teacher valentine gifts: diy coconut grapefruit sugar scrub

While we've been hunkered down with days off school, I thought I'd actually get a jump start on valentines.

I really liked the boxes I put together last year...but wanted something different this time around.

I haven't quite decided what else I'm going to include yet...but I made sugar scrub to start. :)

I pinned a whole bunch of recipes...and for the most part they're all basically the same.

What I used:
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil {melted}
1/2 cup baby oil
1 1/2-ish teaspoons grapefruit essential oil

The coconut oil took about 30 sec in my microwave to melt.

Mix the sugar, coconut oil, and baby oil together.

Then add the grapefruit essential oil. {I bought mine at Whole Foods for about 10 bucks.  I've seen them on Amazon and the rumor on facebook/instagram is that GNC and Walmart also sell them. :)}

I scooped the mixture into wide mouth half pint jars.

I'd say the recipe makes juuuuuust about 2 pints...I'm saving the 4th jar for myself because it's not quite full.

Oh darn. ;)

I tied each jar with {my fave valentine} pink gingham ribbon and a wooden ice cream paddle {multitasking with the case of 1000 I have! Ha!} to make scooping a bit easier.

**Edit:  some of you have asked where to get the ice cream paddles...I bought mine from Amazon.

The tags are just a sheet I made in my word processing program and printed on kraft paper.  I traced the lids and trimmed them to fit.

xoxo

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over the rainbow {loom}

Thank you, Rainbow Loom.

Because there's only so much tv...
and only so much bickering...
and only so much bickering about tv...
we can take while this crazy polar vortex keeps us home from school.

I love how crafty it is.
And how colorful it is.
And how the boys can {pretty much} do it on their own {secret learning going on because you've gotta be able to spell to look things up on youtube!}.

The rainbowtized box doesn't hurt either. ;)

With a few breaks in between creations for Sister to wrap tourniquets around her tiny fingers with the rubberbands...
or take off into the other room with the hook...
and with only a few freak outs from me over the million rubber bands mixed in with the million Legos all over the floor...
we've all been happily occupied while we temporarily reside in arctic tundra.

We have fishtails and starbursts and ladders and triple singles and who knows what else I can't name for every day of the week and to match every outfit.

I feel like we've added a new member to our family after all the time we've spent listening and backing up and listening again to the peppy youtube girl {you just know she's going to grow up to be a creative blogger!} that makes it all look so easy.

So thank you, Rainbow Loom.
And now spring...hurry up!
xoxo

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sparkly valentine gift tags

Yesterday I shared some fun news...and today I have even more!  I was chosen to participate in #12monthsofmartha!  Seriously...so exciting!!

Anywho, for my first project I took Martha's pad of valentiney scrapbook paper, tinsel, and some buttons from my collection to make little tags perfect for dolling up gifts for Valentine's Day.

I started by punching large and small hearts and small circles in contrasting patterns.

I then sandwiched everything together with my glue gun...

starting with a circle atop the large heart...

then a tiny bit of tinsel...

then a glittery heart...

and finally a pink button.

I then put a few cookies in a small kraft bag and sealed it.  For the final details I added doilies, twine, and my cute new tags.

So easy but still super cute!

xoxo

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happy valentine snail mail

I'm so excited to share that I am now a contributor for eighteen25!

I'll be writing a monthly post over there...and you can check out my first one about valentiney happy mail  right here. :)
xoxo

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decembering.

Hi friends!  I know, I know...December is crazy for everyone!  We also celebrated both boys' birthdays and I've been working on something REALLY BIG {share that soon!}.  Plus some really yucky stomach bugs managed to ravage our family over and over...so I'm saying so long to December {for the first time ever we de-Christmased before New Year's!} by sharing a snippet of what we did {the good parts at least--ha!} all month.

Happy 2014!
xoxo

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