Decorating/ DIY/Crafts/ FUN/DIY/ HOME/ Homemade Gifts

DIY Himmeli | IF: Gathering Decorations

A DIY Himmeli made from straws is one of my favorite DIY project so far. I made them last year to decorate tables for our local IF: Gathering, and find myself re-imagining how they can be used again for this year’s IF: Gathering.

I have loved using them in my home all throughout the year to add geometric shape and shimmer to my home decor. I even used them as our main Christmas tree decoration this year–it was beautiful!

What is a himmeli?

The himmeli is a traditional Finnish holiday decoration made out of straw, and it remains popular today.

They can be simple or complicated, depending on your preference. Traditional himmeli’s are breathtakingly beautiful! I kept mine simple, made from plastic straws, wire and gold spray paint. I made about 25 of them last February. Although it took some time to create them, it was a simple process and I have benefited from their beauty all year!

DIY Himmeli

The above DIY himmeli video is what I watched to make mine. I used 22 gauge wire instead of string. I tried both and wire was so much easier to work with!

I used regular plastic bendy straws and Rust-Oleum Metallic Gold Spray Paint to give them a metal-like finish. I made all different sizes. This year I am going to spray the himmeli with Copper Metallic spray paint, as some have chipped over the year and copper will go better with the branding of this year’s IF: Gathering.

The branding this year for IF: Gathering 2017 is so beautiful with lots of fun geometric shapes and great colors as the picture above shows. The rest of the photos on this post are from the decorations I did last year, and I am thankful that much of it can be reused this year with just a bit of tweaking as it fits so well.

What is the IF: Gathering?

The mission of IF is to gather, equip, and unleash women to live out their purpose. We will gather around tables, food and conversation and will be equipped through teachings and panels discussions. We will be unleashed by being given an opportunity to support ministries and encouraged to step out in our own lives.

“At IF:Gathering 2017, we’ll look at one of the most influential generations that have ever lived — the early church. The way God moved through them was simple and pure. We believe they are the model we need right now. Our dream is that we would experience the power of God as He does big things through simple acts of faith.” —IF: Gathering

What is IF: Local?

IF: Local is where women gather in homes, neighborhoods, churches or event centers. We gather together and over the weekend watch a 2-day livestream.of the main IF: Gathering in Austin, Texas. The simulcast provides great structure, but also flexibility so that we can gather around tables of food, enjoy conversation and meeting together. There are thousands of other IF:Locals from across the U.S. and internationally. This blows me away! Check to see if there is one by you, and if you live near Lincoln, Nebraska, come to ours!

The tables we sit at are an example of what I get to decorate each year. I love creating beauty and atmosphere for women to come as they are and enjoy the gathering. It is a gift to be involved with it each year.

Our local fee is ONLY $10 if you sign up online. Don’t know anyone going? You will find wonderful women friends gathered around tables with a spot open for you, and I will be there so seek me out! Have ‘littles’ at home and can’t give up an entire weekend? Then just come gather on Friday, or just Saturday. Come as you are, when you can.

IF:Lincoln Event Information:

This schedule is subject to small changes. All times are Central Standard.

Join us at City Impact for IF: Lincoln! We are super excited to have this opportunity again and will be providing more opportunities to interact around the table and hear from local Lincoln ladies.

Friday 5 PM- 9:30 PM. IF goes live at 6, so come with plenty of time to sign in, grab dinner, and meet a new friend.

Saturday 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM. Join us for breakfast and a day full of IF! Lunch is on your own- perhaps with your table mates.

The local fee is $10 to cover our local costs.

Contact the host if you have any questions. Email Lynnette Hendrickson at nette6132@yahoo.com

Register Here –>

https://register.ifgathering.com/event/iflincoln

Let Us Know You Are Coming at our Facebook Event Page –>

https://www.facebook.com/events/1124761690935730/

Join us on Facebook–>

https://www.facebook.com/iflincoln

Follow on Instagram —>

https://www.instagram.com/iflincoln/

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Don’t live in the Lincoln Area? Don’t despair, for there are gatherings happening all over the world. Click here to learn how to find one happening around your area!

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FUN/DIY/ Homemade Gifts/ RECIPES/ Sweets

Fudgy Buttons Homemade Gift

These little Fudgy Buttons make an easy and thoughtful homemade gift that can be put together in minutes.

