, Homemade Gift Ideas

Skip to My Lou : : : Holiday Craft Gift Round Up

(Not really a holiday list, but tons of fun ideas over at my favoritest blog, MADE)

Twelve Crafts Till Christmas also has a ton of fun ideas and LOTS of tutorials, especially if you have kids to make gifts for!

At any rate, Happy Christmas! Here's a few terrible photos of us putting up the Christmas Tree! Check back tomorrow for a Christmas Gift Tutorial of my own!