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.

Lavender Infused Home/Linen Spray

Just so you know, as I write this, my husband is watching American Idol and it's hard to focus on the task at hand. I don't know about you, but ever since I had my children, I'm a cry baby. I cry during commercials, I cry during sitcoms and yes, I have shed a tear or two watching American Idol and don't even get me started on the Biggest Loser.

O.K., one short crying story and I'll get to today's project. I was flying to Japan for work and sitting between two Japanese men. I am not a petite person, so my point is, they were definitely aware that I was there. I had my own monitor and started watching The Notebook. Puh-lease! I had no hope. I was crying and crying...ok sobbing. I'm sure these demure Asian men were silently reprimanding me for showing so much emotion in public. I'm part Japanese...but clearly it's not the holding in emotions part because I was a mess. And guess what...yep...I watched the movie two more times on my 11 hour flight. Sometimes a girl just needs a good cry...a good long cry.

Well today's project might make you cry because it's so SUPER easy, but it packs quite an impression on friends. It's Lavender Infused Home/Linen Spray. Actually, you can use whatever essential oil you would like, I just love lavender. I'll even include some recipes for different blends if you want.

I made these one Christmas. I gave them as neighborhood/office/friend gifts and they were a big hit. I wrote a poem about having a true Silent Night with the calming lavender and attached it to the spray bottle and cut my family initial out of vinyl and stuck it on, but you can use labels. So here is the pic. (Please don't judge my lack of photography skills...maybe I'll do a post about photographing your crafts!)

So here is how it's made:

1/2 cup distilled water
1 teaspoon vodka or witch hazel
5 to 7 drops essential oil of lavender

Easy, huh? I went with the witch hazel and it worked beautifully. You can buy essential oils at your local craft store, or online (ebay has good deals). I purchased mine at a boutique oil shop.

O.K. So the hardest part is finding the bottles, etc. I purchased these 4 oz sprayers online at http://www.essentialsbycatalina.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=51

One day, I hope to be able supply all this kind of stuff, but until then, I'll send you to my secret "finds." Believe me, if you like this type of sprayer, I just saved you hours of searching.

And the vinyl cut-outs, well, I have a vinyl cutter. So if you want, email me and I'll give you the friends discount, because who am I kidding...at this point...the only ones reading this are my friends.

Here are some other blends that you might enjoy. They all have a base of:
1/2 cup distilled water
1 teaspoon vodka or witch hazel

Deodorizing Spray - 4 drops bergamot essential oil, 1 drop eucalyptus EO, 2 drops lemon EO
Pet Deodorizing Spray - 5 drops cedarwood EO, 3 drops tea tree oil
Spice Room Spray - 5 drop cinnamon EO, 2 drops clove EO
Mood Lifter Spray - 3 drops chamomile EO, 2 drops orange EO, 1 drop ylang ylang EO
Stress Reliever Spray - 3 drops lavender oil, 2 drops rose EO, 1 drop sage EO
Night Night Spray - 4 drops lavender oil, 3 drops chamomile EO