Fudgy Buttons are delicious little morsels of peanut butter and chocolate, and are perfect as a gift because—who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate? They use just 5 ingredients most people will have on hand. Although far from healthy, they are so much better for you than buying the typical peanut butter and chocolate candy.

Case in point? Let’s compare ingredients:

Ingredients list for homemade Fudgy Buttons:

Peanut Butter, Cocoa, Powdered Sugar, Milk, Vanilla

Ingredient list for a popular chocolate peanut butter cup candy:

Peanuts, Milk Chocolate, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, (Chocolate, Nonfat Milk, Milk Fat, Lactose, and Soy Lecithin, and PGPR, Emulsifiers)Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Cottonseed, Soybean, Palm Kernel, and Palm Oil)Sorbitol, Dextrose, Chocolate, Nonfat Milk, High Maltose Corn Syrup, Refined Palm Kernel Oil, Cocoa Butter, Salt, Corn Syrup, Whey, Whey Protein Concentrate, Caseinate, Soy Lecithin, Artificial Flavor, Glycerin, Lactose, Mono and Diglycerides, and TBHQ.

See what I mean? Simple recipes like these Fudgy Buttons are a great way to have sweets without ingesting a bunch of preservatives and ingredients, some that are impossible to pronounce!

My Colsie is a big fan of these Fudgy Buttons and of her Grandpa, so making them for him as a homemade birthday gift was the perfect idea. This recipe is one of the few recipes that will get her in the kitchen, especially when she has a sweet craving. My youngest, Avery, makes them, too, especially when there are no sweets to be found in our kitchen cupboards. The recipe has been a family favorite for a while, and was even part of our “Head Shaving Party” food back in 2010 when I was going through chemo. Chocolate and peanut butter truly DO make everything a bit better!

Colsie is very close to her Grandpa and loves him so much. He is an amazingly generous man, but is not a big fan of receiving gifts. He always loved homemade cards from the kids when they were younger, but now Colsie is 15 she wanted to do something a bit more.

I had supplies on hand to package them cute, which is key to making homemade goodies into a meaningful gift.

You can purchase the tins here on Amazon, and can buy these fun little mini baking cups, or just separate layers of fudgy buttons with parchment paper. I love raiding the dollar bins at Michael’s craft stores for different ribbon and tags to have on hand for homemade gifts.

This is the perfect gift not just for Grandpas, but for teachers or friends, young or old. You may want to do what Colsie did —double the recipe and keep some for yourself!

Fudgy Buttons

4 Tablespoons butter
3 teaspoons baking cocoa
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoons milk
4 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter

In a small saucepan, melt the butter; remove from heat. Add cocoa and mix well. Stir in sugar, the mixture will be quite thick. Add milk and stir until smooth (you will feel like you should add more milk but don’t. The peanut butter will make it creamy and perfect.) Add peanut butter and mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Roll into balls and flatten with your thumb.

{For Your Pinning Pleasure}

Decorating/ FAMILY/ Homemade Gifts/ Kids/Family/ Sponsored

Office Makeover Surprise For Father’s Day With Snapfish

I recently surprised my husband Todd for Father’s Day and made over his work office. I had the help of fun personalized photo gifts from Snapfish.

My Todd spends much of his time serving and giving to others, especially to our girls. He works at a non-profit organization helping under-resourced youth & then comes home and is the most hands-on Dad with our 3 teen girls. There is a lot of estrogen in our house and he embraces every moment– especially the dramatic ones–and brings a beautiful calm.

I wanted to do something super special for him to honor him on Father’s Day and to thank him for being such an amazing Dad to our 3 girls. He is the best example of the modern dad who is engaged with his kids, redefining what being a great dad looks like. I know he is so proud of his girls and is going to love showing the world that by displaying it in his office. The only thing close to decor that was in his office before I tackled it was one small picture of his girls, so I knew he would really like being surrounded with more photos of wonderful family memories.

I asked for the keys to his office and told him not to ask questions. I like getting bossy like that. I loaded my car with a hammer, nails, a few select decor items, and my personalized Father’s Day photo gifts from Snapfish, and drove to his office after-hours.

I started by hanging the above wood panel that I created on Snapfish with a photo from one of Todd’s favorite places on earth–Universal Studios. I love this captured memory of Todd and the girls walking down the street toward fake studio buildings. I love that it captures movement and the backpack that Todd insisted on carrying the whole trip–my sweet gentleman husband! It shows us wearing matching, made for comfort shoes, something that would never happen now that my girls are teens & too cool to match Mom & Dad!

