Gifts of Furniture Cleaner / Polish, Citrus All Purpose Cleaner, Face Creams, Lotions, Salt Scrub & more...

Sent out gifts on Monday. Here are what two care packages of homemade Essential and Garden Produce goodies look like. A sampling of home cleaning supplies, lotions, scrubs, sprays, and sample oils. I send detailed information for those who I know will love playing with oils, a sheet on any oil I send, and instructions on how to apply the herbal treatments. On each bottle is the general recipe (I don't put measurements, because it would just get to crowded). 

 Box one is to someone who will love playing with the oils. They have herbal knowledge, but are new to Essential Oils. The box below is for a loved one who will enjoy the products I made, but isn't really interested in herbs; so the box contains mainly instructions on how to use.

 Items before I boxed them up:

This shipment held items made from the fresh, clean power of citrus.

I decided to use real citrus peels, instead of just my essential oils this time. I used the citrus peels in both cleaning products, as well as sea salt scrubs. Recipes are coming up... 

Note: if you wish to make both the Citrus All Purpose Cleaner and the Furniture Polish, a short cut is to: First I put the lemon, lime, grapefruit, and orange peels into the juicer. Then pour white vinegar into the machine to get the loose bits through and to help the peels to give up their oils. I took this citrus goodness and put it into my furniture polish and into my all purpose cleaner mix. I left the furniture polish as is, but strained any peel bits out of the citrus for the all purpose spray cleaner. And of course, you can use drops of Essential oils "instead of" / or "in addition to" real citrus peel 

Basic All Purpose Cleaner:

1 Tbl. OnGuard Cleaner

20 Drops Purity

20 drops Wild Orange

1 C. White Vinegar

1 C. Distilled Water

1/2 C Rubbing Alcohol

Mix, shake well. Pour into spray bottle. Use on most surfaces: counter tops, windows, mirrors, and cabinets.

Recipes:

Citrus All Purpose Cleaner:

1 1/2 C. Citrus Peels 

1/2 C, White Vinegar

Soak peels overnight in flat container.

Juice Mixture in morning. Discard dry peel, keep juice and vinegar mixture. Strain to remove solid pieces. To the strained citrus mixture, 

add half of the basic All Purpose Cleaner Mixture (recipe above).

Now you have two cleaners, one is citrus for the extra tough cleans, (like kitchen cabinets with grease finger-prints) and a regular basic cleaner too!

Citrus Furniture Cleaner & Polish: 

Ingredients: 

3 Lemon's peel, one whole lemon

4 Lime's peel

2 Orange's peel

1 Grapefruit peel

1/4 White Vinegar

1/2 C. Almond Oil

1/2 C. Walnut Oil

Instructions:

Juice just the peels in a juicer with one whole lemon; 

Add to the juicer:

1/4 White Vinegar to clean out the bits. 

Discard the dry peel into the recycling bin. Use the pulp mixture in your polish. 

Add the 

1/2 C. Almond Oil

1/2 C. Walnut Oil

Mix with a hand mixer to make creamy.

Store in a glass container; pour out onto a clothe and use on your wood furniture for a rich wood glow!

Note: I later changed my container because my sprayer clogged (Mixture too thick to spray) and this was plastic. At the time I made it, I didn't have a good glass container. Now I do. ;-) This wood table has been through a families abuse and the color now pops! The two smaller containers I sent out were plastic squirt travel bottles, meant for shampoo (glass would have been better, but it is what I had on hand).

Also included in gift boxes:

 Carpet Cleaner: 
(See grey lidded glass jars on the back left?)
8 oz. Baking Soda
15 drops of Clove
20 drops of Wild Orange
20 drops of Lavender
Fill four 4oz. glass jars with lid or perpetrated top (like with powder). Shake on carpet; let set one hour; vacuum rug.

Refreshing Mist Spray: 
(See blue and brown glass spray bottles in middle?)
4oz. Distilled Water
20 drops of Eucalyptus
16 drops of Lavender
10 drops of Lemongrass
Fill 4 oz. glass jar with spray top. (I made three 4 oz. jars by doing this three times).  

