Gift Ideas - A Pumpkin And A Princess

Lemon Rosemary Bath Salts

May 15, 2013 8 Comments

If you’ve been following along the last few months you may have noticed that I enjoy homemade bath salts, sugar scrubs, and soap making. Perhaps it’s the warm weather but I find myself infusing my bath salts, sugar scrubs, and soaps with lemon essential oil quite often. Today I’m sharing another favorite bath salts recipe with you. This homemade lemon rosemary bath salts recipe is perfect for the Summer months, with an invigorating lemon scent and fresh rosemary.

Last week I had the the honor of guest posting on TidyMom where I shared this recipe for homemade lemon rosemary bath salts. Using ingredients you may already have in your home, this bath salt recipe is easy to make and cost a fraction of what you might pay for in store.

Ingredients:

2 cups epsom salt

1/2 cup baking soda

2-3 tbsp fresh rosemary; finely chopped

6-8 drops lemon essential oil

2-3 tbsp lemon zest (optional)

In a bowl combine epsom salt and baking soda. Add in half of the essential oil drops, mix, then add in the remaining drops. Mix in the chopped rosemary and lemon zest if you decide to use it until fully combined. Store in an airtight container.

I like using mason jars tied with ribbon or twine. Plus who doesn’t love receiving a gift in a jar? Oh how I hope the mason jar craze never fades, they’re just so fun to work with!

Homemade Lemon Soap Recipe

Mother's Day gift ideas and homemade soap tutorial

Honey Brown Sugar Scrub

Homemade Brown Sugar Scrub recipe

Lavender Bath Salts

how to make bath salts

Lemon rosemary bath salts also make a lovely gift for house guests that may be visiting this Summer. It smells wonderful, perhaps one of my favorite paired scents so far!

Homemade bath salts recipe

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Homemade Lemon Sugar Scrub

May 10, 2013 6 Comments

Hey, hey crafty friends! Are you excited about Mother’s Day this weekend? If you’re looking for a last minute gift idea I have one more to share with you today. You might have already noticed that I love homemade scrubs, soap, and bath salts. They’re really easy to make and cost a fraction of what you can buy them for at the store, plus they make great handmade gifts. This lemon sugar scrub recipe is one of my favorites! It’s made with coconut oil, fresh lemon zest, and lemon essential oil. Trust me when I say this lemon sugar scrub smells delightful!

DIY Lemon Sugar Scrub

Homemade Lemon Sugar Scrub Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Organic Coconut Oil

1 1/2 – 2 1/2 cups Sugar

2-3 tbsp. lemon zest

8-10 drops lemon essential oil

Step one: In a glass bowl melt coconut oil for 30 seconds or until it becomes liquid.

Step two: Mix lemon essential oil and lemon zest with the melted coconut oil.

Step three: Add in sugar and mix until well combined. When making sugar scrub I recommend starting with 1 1/2 cups of sugar and adding 1/2 cup until you reach the consistency you enjoy the best. I prefer a coarser scrub with not as much oil so 2 1/2 cups of sugar is perfect for me.

The coconut oil and lemon infused scent makes this sugar scrub smell amazing. It’s the perfect sugar scrub for Summer; use it on your hands, feet, or whole body for silky smooth skin.

Here are a few more ideas that would make lovely Mother’s Day gifts and you can make in a cinch!

Homemade Lemon Soap

Mother's Day gift ideas and homemade soap tutorial

Citrus Bath Salts

homemade citrus scented bath salts

Honey Brown Sugar Scrub

Homemade Brown Sugar Scrub recipe

homemade lemon sugar scrub

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Homemade Citrus Bath Salts

May 6, 2013 19 Comments

Happy Monday! Are you ready for Mother’s Day this upcoming weekend? If you’re looking for handmade gift ideas for mom then stay tuned because I’ve dedicated this week to sharing Mother’s Day gift ideas that you can make in a cinch! Today I’m kicking things off with this homemade bath salts recipe that’s infused with citrus scents. This recipe for homemade citrus bath salts is easy to make and makes a wonderful Mother’s Day gift to help mom relax.

homemade citrus scented bath salts

This handmade Mother’s Day gift idea is part of my good friend Kelly’s Mother’s Day series. Yesterday the adorable Chelsea from Making Home Base shared a painted burlap canvas, it’s a must-see! It’s aqua AND there’s burlap involved..seriously go check it out because it’s adorable! Tomorrow Meredith & Gwyneth, The New Yorkie is sharing the last project of the series, so make sure to stop by and check hers out too!