Snapfish allows you to make one-of-a-kind gifts & embellish your photos with just a click. I kept it simple with this wood panel. I used a small background black rectangle, faded it so the image could come through a bit, and added text saying “BEST DAD” on top of it in white.

Here are examples of what you can do:

Photos: Upload pictures from your device, Facebook, or Instagram.
Layout: Layouts vary per product, so check out what is available for each
Designs: Pre-designed templates make it easy to create. Edit and switch out designs to your liking.
Backgrounds: Select colors, patterns, or designs as a background
Embellishments: Hundreds of cute embellishments, sassy sayings, and themed collections
Text: Add phrases that help caption the moment.

I also made a personalized aluminum photo panel that sits upright on his desktop. This is the coolest! It is a super thin & modern metal panel, and looks great with the round silver platter I put on his desk to gather his supplies.

I chose one of my favorite photos of Todd and the girls when they were little. We were at the lake standing on a dock and were about to go on some paddle boats. I remember it like it was yesterday! Look at their curls! Look at how happy they are with their Daddy! Look how little Avery hugs his leg! Be still my heart…so precious.

I added a pendent-type overlay embellishment to this one, and chose a text template that says “Dad,we love YOU.” It was already created, I just had to drag and drop. So easy!

I spent some time organizing his bookshelf & added a plastic plant & grey storage box at the top. Fake greenery is good as my Todd does not have a green thumb! I put a second silver platter on a middle shelf and put his water bottle & some supplies that will be within arms reach from his office chair.

I added another brown storage bin at the top of his tall file cabinet with a gold himmeli that I handmade. I also hung up a bulletin board that had been leaning against the wall on the floor for a couple of months.

I added a plastic but pretty green succulent to his desktop and put some pens into a personalized photo mug, also made on Snapfish. I made two mugs for him, one to store pens and one to drink out of. I added a heart embellishment to one of them and font to both of them. So much fun!

{for your pinning pleasure}

Todd went to work the next day and walked into his office to find my surprise. He loved it. He told me “everywhere I look I see family. I’m surrounded by family & I love it.” Aww! I love HIM!

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WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE YOUR OWN SNAPFISH PERSONALIZED GIFTS?

Check out all the cool photo gift options at Snapfish and enter to win one of thirty-five $50 Snapfish codes below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

18+, US Residents Only and only one winner per household. Winners will be selected and notified by Clever Girls and/or Snapfish by Friday, June 17th. Good Luck!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Holidays/Parties/ Homemade Gifts/ Mothers Day/ Sponsored

Why I’m Getting My Mom Butter For Mother’s Day

My Mom is the type who loves me no matter what I do–even if I were to get her butter for Mother’s Day–which is what I plan on doing. Butter as in BUTTER CHARDONNAY!

A Mother’s Day Butter Chardonnay Gift Basket

I made my Mom this fun wine gift basket for Mother’s Day, and I just might add a real tub of butter in it right before I give it to her, because, who doesn’t love butter? My Mom has a great sense of humor and would smile at my butter tub.

I know for certain that the star of the gift basket, JaM Cellars Butter Chardonnay, will bring a smile to my Mama’s face.

Isn’t she beautiful? My Mom’s name is Sharon Rose, but even though there is a beautiful flower in her name, I think she would enjoy a bottle of delicious wine over a bouquet of flowers as a Mother’s Day. She deserves a gift that will delight her and that is as fun as she is. I didn’t want a typical Mother’s Day gift for her. I wanted to personalize a gift for her that would put a smile on her face, show her that I know her and was thoughtful with what I bought her, and one that would pamper her.

I had a ton of fun choosing gifts to fill my basket, and I cannot wait for her to see them, which she will when she read this post. She is my biggest fan and has to live with me posting her gifts online before she even receives them! She won’t mind, especially after she tastes the wine! This wine melts in your mouth! It is smooth, ‘buttery,’ and drinkable with just about anything.

JaM Cellars Butter Chardonnay is 100% Chardonnay, grown in sunny California spots with just the right touch of cool from the coast. JaM Cellars uses great winemaking traditions to make easy-to-love, everyday California and Napa Valley wines. “JaM is actually short for John and Michele, second-generation vintners who own and run JaM Cellars. They have a passion and gift for making exceptional quality wines. You can find Butter Chardonnay in a store near you with the JaM Cellars WineFinder. It is at select stores across the nation including Wholefoods, Kroger & more.

