Thrifty Gifts - Bath Salt Set

Therese's post on felted soap reminded me of the bath sets my daughter, Francesca, and I made for a craft sale last year.

Each included a jar of bath salts, a vintage spoon, a handmade 100% cotton face cloth, and scented votive candles.

Each set followed a scent/color theme (citrus or lavender in this case).

Our bath salts were basically epsom salts, liquid food coloring and essential oil mixed together and packaged in recycled jars. (I happened to have several jars leftover from this outstanding product.) There are lots of recipes for bath stuff here if you'd like to branch out a little. (Note: we tried to make purple bath salts by combining blue and red food coloring and it turned out a shade of grey. Blue was much better.)

I reshaped some old (I mean vintage), mismatched teaspoons by bending the handles around a dowel to make them shorter and hook-shaped. This is the hardest part because they really don't want to bend nicely. If you don't use something (like a dowel) as a form, most spoons will probably just fold over in a less than attractive manner. I may have used a vice to help wrestle them into cooperating. A husband could be useful here also. The spoons were tied onto the jars with a matching ribbon.

The facecloths were made from free patterns from Ravelry, specifically "spiral facecloth" and "shell facecloth." (The gift is creative - these names ... not so much.) The yarn is simply Sugar 'n Cream, available for a very good price just about anywhere.

We can't remember what kind of container everything was put into, but matching copier paper run through our shredder was involved in the packing.

UPDATE: We remembered the packaging detail. I started with a smaller gift bag (the top opening was about 3"x5"). I cut the bottom off and re-folded it so the sides were about 3 inches. Basically, I made the the bag shorter.

Thrifty Gifts: In a Jar

I've been smitten with mason jars lately. I think it started with this, and then continued on through the summer when cherries were a good price and then my garden produce started ripening. Now it's gift making time, and I'm still finding all sorts of inspiration based on the simple and inexpensive canning jar.

They come in different shapes and sizes from a tiny 4 ounces up to a quart. (And if you ever see a 2 quart size, grab it - they're a rare find in this age of smaller families.) They're simple and classic and reusable. They're practical and have an air of elegance at the same time. A shelf of canning jars reminds me of the wife of noble character in Proverbs 31.

The jar in the photo is a sewing kit from Anthropologie, not thrifty by my definition, but inspirational, don't you agree? (Going in their stores is like spending time in an art gallery!) I think you'll find the links below may better earn the "thrifty" label. Also, be sure to do some design review with Lucy's post on making your jars more beautiful.

• Journal prompts in a jar for children and adults. (Free printable)
• Sugar scrub
• Bath salts
• Lots of food gifts in a jar
• Suggestions from Martha Stewart
• And a little visual inspiration here.

Black Friday, Frugal Holidays

Do not be conformed to this world
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may prove what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect. [Rm 12, 2]

Every year, Christmas merchandise comes out earlier and earlier. And no matter how much you try to resist the commercialism, to focus on Advent and the Nativity, it's hard to escape all the hype. As an alternative, some families I know have adopted the Hispanic tradition of exchanging gifts on the Epiphany (plus side: most things go on post-Christmas sales). I remain partial to my own family's tradition of reading from the Gospel of Matthew, Midnight Mass, followed by a family nativity play or caroling with a late supper; presents are opened the next morning.

The ideas below, culled from a variety of sources, tend more to an Advent-Nativity vision of Christmas. I am a strong proponent of store-bought Christmas purchases being completed before Advent begins. Then, in all these domestic preparations, there is more time to make our hearts ready to receive baby Jesus.

Some Frugal Holiday gift ideas, from Ravelry's Frugal Homemakers' Group
-Christmas Mason Jar Cookies (dry ingredients layered in jars)
-homemade cloth grocery bags, with a baked treat or snack inside
-homemade aprons
-homemade jam (see the Church Ladies' slow cooker apple butter & marmalade recipes)
-homemade vanilla
-homemade candy
-gift certificate to the grocery store
-Lavender sachets
-herbs in pots
-a ream of colored computer paper and a box of markers/crayons
-Festive Fivers (gifts for under 5 GBP)

Frugal Luxuries suggests
-Soup mixes in jars
-home-made epsom salt bath salts

Amy Dacyczyn of the Tightwad Gazette
-Hot cocoa mix
-A book of stamps & stationery
-A fruit stone wreath (spray painted gold or silver, then accentuated with evergreens)
-finishing a china pattern
-shoveling snow for an elderly family member or neighbor
-candlesticks & napkin rings made from hardware components

The Church Ladies would add:
-subscription to a newspaper or magazine
-donations to charity (Heifer is fun for kids)
-a small themed basket. To pick up all components affordably, this involves keeping your eyes open, but a few small gifts can come together nicely (A British mystery theme: Agatha Christie novel, PD James novel, box of tea, jar of lemon curd, warm socks or slippers for reading on a winter's night. For the armchair traveler: a book like Little Saint or On Pilgrimage, some coffee, a package of biscotti, and a vintage souvenir)
-Gift certificate to the local coffee shop
-supplies or tool for a hobby (may not be a surprise, but well received)
-the Priests' Christmas Basket can also be modified for almost anyone- throw in a DVD and some candy, and you have a stay at home date for a married couple

People, look East, the time is near
Of the crowning of the year.
Make your house as fair as you're able,
Trim the hearth, and set the table.
People, look east, and sing today:
Love, the Guest, is on the way.

Image source: Sant' Apollinare, Ravenna