Handmade Love: The Ultimate Father's Day Gift Guide

Dad to the Bone Card from One Canoe Two
Blue Shaving Set for Dad from Miri Hardy Unique Handmade Pottery
Basil Lime After Shave Lotion from Botanical Naturals
You the Man Mug from Lenny Mud
Dirty Dishes Mature Beer Steins from My Only Regret Besides Dying
New Dad Race Car Playmat T-Shirt from Swanky Turtle
Nose Eye Glasses and Gadget Stand from Art Akimbo
Handmade Leather Credit Card Holder from by Asros
Woodsman Mason Jar Candle from Hello Sunlight

Gifts for the Dad Who Cooks
World's Greatest Daddy Grill Master Cutting Board from The Cutting Board Shop
Walnut Magnetic Knife Holder from Gifts For You Now
Industrial Rustic Kitchen Spice & Pot Rack from Keo Decor
Craft Beer Brewing Kit from Craft a Brew
Man Crush Monday Apron from Paris Chic Boutique
Personalized King of the Grill Tool Set from Gifts For You Now
BBQ Rub Sampler from Spice Expressions
Engraved Casserole Dish from Glass Blasted

Gifts for the Handyman Dad
Personalized Engraved Hammer from Creative Butterfly XOX
Any Design Custom Tool Belt from Looking Glass Memory
Hand Forged Garden Tool Gift Set from Homestead Ironworks
Vinyl Record Clock - Pink Floyd from The Vinyl Clocks

Gifts for the Sporty Dad
Personalized Golf Ball Marker with Case from The Landlocked Dog
Our Daddy Loves Hunting Burlap Sign from Burlap Blondie
Men's Football Cuff from Ruby Lavender
Customized Baseball Key Chain from
I Love it When My Wife Lets Me Watch Hockey Shirt from Unicorn Tees

Gifts for the Geeky Dad
Darth Vader Wallet from World of Leathercraft
Light Brown Bullet Bracer from Live Darkly
Men's Geeky Circuit Board Key Chain from ReComputing
Iron Man Bottle Opener Ring from NiqueGeek
Star Trek Comic Drink Holders 4 Pack from PDX Soft Goods
Dad Yoda Best Mug from The Mug Emporium
Game of Thrones Funny Father's Day Card from Everburg Design Studio
Gamer Dad and Newbie Shirt from Revolution 46

What type of dad do you have?

DIY: Handmade Sugar Scrub - Great Gift Idea!

Sugar may not be good for you when you eat it, but it's definitely great for your skin.  Sugar scrub is a fantastic exfoliation method, and personally, living here in Utah with a very dry climate, it's a MUST for my skin needs.  It needs to both moisturize and scrub away dead skin cells-and to be completely honest, it has to smell amazing at the same time or I want no part of it.

When Kristina and I got together to make our handmade bath salts last Christmas as gifts, it occurred to us that some of our friends didn't have bathtubs-so giving them bath salts would be kind of a crappy gift.  That's when the idea of putting together a sugar scrub came to life and it was almost as easy and inexpensive as the bath salts.  

• Sugar (white or brown)
• Base Oil (I prefer coconut, but Olive or Almond are also great)
• Essential Oil (make sure it's not just a scented oil-it needs to be essential so it's safe for skin and not chemical)

Your ratio for this mix is going to be 2|1.  2 cups Sugar to 1 cup base oil.  Coconut oil is pretty responsive to temperature so I had to heat mine up for about 30 seconds to make it mixable.  As for the essential oil it can take quite a bit more to stand out with this mix, so I put about 20 drops of essential oil in mine to make the smell stand out.  For this tutorial I'm using Lime, which goes wonderfully with the coconut.  I also threw in about 2 drops of food coloring.  I used green to match up with the lime.

When we picked did our bottles of sugar scrub in bulk for gifts we hit Costco and bought a huge bag of sugar (25lbs-I still have about a quarter of it in my cupboard) for about $10.  The Coconut oil was a little more money, we bought 2 giant jars of it for about $25 at costco, but I've since picked up some smaller jars (which are great for a batch or two) at Trader Joes for only $5 each.  They probably even out to about the same cost in the long run.

Olive oil was definitely cheaper, but it doesn't smell nearly as good.  However, it was totally necessary since I have a friend who's allergic to coconut and I really wanted to make her some sugar scrub.  I also used olive for my dad since it smelled a little more "manly."

