Sometimes buying gifts is hard. You may not know exactly what the recipient has. You may not know what she needs. And you may not even know what she likes. And gifts are expensive! It’s frustrating to put a lot of time and money purchasing what you think is just the right gift only to find out later that it’s been returned to the store or relegated to the back of the closet.
If you are in need of a fabulous gift and want to get something all natural and inexpensive, this is the gift guide for you. These are DIY gifts so you can tailor the gift to the specific person you are making it for. With some fancy packaging, the recipient will never know that you didn’t spend lots of time and money purchasing something from an upscale, fancy store.
1. Spa gift
One of the easiest and most appreciated gifts is the simple sugar scrub. It’s so versatile that it can be given to men, women or kids. It’s appropriate for a wedding gift, a birthday gift or even a holiday gift. And you can certainly modify the recipe to have different scents or colors for every occasion. But if you’re unsure of which variety might be best, try the vanilla-brown sugar. It’s universally loved!
Ingredients:
1 cup white or brown sugar
½ cup oil (such as light olive oil, jojoba, coconut, sweet almond oil)
Directions:
Mix together and add in optional ingredients
Optional ingredients:
Vanilla extract, cinnamon, honey, nutmeg, or essential oils such as peppermint, lemon, sage, cedar, rose, sweet orange, sandalwood, grapefruit, lavender or eucalyptus.
2. Baby Gift
Most people don’t understand just how bad most baby products are. In terms of chemicals, they are sometimes ranked as the worst personal products to use. So – introduce your friends to an all-natural and safe DIY natural diaper cream.
Ingredients:
¼ cup shea butter
¼ cup cocoa butter
¼ cup coconut oil
1 tbsp beeswax pastilles
¾ tbsp old-fashioned, slow cooking rolled oats
Directions:
Grind the oats very fine.
Put everything (except the oats) into a double-boiler**
Allow to melt slowly
When melted, pull from burner and allow the mixture to get back to room temperature
Whip well with a mixer or immersion blender until well-blended
Mix in the oats.
3. Gourmet Food Gift
Just about everyone loves chocolate. But to really give a decadent gift, make some truffles! They look as if they take hours and require special ingredients, but it will be your secret that they are easy and simple to make.
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups chocolate chips (can use any flavor or brand)
¼ cup unsalted butter or coconut oil
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Directions:
In a double-boiler, combine all ingredients together and allow to slowly melt**
Whisk in optional ingredients (except liquor)
Spread in a casserole dish and place into the refrigerator for two hours
Remove from refrigerator and using a melon ball or small spoon, scoop out and roll balls of chocolate
Decorate and place on lined baking sheet
Refrigerate until set hard.
Optional ingredients:
Liquor or schnapps (add after the mixture has been refrigerated for 30 minutes).
Vanilla extract, almond extract, jams, nuts, coconut or food-grade oils such as peppermint, citrus,
Decorate with cocoa powder, shredded coconut, nuts, sprinkles, orange zest, cinnamon, crystallized ginger or sugar crystals
**If you don’t have a double-boiler, use a glass bowl on top of a medium saucepan.
