Mother's Day Gift Idea & a Candy Lei

Today is my son's birthday and I can't believe he's 9. He was due on Cinco de Mayo, but apparently wanted to be in the world before the celebration, which was fine by me because I was already on bed rest for 3 weeks. He was skinny and little and scaly and when they put him on my tummy after he was born, I thought..."Oh my gosh, he's not very cute!!" Then his bottom lip popped out (he was sucking on it) and he was VERY CUTE!

I remember holding him and crying after I came home from work on September 11th.  He was only 4.5 months old and I couldn't believe the world I brought him into. I remember coming home from work when he was about 9 months old, and he was in the garage with daddy and he was playing in a can of rusty nails...you can bet daddy heard a few strong words from me (and hasn't lived it down since). I remember when he was 2.5 and we moved into our new house, he decided to go out in the front and pee in the street. Nice first impression, huh? So we told him not to pee outside and the next day I found him standing in the house with the door open, peeing outside. Technically he was inside.

I could go on and on and that's one of the best things about being a mother...the memories. Soon, we will celebrate motherhood and my idea this week is a great Mother's Day Gift Idea for giving to someone else or giving it to yourself. It's simple and natural and fun to use.

Lime & Green Tea Sugar Scrub

This sugar scrub is great for relaxing in the tub as you exfoliate your body leaving your knees and elbows soft and supple (isn't that a gross word...I can't believe I typed it).

All you need is:

1 air tight container (I bought mine at the Dollar Tree...for a dollar)

1 cup sugar

3 Tbs. epsom salt (found at Walmart in the pharmacy section)

10 tsp. olive oil

2 tsp. honey

3 green tea bags

1 lime (or lemon) to zest

First, zest the lime. And set aside.

Then mix the sugar, epsom salt, and contents of the green tea bags.

Add olive oil and honey and stir till oil and honey are spread evenly. Then add the lime zest.

Place in airtight container. Then you can make your own labels, or tie a card to the outside or wrap your jar anyway you want. If you can find a small scoop, it would be great to put that in the jar. I made this for gifts and used the left over scrub in the bowl. My skin was soooo super soft. I love it. I think I'll be making myself a little mother's day gift this year.

Candy Lei or Toy Lei

Some of you asked for instructions on the Candy Lei or the Toy Lei. I used candy for this tutorial, but you'll see how you can easily substitute the candy for matchbox cars or lipgloss or other little toys.

First, cut strips of cellophane about 6 inches wide...wider if your toys are a little big.

You might need about 2 strips depending on the length of your cellophane roll. You will need about 6 inches more cellophane than the length you desire. So if you want a 36 inch lei, you'll need about 40-42 inches in strips.

You'll also need to cut curly ribbon about 8 inches long. Cut a bunch.

You can line up your candy or toys along the way or you can add it as you go. You need to at least lay down the first candy. Then you'll roll the cellophane around it.

Tie the first candy at the beginning of the cellophane and after the candy like this:

Then add some more candy in the "tube" you created and tie it off.

To join the two strips together, overlap them and tie them down.

When you are done, tie the two ends together with your curly ribbon and then curl all the ribbons.

You can add paper money to the lei like we did in the last post (click here if you didn't see that one)

Then you can give your graduate, your mother or your birthday boy a cute Candy Lei (or Toy Lei). Don't forget to give it with a kiss.

Happy Birthday Mika!!

Click here to see the tutorial on how to make candy/toy leis.
Click here to see the tutorial on how to make a SUPER EASY satin ribbon lei.