This image is of the Lotions, Eve Cream, Day Cream, and Shea Body Butter gifts:

Shea Butter Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. Shea Butter, 

15 drops Myrrh,

3 1/2 Tbl. Aloe Vera,

2 Tbl. Vitamin E and C.

15 drops Lavender,

15 drops Frankincense

7 drops Lemon Balm (besides, therapeutic benefits, also works as a bug repellent).

Fill three 4oz. glass jars.  

Sea Salt Scrub ingredients:

1 C. citrus peel pulp
1 C. Geranium Essence, (or substitute 20 drops of Geranium oil),
1 C. Sea Salt,
1/2 C. Epson Salt, 
2 Tbl. Vitamin E, 
10 drops Lavender,
10 drops Myrrh,
10 drops Frankincense, 
7 drops Lemon, 
7 drops Wild Orange
7 drops Rosemary (Optional)
This makes 3 1/2 C's. ~I filled four glass containers (Three recycled 1 C.'s & one 4oz. canning jar). 

Sore Muscle Cream ingredients and product:

20 drops Deep Blue, (or for a dbl recipe: 40 drops)

20 drops Eucalyptus, (or for a dbl recipe: 40 drops)

10 drops Peppermint, (or for a dbl recipe: 20 drops)

1/4 C. Solid Coconut Oil, (or for a double recipe: 1/2 C.)

3/4 C. Cocoa Butter (or for a double recipe: 1  1/2 C.) 
If you're using refined cocoa butter, it is already creamy for use. If you're using raw-hard-purest-form cocoa butter (which is awesome!), you will need to melt it. Black cocoa butter is the hardest I've used. 
Your options are: 1. In a dbl broiler (two pans, larger one has water in it) to slowly melt it. Or 2. Add boiling liquid to cocoa butter and it will melt. Coconut and Almond have a high smoke rate, meaning they can get to boiling without ruining them. But, don't take them past the point of a boil, or you can ruin their properties. ~Perhaps even making them contain free-radicals.
In general you need a ratio of 75% cocoa to 25% liquid in the form of water or oil (like Sweet Almond or Coconut Oil). 
After melting the cocoa butter, and mixing your coconut and cocoa butter together, you may need to refrigerate to make solid again before you can whip it up with a mixer to make an amazing creamy body butter. I pop mine into the freezer for 15-20 min.'s. ;0)
Add your essential oil drops to creamy mixture and stir in. Fill three glass containers with screw top lid (I recycle & use canning jars).(Or if you doubled the recipe, then six glass jars). ---I edited this because I had a question about how to use the cocoa butter from one person, and another question about how I got six jars out of the recipe. Giving away three, I kept three for myself ;0).--- 

For Night and Day Face Cream Recipes: 
http://lisakramerartlifestyle.blogspot.com/2016/05/diy-geranium-essence-for-lotions-day.html

For Eyelash Serum, Bug Off, Diffuser, Baby Wipes & more Recipes: http://lisakramerartlifestyle.blogspot.com/2016/03/essential-oil-recipes-ive-been-enjoying.html 

For Hair recipes:
http://lisakramerartlifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/01/home-remedies-to-treat-winter-hair.html

For more Cleaning recipes: 
http://lisakramerartlifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/01/clean-your-house-w-household-items.html
and
http://lisakramerartlifestyle.blogspot.com/2016/04/courtesy-rmos-i-stumbled-upon-their.html

The mixture of goodies before I sent the packages out: 

*Note: If you enlarge this picture and spy a gift that isn't included on this blog post, simply ask via comment or in person and I'll add the recipe to this post. I didn't put every recipe that is in the picture(sent as gifts), because I didn't want the post to be too long.

Bring Spring In w Creativity; the Outdoors in, Flowers, and FlowerPot Cupcakes! How to cook kid's cupcakes.

How to have spring fun with Cupcakes. ;-)

I love to have fun with spring; I like to bring in flowers, grasses, bulbs, and I make food that is fun springtide!         Daffodils, don't you just love them?The sure sign of spring...

