Tag Archives: shaving cream

Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas

Posted in DIY Tutorials by

Since it is already the beginning of December {how did that happen?!}, I wanted to share a few tried-and-true handmade gift ideas in hopes they’ll inspire you to DIY some gifts on your holiday list!

gift ideas

Below are links to either my version of the project [if I blogged about it] or a direct link to a tutorial I followed [if I didn’t blog about my version].

For everyone:

  • Mug Rug – These are great for anyone! You can pair it with a vintage teacup and a few bags of your favorite tea. {Find a bundle of mug rug gift ideas and a free gift tag printable in this post}

mug rug

  • Stationary Set – No better time to upcycle the year’s calendar than now – find my tutorial here. Don’t have a calendar to upcycle? No problem! You can use a magazine or vintage maps – like I did here.

envelopes

  • Quick & Easy Big Block Quilt – use the method I used for my Beach Blanket to save loads of time.

blanket

tree ornaments

Quilted Christmas Tree ornaments made by yours truly using the tutorial linked above.

  • Throw Pillows – You can find my tutorial for very basic pillows here (below: right). You can also read about the sweater pillow covers (below: left) I made here.

pillows

For more pillow ideas, check out my Pillow Ideas Pinterest Board!

For gals:

envelope clutch

  • No-Sew Blanket Scarf – confession: I haven’t tried this yet, but the tutorial from the OK Southerner (PS: Love her blog!) is pretty straight forward. This is a DIY gift anyone could make!
blanket scarf

{Images borrowed from the OK Southerner}

  • Addie K’s Canny Tunic – this pattern is very forgiving. Even if you don’t know the exact size of the gal you’re making it for, you can guess and it’ll likely still fit her. Plus, everyone needs a tunic like this for the holidays [hello desserts! And chocolate! And warm snuggles instead of running!].
{Photo credit: Addie Martindale}

{Photo credit: Addie Martindale}

  • Lace Locket Necklace – so stinkin’ easy! Elevate yourself to “Best Gift Giver” status if you can snag some lace from the recipient’s wedding dress. 

lace necklace1

  • Bossypants by Tina Fey – give the gift of a laugh-out-loud book sprinkled with moments of pure empowerment. {Spoiler: this is not a DIY…because sometimes you just gotta BUY the gift!}

bossypants For guys:

DIY

For little tots:

  • Cloth Baby Shoes – they’re easier to make than you think! Bonus: Make them from an old pair of Dad/Grandpa’s shorts!

shoes 3

For more ideas: Check out last year’s Handmade Holiday Blog Hop Recap (follow the links to the five blogger’s posts all full of ideas) or browse my Pinterest Boards where I’ve been frivolously pinning ideas I’ll never get to.

What are your favorite handmade holiday gifts? I’d love to hear about your favorites – leave a comment below!

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DIY Beard Oil & Shaving Cream

Posted in DIY Tutorials by

We celebrated the Hubs’ 27th birthday on February 5th. I love celebrating the Hubs – for obvious reasons [he’s awesome] and also because I always try to DIY most of his birthday presents which can be a fun challenge.

It’s not super easy to find DIY gifts for men that aren’t centered around beer (since he doesn’t drink that rules out about half of the DIY ideas online).

Well, this year I had some great ideas!

The Hubs has been growing a pretty nice beard which he has lovingly been maintaining because I told him I liked it 🙂

I have also recently purchased a Young Living Essential Oils Premium Starter kit that came with a set of everyday oils. I’ll admit that I primarily ordered my kit so that I could use the oils to make lotions, lip balm and shaving cream {and it was the biggest bang for my buck in terms of ordering a variety of oils}. There are tons of other benefits of having these oils, but that was my primary motivation 😉

And while I do love my diffuser (Stress Away + Lavender is my absolute favorite combination so far), the oils have proven very handy with my DIY projects.

{As a side note – by ordering the kit, I’ve become a “member” with Young Living. If you are interested in essential oils, I’d be happy to chat about them and share what I know [which isn’t too much]. If you want to place an order, I’d be so grateful if you used my member number: 2434224 :)}

Ok, back to those manly DIY gifts…


DIY

Beard Oil

Inspired by the Art of Manliness DIY Beard Oil post

Materials / Ingredients

Directions

  1. If you are using it, place the mini-funnel atop the glass jar and fill about half the jar with your carrier oil of choice (Almond oil).
  2. Add your essential oils. I used 4 drops of the tea tree oil, 2 drops of the peppermint oil and 1 drop of Frankincense.
  3. Close the jar and flip a few times to mix. Take a sniff and adjust the scent as necessary. If the scent is too strong, add more almond oil to dilute.
  4. Optional label: Add washi tape to the outside of the bottle and stamp or write (with permanent marker) “beard oil” for your label. You could get fancy if you have a label maker, but I’m a frugal DIY’er.
beard oils

Beard oil combination: Peppermint, Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree), and Frankincense essential oils.

Shaving Cream

Original recipe from One Good Thing by Jillee

Materials / Ingredients

  • Glass container(s) – I used three 4 oz. mason jars, but you could use 1 bigger jar if you prefer.
  • 2/3 cup coconut oil
  • 2/3 cup raw shea butter (I ordered mine from Amazon)
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (you could substitute other carrier oils like Almond or Jojoba)
  • 10 drops Lavender essential oil
  • 5 drops Peppermint essential oil
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • washi tape – optional label

Directions

  1. Add water to a sauce pan (so it is between 1/3 and half full) and bring water to a low boil over medium heat.
  2. Add coconut oil and shea butter to the glass measuring cup. Create a makeshift double boiler by placing the glass measuring cup into the sauce pan. Stir occasionally until both materials are completely melted.
  3. Carefully remove glass measuring cup from sauce pan (using an oven mit). Add olive oil and essential oils and stir to mix.
  4. You can either refrigerate until the mixture becomes solid or cover and leave on your counter overnight.
  5. If you’ve refrigerated the mixture, remove once it is solid and let it sit at room temperature for about half an hour.
  6. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and add baking soda. Whip mixture for about 3 minutes until it is smooth and fluffy.
  7. Transfer fluffy mixture to your jar(s) and store at room temperature.
  8. Optional label: Add washi tape to the top of the jar and write “Shaving Cream”. The jar I ordered came with labels so you could use those or add a fabric swatch to the top – there are all kinds of options with mason jars.

Had I been better prepared this year, I would’ve made the Hubs a new toiletry bag (like this one or this one) to store the two.

What are some gifts you’ve made for the men in your life? Share your experiences and ideas in the comments! {And help me be better prepared for next year!}

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