Put it all together and mix it up.  It smells amazing and it's totally natural and safe-it's even edible, though I don't recommend eating it-it's not necessarily good for you even if it does taste kind of awesome.  Throw it in a jar and put it in your bathroom.  It has a shelf life of about 2 months (or more if you keep it in a cool dark cupboard so the oils don't sour) but you'll probably use it all up before that time.  It's so inexpensive and easy you can use it like crazy and not worry about breaking the bank.

What flavor would you want to make/use?

Friday Favorites: Mother's Day Gift Ideas

ONE. Chalkboard Lettering Mother's Day Card from Lily & Val.
TWO. Funny Mom Mug from Lenny Mud.
THREE. Rosemary Mint Hand & Cuticle Balm from Stella Kenton Body Shop.
FOUR. Mom Faceted Custom Bar Necklace from Hole in Her Stocking. → Take 20% off with code MOM20 at checkout!
FIVE. Funny Mother's Day Card from Row House 14.
SIX. Leaves Pattern Wooden Necklace from SimplistiCreations. → Take 15% off with code MOMDAY15 at checkout!
SEVEN. Personalized Mother's Day Cutting Board from The Cutting Board Shop.
EIGHT. Mother's Day Coffee Gift from Apropos.
NINE. Wooden Barrel Tricycle Flower Planter from Make Wooden.
TEN. Cucumber and Mint Scented Intense Moisture Body Cream from Parlo Cosmetics.
ELEVEN. Mother's Day Personalized Photo Charm Bracelet from WiReD Boutique. → Use code FREESHIP for free shipping!
TWELVE. Chalkboard Three Slot Mail Organizer from Southern Woods Style.
THIRTEEN. Time for TeaFloral Printable from A Little Loka.
FOURTEEN. Layered Sunshine Mom Necklace from Your Charmed Life. → Take 10% off with code mother05 at checkout!
FIFTEEN. White Tea & Berries Masion Jar Candle from Hello Sunlight.
SIXTEEN. Premium iPad Cutting Board Stand from Alaina's Adirondacks.

What are you getting your mom?

Giveaway: Enter to Win Handmade Laser-Cut Wood Earrings

Remember how last month I introduced you to the lovely Kat of SimplistiCreations?  Well she's back and offering another lucky winner their choice of a pair of handmade earrings (up to a $20 value), isn't that great?  It is!  Her stuff is so adorable!

Kat makes all kinds of charming things, not just earrings.  Look at these adorable coasters that any home would be lucky to have:

Or maybe you're getting married and you want to ask people to be your maid of honor/bridesmaids? She's got you covered:

Or maybe you're just a geek girl at heart like me, and you want to show your geek pride every where you go with one of these:

Or maybe you love animals or cutesy woodland creatures?  She's got earrings like those in abundance!

Those are just the tip of the iceberg folks, you should definitely head over to SimplistiCreations and check out all of the other awesome goodness you can find.  There are Time-Turner necklaces, wonderful paper-cut art pieces, and more!

Entering below agrees to all terms and conditions.  Giveaway is open worldwide and ends at 12AM on 4/29/15.

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Giveaway: Doctor Who Prize Pack from A Little Loka

Hello lovelies!  Today I want to introduce you to the lovely and geektacular Jessica from A Little Loka and Living La Vida Holoka.  I've known this girl a while now and not only does she have a fantastic blog, but her shop is wonderful also!  Not to forget she also sells wonderfully geeky items like Doctor Who inspired goods.  So today, she wants to give one lucky winner a big Doctor Who prize pack!

Use code DOCTORWHO20 for 20% off in the shop! 

Before we get to the giveaway, I want you to get to know Jessica a little better, so I asked some questions!

How did you first get started watching Doctor Who? 
Honestly, I don’t even remember! I think there was a marathon on BBC about a year or two ago. It began with Christopher Eccleston as the 9th Doctor and I became instantly hooked!

What is the thing you love most about Doctor Who? 
I really admire a show that can have such an ongoing legacy and huge fanbase. It’s always exciting to keep up with the new companions and Doctor regenerations. It’s wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey...FUN!

Which is your favorite doctor and why? 
Each Doctor has been appealing to me in their own way, but the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) is probably my favorite. He’s quirky, funny, gets down to business and I had all the feels during his good-bye with Rose.

Which is your favorite companion and why? 
Rose Tyler. She was the companion that started it all for me! I also really enjoyed watched Amy and Rory and seeing how their story tied in with the Doctor and River Song.