How To Make A Customized Wine Gift Basket

Choose a Wine

I chose JaM Cellars Butter Chardonnay & you should too! Rich, bold, easy-to-love creamy Cali Chardonnay. It is Butter-licious, aged in a blend of oak for a lovely, long, vanilla finish that’s uniquely Butter! Especially choose this wine if the gift basket is for your Mom, because Mom’s deserve Butter!

Choose a Basket

~Choose one that fits the taste and personality of your recipient. I think my Mom is going to love this modern, gold geometric basket. If she doesn’t like the basket, no worries–I will steal it!

~Choose one that will coordinate with your wine. My item was of course, JaM Cellars Butter Chardonnay, so I chose modern & fun, gold with cool angles.

~Choose one big enough to hold all of the gifts you want to include.

Add something sparkly or something with texture

I got my love of sparkly things from my Mom so when I saw this sparkly ball I knew it would be the great added touch. It is like adding a bow to the package but it is one that is usable and will remind her of me for years to come. It was between this sparkly ball or another ball I found that was soft and fuzzy. I could not have gone wrong with either! Sparkly or soft texture would both add a great effect.

Add a candle

Wine and candles are always a good thing! I’m loving the wickless- type candles that are battery operated. My Mom adores scented candles, but she also has some sensitivities to certain scents, so I played it safe and got her a wickless candle. I found one that had the perfect saying on it. It says “You Are My Sunshine.” She IS my sunshine, and it also looked so great with the rest of the basket. I thought the gold basket has a sunburst type quality to it, plus the black, gold and yellow color scheme of the candle fits perfectly, so the word “sunshine” just works for me!

Decided On a Color & Accent Color

~ I used the color of the label of JaM Cellars Butter Chardonnay bottle for my main color

~Choose an accent color or two. Keep it minimal. I choose black, shades of gold and yellow, and grey.

Add a personal touch

I added a picture of my Mom with my niece and nephew– her grandkids. It is one of my most favorite pictures of her. A photo is always a great way to add a personal touch, and the photo frame is a great way to add color to your basket. I purposefully chose a holder for the picture that is clip board style, because my Mom makes beautiful art and I thought she could exchange the picture for her drawings if she so desired.

Add some sweets

My Mom loves butterscotch candies so I thought they would be very fitting for my Butter Chardonnay basket! She also loves chocolate so I added some and paid attention to the wrapper, making sure it would coordinate with the rest of the basket. There were other chocolates that she would like but they were in a variety of bright-colored wrappers. Coordination is key when putting together a beautiful gift basket! Choose sweets with wrappers that coordinate, and again, keep colors to a minimum to avoid clashing & get a more streamlined, professional, custom look.

Add a filler

This could be anything from shredded paper, to a set of fun cloth napkins or place mats. I chose to use soft grey tissue paper.

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I Love You, Mom!

I sure hope my Mom feels spoiled when she receives her gift. I hope she feels loved and knows what a gift she is to me. She is so fun and has always shown me how to embrace the part of myself that is free spirit. She would sing silly to me as a child, which I passed down to my children by doing the same when they were young. She giggles when something delights her and her eyes twinkle when she does. She delights in small details, that too many walk through this life and miss. I love my Mom!

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Want to know more about JaM Cellars Wines?

~Their 2014 Butter Chardonnay and 2014 JaM Cabernet won SILVER at the 2016 San Francisco Chronicle International Wine Awards.

~Follow JaM on Facebook and Instagram for daily wine-spiration.

~Sign up for their monthly newsletter called The Scoop! to get news on Butter, JaM and Toast!

~Follow/Like JaM Cellars on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter | @JaMCellars Be sure to search #JaMCellars

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What about you?

Wouldn’t you love this Butter Chardonnay Basket for Mother’s Day? Yep…me too.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Brunch/ Featured/ Homemade Gifts/ RECIPES/ Sweets

Cranberry Chia Jam

I cannot get enough cranberries for some reason this season! I crave them. It all started around Thanksgiving with my Hall of Fame Cranberry Sauce, which was so good that I started putting it on my toast in the morning. Then the New Year hit and I wanted a healthier version, so I came up with this Cranberry Chia Jam recipe. This awesome recipe is sweetened naturally & packed with 2 superfoods; cranberries and chia seeds.

Cranberries

Cranberries are so very healthy. According to WebMD:

Cranberries have vitamin C and fiber, and are only 45 calories per cup. In disease-fighting antioxidants, cranberries outrank nearly every fruit and vegetable–including strawberries, spinach, broccoli, red grapes, apples, raspberries, and cherries.

