Amy and Terry are off on a Hobby Lobby field trip without me (not that I’m bitter or anything) and so I get to do the post today! In all seriousness, I don’t begrudge them their trip. They are in Virginia, after all, and I’m in North Carolina, and they have been LIVING WITHOUT A HOBBY LOBBY this whole time! Can you believe that? They’ve been so deprived…I assume they took the trailer to carry everything home from the new Hobby Lobby that just opened near them.
I wanted to do another post on quick and easy gift ideas. If the Christmas cheer in a bottle (a.k.a. homemade liquor) post wasn’t your style, here’s one on easy, homemade ginger and lavender bath salts. These are great teacher gifts or stocking stuffers, and you can use them throughout the year as a simple birthday gift, too. They’re inexpensive–always a plus–and easy to dress up with packaging ideas (more on that later).
Let’s get started: simply mix in large bowl 2 cups of baking soda, 1 cup of Epsom salts (buy these in the pharmacy section), and 2 tablespoons of ground ginger. If you want lavender, then omit the ginger and add about 10-15 drops of lavender essential oil. Mix thoroughly and package it up–that’s it! Some people add colored dye, but I’m not into adding artificial coloring unless it’s absolutely necessary. Of course, you could substitute any essential oil that you prefer. The possibilities are endless! This makes one batch, and of course you can double, triple, quadruple it, etc etc.
Presentation is everything, so have fun packaging it up. Pour it into cellophane bags, like the Wilton treat bags that you buy in the cake decorating section of the hobby store, or put it in a mason jar. Tie it off with some ribbon or raffia, and use these printable labels if you’d like. I print them on white card stock or whole sheet sticker paper, and cut them with a 3″ circle or scalloped punch. If you find any old silver spoons at a flea markets or a yard sale, tie one to the jar (or bag) with the ribbon and it’s even cuter!
Click on photo to download and print
When it’s time to soak, the lucky recipient can throw in a few spoonfuls or the whole bag (depending on how bad her day was) and wash her troubles away. Come to think of it, why not keep some in a cute vintage jar by your tub?