Besides Doctor Who, what other things do you geek out for? 
I am a HUGE fan of The Hunger Games series and I’m beginning to get into the Divergent series as well. I’m also a total geek for Harry Potter.

How did you first conceptualize your shop, A Little Loka? 
I was looking for new artwork to display in our house. I love inspirational quotes so I created a simple art print using a Princess Diana quote. From there, I created some custom art prints for friends and decided to open a shop. I expanded on my handmade items and now sell art prints, jewelry, candles and other home decor.

What is one of your favorite items you create? 
I love working with geode stones and agate slices. My geode rings have been popular sellers. They’re always fun to create since each stone is so unique and pretty!

What's one piece of advice you'd give a new blogger? 
Don’t compare yourself to other bloggers and don’t beat yourself up if your numbers aren’t too impressive. Also, if you’re going to blog for profit, be prepared to work! And most of all, remember why you began blogging in the first place and why you wanted to share your words with the world. Keep true to your voice and enjoy the friendships you’ll make through your blog!

Check out these posts from Jessica's blog:

• From Damage to Dinosaurs: An Etsy Seller Experience
• Dear Jessica
• The Great Divide

Check out these other items from Jessica's shop, click on the image to see the listing:

Jessica is offering one lucky winner a Doctor Who Prize Pack including prints of both her Bow Ties are Cool and her It Takes One to Snow One prints; plus two red Dalex wax melts and one blue Tardis wax melt in either jellybean, pineapple cake, or bubblegum scents.  Giveaway is open to USA & Canada and ends at 12AM on 4/28/15.  Entering below agrees to all terms and conditions within the rafflecopter.

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Handmade Love: A Spring Fling Dream

O N E | T W O | T H R E E | F O U R | F I V E | S I X | S E V E N | E I G H T | N I N E | T E N | E L E V E N | T W E L V E 

T H I R T E E N | F O U R T E E N | F I F T E E N | S I X T E E N | S E V E N T E E N | E I G H T E E N | N I N E T E E N

   What item is your favorite?

DIY: Make Your Own Bath Salts - Great For Handmade Gifts!

Making your own bath salts is not only inexpensive, but it's a relatively quick and easy process to do. Last Christmas, Kristina and I got together and made a ton (like 50 or more jars worth) in many different scents and colors to use as holiday gifts.  I mean we did Lime (which I called Margarita), Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Orange, Mixed Citrus, and lemon grass.  We even took the time to think about who would like which scents better and I made adorable little labels for them.  They were a huge hit! 

• Epsom Salts
• Sea Salt
• Essential Oils (don't just use scented oil, it needs to be safe to put on your skin)
• Food Coloring (optional)

For this tutorial I decided to go with Jasmine.  It's one of the few scents I don't use a lot, and I thought it would be lovely to have at least one floral thing in my bathroom for when the mood strikes.  Honestly, the scent I use most is Lavender for relaxation/sleep, but Jasmine is great for mood boozing (it's an "antidepressant" scent), and it's great also for relaxation and relief of sore muscles & cramps.

No, I'm not going to sell you essential oils-seriously I bought this one for $5 at a health store-there is no need to spend $30 plus on essential oils for this project.

Your ratio for the salts is going to be 1|1.  1 cup Epson salt to 1 cup sea salt.  We went to Costco and bought in bulk-I think we paid about $6 for several pounds (more than enough) of Epsom salt and $3 per large jar of Sea Salt (it took about 3 jars of Sea Salt for each bag of the Epsom salt-but was still inexpensive.) I think to make about 50-75 jars cost s around $30 in salts and oils.  The jars were another story, we picked up a bunch at the dollar store which was nice.

So a single recipe is 1 cup Epsom salt, 1 cup Sea Salt, 8-10 drops of essential oil (more or less-some scents will be stronger and some will need a few extra dashes to smell like you want them to), and about 2-3 drops of food coloring.  Doubling or tripling is easy-we did a lot of that with big batches.  Pour it all together and mix it up well.  Your house is going to smell amazing.

Here are some of the cute gifts we gave out for the holidays-they were a huge hit.  We put some ribbon on them, matched them up with some handmade sugar scrubs (recipe coming soon!), and put these cute labels on them.  The labels were just in the printer section and I used markers-they're not waterproof at all, but they worked just fine for a gift.

Which scent would you want to make or bathe with?