One cup of whole cranberries has 8,983 total antioxidant capacity. Only blueberries can top that: Wild varieties have 13,427; cultivated blueberries have 9,019.

Cranberries are amazing, but being as tart as they are, it is tempting to use sugar to sweeten them up. There is a reason my Hall of Fame Cranberry Sauce is so good, and that is the 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar in it! I am really trying to detox from sugar so I had to find a way to keep my cranberry -jammed toast habit, but dump the sugar.

My solution was to sweeten the recipe up with honey or maple syrup instead of brown sugar, and cut the amount of sweetness way down. Another way I added some sweetness is by using the juice of the orange. The recipe calls for grated orange peel, so it made sense to use the juice from the orange as a natural sweetener.

Chia Seeds

Using juice and a liquid natural sweetener made the cranberry mixture a bit too runny after cooking, so my solution to this was chia seeds! I was giddy to think that not only would they thicken the jam and act as pectin would in regular jam recipes, (chia seeds swell and turn gelatinous) but they would add more health benefits on top of my toast!

Here are a few reasons why chia seeds are my favorite seed:

~they are jammed packed with protein and minerals and healthy fats and fiber

~they provide more plant-based Omega 3’s than any other food, even FLAX
~5 times the calcium of milk, plus boron which is a trace mineral that helps transfer calcium to bones
~8 times the omega 3’s found in salmon
~3 times more iron than spinach
~2 times the amount of potassium than bananas
~more antioxidants than found in blueberries

~they have 5 GRAMS of fiber PER TABLESPOON!
~the are a complete source of protein, providing all the essential amino acids
~can be stored for years without deterioration of flavor or color

~they are flavorless and dissolve in juice, soups, stews, shakes etc..

~they are low-calorie way to get super FULL!

My Morning Toast Habit

I am in a major morning toast habit. I have found my favorite bread from Sam’s called Dave’s Killer Bread, and it is full of seeds and nuts and all kinds of organic goodness. It has 6 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber & 670mg of Omega 3’s due to all of the great flax and pumpkin seeds in it. I make 2 slices so all of that goodness doubled. I like to use a softer bread for sandwiches, unless they are grilled or Panini pressed, but this bread is delicious with just a touch of sweet & makes wonderful toast. I buy it in bulk and freeze it. I take it straight from the freezer to the toaster. You can buy it here on Amazon or at Sam’s.

I use either Earth Balance spread or organic butter…whatever we have on hand. We do not drink milk around here but I have added some organic animal products back into our diet. We just do better health- wise with some good organic animal fats & protein, and it especially seems to be a positive thing for our family when it comes to brain health– but that is another post!

Cranberry Chia Jam As A Gift

Here is where I have to make a confession. I had a jar of my Hall of Fame Cranberry Sauce all packaged up and ready to give to my sweet neighbors during the Christmas season. They always give us great home-baked goods and I wanted to send a little something their way, too. I even shared a picture of it on my New Nostalgia Facebook page. I made a jar for them and a jar for us. Confession: I ate the jar for us… and the jar for them. I know! I know! I just couldn’t imagine my toast without cranberry sauce on top and mine ran out so I just had to open their jar and help myself.

Because of my selfishness, our poor neighbors didn’t get a gift until New Year’s…ok…I confess, I delivered it just yesterday. But, I feel like it all worked out well. They are very health conscience, so it felt great to give them my Cranberry Chia Jam instead of the sugar-filled Hall of Fame Cranberry Sauce, and last night I got a text from my neighbor letting me know he was looking forward to toast in the morning. I did have to dump the original Christmas packaging idea, and instead added a fun polka dot tag and a little hint of sparkle, as New Year’s day really was not THAT long ago, right?

Cranberry Chia Jam Recipe

makes 1 pint

2 cups fresh or frozen organic cranberries, sorted and rinsed

1/3 cup of organic 100% maple syrup or honey (more if you want sweeter)

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Peel of one orange, grated (or 2 clementines) I use the fine side of this grater.

Juice of one orange (or 2 clementines)

1 Tablespoon chia seeds

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Add all but chia seeds to a medium saucepan.

On medium heat, let the cranberries pop and cook, 7-9 minutes, mashing and stirring as they cook.

Let cool, then stir in the chia seeds.

Store in a jar. Jam will thicken upon standing.