Or, you can take carnations, or roses and simply add food color to their water to get them any spring color you desire. Green is great for St. Patrick's Day or Spring. (But,for earlier in the year, you can even go red for Valentine's Day!) How about red, white and blue on July 4? The options with using food coloring are endless!  Or use this idea to be just another creative way to bring in the green! Use fancy when deciding on what vases or containers to hold your flowers. Aren't tea cups so adorable?

(dislaimer: pic from lookiloos)

Another very simple way to bring in the green.                    

Simple black retangular vases look great w grass.

Now for the CuPcaKeS:

I love to make various springtime cupcakes this time of year. The kids love them too!

Can you think of anything more kid-friendly-spring, than FlowerPot Cupcakes?

                               Silicone flower pots make kid friendly cupcakes. I bought these at Michaels. I have also filled them w chocolate pudding and gummy worms, lol. ;-)

 I love to play w colors of icing!

 I found this idea too cute to not share! I am always looking for a cupcake that is more boyish for my sons. How about these? Dain loves argyle.

So, have fun with the simple cupcake:

 Or you can always dye your dog green for the Spring. ;-)

 Lol, Not serious, just joking. ;-)

How to make a Valentine Wreath for your front door, or a sport theme one for your Sweetheart! Arts & Crafts how to make seasonal displays & centerpieces. Father's Day or Mother's Day.

  For Valentine's DaY:

How to make a Valentine Wreath for your front door, or your Sweetheart

Materials Needed:

A wreath form found at a craft store. (Purchase a grapevine, metal-wire, straw, or Styrofoam wreath in the shape of a heart from your local craft store). Here is a link to one found on Oriental Trading, or they can be found at most craft stores: http://www.orientaltrading.com/ui/browse/processRequest.do?demandPrefix=12&sku=41/1556&prodCatId=501071&mode=Browsing&sp=true&requestURI=processProductsCatalog&tabId=2&Ipp=16&No=32&sd=Grapevine+Heart+Wreath#RL9

Obtain your desired items for the wreath: lavender, baby’s breath, silk roses, Hydrangeas, eucalyptus, ribbon, feathers, bird houses and etc from a craft supply store, or an online store.

For the Sport Lover:

 If you are looking to make a Valentine gift for the man in your life, a sport theme wreath would be something he would hang happily on his door! Items for a sport theme wreath can be trading cards (found at Wallmart), sport flags, ticket stubs (either real or a handmade imitation of them), footballs, even figurines (found on Ebay).

Materials Needed:

Florist wire and hot glue gun

Ribbon and Scissors

Valentine card and Whole punch

Camera (optional)

Instructions:

Wreaths are too easy to make. Take your grapevine wreath and insert flowers, or feathers into the groves of the wrapped vine. Hot glue them into place or wrap your florist wire around the wreath and items to hold them into place.

If you want to wrap a ribbon around the wreath that would work too; simply wrap in one direction and you can use a different colored ribbon to wrap in a criss-cross pattern the other direction, tie a bow at the top of the heart, or the bottom of a round shape. Or use a metal frame like this one and tie ribbon or fabric scraps to the frame.

For the sport theme:

You can make your own sport flags that resemble a narrow diamond shape (It should look like two of these flags back to back, or end to end) and wrap and tie the flags around the wreath, or a wire wreath, tie onto the wires.  String ribbon through trading cards, ticket stubs and handmade footballs that have been holepunched. You can glue figurines and footballs too.

Holepunch the Valentine card, string a ribbon though it and attach it to the wreath. Now you may give it to its recipient.  Or take a photo of yourself holding a message and use it as a card. Or you can let your children get involved, and take a photo of them with a card they made.

Fyi: other blogs that I did on wreaths: 

http://lisakramerartlifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/12/today-i-made-two-wire-and-fabric.html --How to for a Christmas or July wreath.

http://lisakramerartlifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/09/i-wanted-to-make-new-autumn-wreaths-for.html --Detailed instructions on how to make fabric wreath on wire frame.
and:
http://lisakramerartlifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/11/autumn-thanksgiving-wreaths-easy-how-to.html --Details on how to change out the autumn Halloween decore wreath to a Thanksgiving one, using the same wreath.