Homemade Citrus Scented Bath Salts Recipe

Mineral and Dead Sea Salt (found at Michaels & Hobby Lobby)

2-3 drops orange essential oil

2-3 drops lemon essential oil

1 tbsp orange zest

1 tbsp lemon zest

In a bowl mix together ingredients until well combined. The orange and lemon zest will naturally color the bath salts, which gives is the bright yellow color you see in the picture. Once your ingredients are mixed together pour them into a mason jar or another air tight container.

I’m big fan of lemon scented spa recipes you can make at home. I’ve been waiting to share some with you for a few months and now that the weather is warmer it seems like an appropriate time to start sharing them! On Friday I showed you how to make homemade lemon soap with only 3 ingredients

Mother's Day gift ideas and homemade soap tutorial

and later this week I’ll have another lemon recipe. You can kind of guess where I’m headed with it since they’re all spa recipes and it’s a Mother’s Day gift idea, but I’m going to share with you anyways because I love it and I think you will too. :)

homemade citrus scented bath salts

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Homemade Lemon Soap {Mother’s Day Gift Ideas}

May 3, 2013 46 Comments

Happy Friday, my friends! I have another Mother’s Day gift idea to share with you today. This homemade lemon soap recipe smells amazing, it’s definitely one you’ll want to try. The lemon zest gives the soap a great texture and the citrus scent will leave your hands feeling rejuvenated. With only three ingredients required this soap recipe is easy to make and makes a wonderful Mother’s Day gift.

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

If you’ve been following along my soap making adventures this year I have to say that this is my favorite so far! For this recipe I used the goat’s milk soap base again because it makes soap making a breeze and it’s available at most craft stores. Beside the citrus scent what I like is that I didn’t need to add any colorant to the soap. The lemon zest mixed with the melted soap produced a yellow color on it’s own.

Homemade Lemon Soap

Supplies:

Goat’s milk soap base

Lemon essential oil

Lemon zest of 3-4 lemons

Step one: Cut soap into cubes and microwave in 30 second intervals (I like to use a large Pyrex measuring cup to melt the soap in). This recipe makes 3 bars of soap and I used 13 cubes of goat’s milk soap base.

Step two: Melt soap for about a minute. Add another 15-30 seconds if it’s not completely melted.

Step three: Once soap cubes turn liquid add a few drops of the lemon essential oil and the lemon zest; stir well.

Step four: Pour into soap molds and allow to harden for at least one hour. Press mold to release soap.

***Update: If you decide to use the lemon zest I recommend adding a preservative. I’ve read vitamin e oil can be used but haven’t tried it. You could omit the lemon zest and the essential oil will provide enough lemon scent.

Looking for more homemade Mother’s Day gift ideas? Here are some of my favorite!

Homemade Lavender Bath Salts

how to make bath salts

Honey Brown Sugar Scrub

Homemade Brown Sugar Scrub recipe

Homemade Lavender Soap

Homemade Lavender Soap

Mother's Day gift ideas and homemade soap tutorial

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Mystery Braid Bracelet Tutorial

April 5, 2013 40 Comments

Happy Friday, friends! Today I’m sharing with you my latest crafty obsession…Mystery Braid Bracelets! Yesterday I shared a picture on instagram and several people asked what the mystery is. The mystery behind the bracelet is that the braid is made without any loose ends. Still confused? Don’t worry I have pictures to show you exactly what I’m talking about. This mystery braid bracelet tutorial is easy to follow and you can find the supplies at your local craft store.

How to make a mystery braid bracelet

To try to make this tutorial easy to follow I’m going refer to the strands as 1, 2, 3 and left, right, center.

Step one

Take the bottom of your bracelet and flip it inside of strands 2 and 3 (you are moving it away from you). The strands will be twisted on the bottom.

Step two

Braid left strand over center, right strand over center, and left strand over center again. Now you’re going to flip the bottom of the bracelet in between strands 1 and 2. This will eliminate the twist at the bottom of your bracelet and flatten it out.

Step three

Braid right strand over the center, left strand over the center, and right strand over the center again. Repeat the the first step by flipping the bottom of the bracelet in between strands 2 and 3. You will now have a “twisted bottom” again.

Step four

Repeat steps two and and three until you can no longer braid and your strands are flat. This means that you will end braiding by flipping the bottom of the bracelet between strands 1 and 2, so that the entire bracelet is flat without any twisted strands.

How to make a mystery braid

Each bracelet was different for me, some were easy to make tight braids with and others only used a few braided sections (like the brown bracelets shown). It took me several tries to figure it out, but with a little practice you’ll be a pro at making mystery braid bracelets in no time!

In case you’re wondering you can find the leather bracelets at Hobby Lobby and Michaels.

If you have any questions feel free to email me apumpkinandaprincess {at} gmail and I’d be happy to help.