This will keep for about a month in the refrigerator.

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Enjoy!

Do you love the taste of cranberries?

Do you use chia seeds? How?

Did you make any homemade gifts this holiday season?

Christmas/ DIY/Crafts/ FUN/DIY/ Holidays/Parties/ Homemade Gifts

DIY Wine & Snack Gift Basket

I love showing up to a holiday party with a little hostess gift. Usually I keep it small and simple, like a homemade snack in a mason jar. During the holidays, it is fun to get a bit more generous and creative, so I did! I made this this festive DIY Wine & Snack Gift Basket. Wine is the perfect simple, sparkly & sophisticated hostess gift.

Gloria Ferrer wines is the star of this DIY Wine & Snack Gift Basket. Gloria Ferrer caves and vineyards opened in 1986, is Carneros’ original sparkling wine house, owned and founded by the Ferrer family of Spain. Exuberant and fruit-forward, Gloria Ferrer wines go perfectly with today’s diverse and flavorful cuisine, and have earned over 400 gold medals and 50 90+ scores in the last 5 years. Needless to say, they are the perfect wine choice for my gift basket.

I chose the Sonoma Brut & the Royal Cuvée:

Sonoma Brut –91% Pinot Noir, 9% Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes: Delicate pear and floral notes backed by toasty almond. On the palate, one finds lively citrus, toast and apple flavors overlaid with persistent effervescence, a creamy mid-palate and toasty finish.

Royal Cuvée Brut –67% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes: The wine opens with green apple, citrus and honey on the nose. This continues into the mouth adding black cherry and brioche with Asian pear. The mousse is fine textured and creamy. Light mineral character and Meyer lemon continue into a long crisp finish.

After typing that, I am tempted to keep the basket for myself! They sounds so delicious!

I wanted a few fun things in the basket along with the wine. I wanted the basket to have a simple, classy and elegant feeling, to compliment the Gloria Ferrer Wine. I wanted a touch of glitz without being overdone.

Featured/ Homemade Gifts

Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub

I recently was part of a planning team for a local IF: Conference. I had the fun job of decorating. I got to create an atmosphere where the women who came felt comfortable, loved on and cared for.

Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub was a small touch, both for beauty and for pampering, that I put in the restroom. It got rave reviews from the women who used it. I personally love this recipe, and was delighted when it was so well received. I even got sweet comments on my Facebook page that evening– women asking for the recipe.

{photo from conference via Lelia Chealey}

This Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub is quick to throw together and leaves the hands so very refreshed and soft. Just take a small spoonful, rub into hands, then a quick warm water rinse and a blot dry. This will leave you with a slight bitof moisture that can be rubbed into your hands. It is a cleanser, scrub and moisturizer in one!

Don’t forget to rub the scrub into those cuticles. Winter can wreak havoc on cuticles and dry them out. When rubbing the scrub into your hands, gently massage into the cuticles, too. Then rinse. Then massage the leftover oil into your cuticles. My cuticles have never looked better after using this scrub!

It is addicting and amazing.

I keep a jar at all times at my kitchen sink. It sits on my kitchen sill in a cute little mason jar & has a fun, tiny little spoon with it.

I also have made a batch for the shower and used as a full body scrub. It is amazing stuff!

I highly recommend adding lemon essential oil to this recipe. It makes the world of difference in how your hands smell after using the scrub, and adds great cleansing and even lightening properties for those pesky age spots we get on the back of our hands. It truly is divine!

Lemon Sugar Scrub

{via I Heart Naptime}

2 1/2 cups sugar, divided

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (almond or jojoba oils works well, too)

1 lemon

5-7 drops lemon essential oil (optional, but not really!)

~Put sugar in a large bowl. Set aside. Measure out 1/4 cup of coconut oil and place it in a microwave safe bowl. Heat coconut oil in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or until the oil is melted. Add 5-7 drops lemon essential oil & stir. Pour oil over sugar and mix to combine.

~Using a zester or small rater, zest the rind of 1 lemon. Then, cut tested lemon in half and, using a juicer or a fork, juice the lemon. Remove any seeds from lemon juice. Add lemon juice and zest to the sugar mixture and stir to combine.

~If sugar scrub is still too “wet”, add up to 1/2 cup more sugar until desired consistency is reached.

~Store in a cute little jar, with a cute little spoon.

~Add a free printable label courtesy of I Heart Naptime.

Keep for yourself or give away as a sweet and meaningful gift. Enjoy!

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