How to make a mystery braid bracelet

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Daisy Flower Paper Clips

April 3, 2013 6 Comments

Today I have another fabric flower tutorial to share with you. It’s similar to the fabric flowers I made a few weeks ago, but this time around I used them to make paper clips. These daisy flower paper clips are perfect for your home office or for keeping your kid’s homework together.

How to make flower paper clips

As I began writing this post I realized I never finished my project with the big fabric flowers, mainly because I wasn’t a fan of the direction it was going. I may just end up turning them all into hair clips and headbands for my daughter. She already has a few and loves them! She’s a total girly girl and loves hair bows/flowers lately.

For these flower paper clips I used a small daisy petal Clover tool. You can find these at most craft stores, I found mine in the Hobby Lobby sewing department.

How to make flower paper clips

Step one

Place your fabric wrong side up on top of the Clover tool. Close the tool, making sure your fabric isn’t bunched up then cut the excess fabric off.

Step two

The tool is labeled steps 1-8 of where you need to sew with your thread and needle.

Step three

Open the tool and gather your fabric to create a petal. Using the same thread repeat steps 1-3 until you have 10 petals completed. Tie your ends together tightly.

Step four

Glue a small piece of felt to the bottom of your flower. Hot glue the tip of the paper clip to the bottom of the flower. Add a small piece of felt on top for added support. Another method is to glue the paper clip directly onto the flower and then add the felt (flower > paper clip > felt).

Step Five

Add a button or rhinestone to embellish the top of the flower.

How to make flower paper clips

I have another paper clip tutorial to share soon, it might just be my favorite!

How to make flower paper clips

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Homemade Bath Salts

March 15, 2013 17 Comments

Happy Friday, my friends! Any exciting plans this weekend? I’m hosting a mini spa party with my best friend and our daughters. Its going to be a fun little girls night in! In preparation for our party I’ve been making spa party favors. Today I’m sharing a Homemade bath salts recipe. This lavender bath salts recipe is simple to make and is perfect for giving away as a gift!

how to make bath salts

Homemade lavender bath salts recipe:

1 cup Mineral and Dead Sea Salt

1-2 drops of lavender essential oil

4-6 drops of soap colorant

In a bowl mix together salts and lavender essential oil. Add in coloring and mix until well combined. If you prefer a darker color increase colorant one drop at a time until you achieve desired shade. Store in an airtight container to allow the lavender essential oil to infuse the salts.You can leave out the colorant if you would like to keep this recipe as natural as possible. Another great idea is to mix in your favorite herbs to the mix.

In case you are wondering I found the mason jars at Target, the mineral and dead sea salt at Michaels, and the colorant at Michaels as well.

Here are few more ideas you might enjoy:

Honey Brown Sugar scrub

Sugar Scrub recipe

Homemade Face Scrub

Homemade Lavender Soap

Fill sachets or mason jars embellished with twine and paper to give the bath salts as a gift.

how to make bath salts

Enjoy!

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Homemade Vanilla Latte Soap

March 1, 2013 28 Comments

If you enjoyed the Homemade Lavender Soap Tutorial last week and you like the scent of coffee then you’re going to love what I’m sharing with you today! After playing around with a few more homemade soap recipes I created Vanilla Latte Soap Bars.

homemade soap tutorial

Have I ever mentioned that one of my favorite ways to relax is to sit in a busy Starbucks reading a good book? For some reason the combination of the noise and coffee aroma relaxes me. These soap bars remind me of the scent of my Starbucks latte!

homemade soap tutorial

To make the soap I used goat’s milk soap base cut into 13 cubes. I used 13 cubes because I found that this makes exactly 3 soap bars with my soap mold.

Supplies:

13 cubes of Goat’s milk soap base

1/4 cup brewed coffee

coffee grounds

vanilla essential oil

soap mold

Homemade Vanilla Latte Soap Tutorial

1. Brew one cup of coffee; set aside coffee grounds.

2. Cut soap into cubes and place in a double boiler or microwave in 30 second intervals (I used a large pyrex measuring cup over a double boiler).

3. Melt soap over low-medium heat.

4. Once soap cubes turn liquid add a few drops of vanilla essential oil. Slowly add in 1/4 cup of coffee and coffee grounds; stir well.

5. Pour into soap molds and allow to harden for at least one hour. Press mold to release soap.

This homemade coffee soap recipe smells amazing! I’m still fairly new to soap making but I’m really enjoying it so far. I plan to try new recipes and more natural ingredients as I continue to experiment. I have a few Spring/Summer scents that I want to try out, and of course share with you some new homemade soap tutorials!

homemade soap tutorial