gifts – Page 9

04/07

Homemade Cleaner with Essential Oils

We were raised in a home with a more homeopathic approach to healing when we were sick, and it’s something that we (especially since becoming moms) have become increasingly grateful for. We have some knowledge (there’s still so much more to learn) about natural ways of healing the body. A recent switch has been swapping out cleaners with harsh ingredients and toxic chemicals for healthier, natural ones that clean just as good, and are much healthier for our bodies. We love Norwex (thanks to Jodi), and homemade products with doTERRA essential oils.

First, Jessica tackled homemade lip balm (omg, it’s a favorite around here). Second, she made a multi-purpose cleaner. Third we were gifted a homemade facial toner. We can’t take credit for the amazing recipe for the toner, but Cara shared it. Yay…and it’s all perfect timing for spring cleaning!

Facial Toner
recipe from Jessica’s awesome neighbor Cara

Materials:

Thayer’s Alchol-Free Rose Petal Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera, 4 tablespoons
Lavender essential oil, 12 drops (frequently used to reduce the appearance of skin imperfections)
Melaleuca essential oil, 12 drops (cleanses and purifies skin)
4 oz Amber Glass Bottle
Stainless Steel Funnel

Directions:

Pour the ingredients into the amber glass jar (this is important – do not use plastic, and make sure the glass is tinted). Use a funnel for a spill-free experience. Store in a shaded spot.

Now onto an amazing homemade multi-purpose cleaner…

Multi-Purpose Cleaner
adapted from doTERRA
Materials:

Amber spray bottle, 16 oz
1/4 cup vinegar
1 cup water
30 drops essential oils. We made 2 different types. The first was made with 30 drops of OnGuard. The second was made with a combination of Eucalyptus, Wild Orange and Peppermint, 10 drops each.
Stainless Steel Funnel

Directions:

Pour the ingredients into the amber glass jar (this is important – do not use plastic, and make sure the glass is tinted). Use a funnel for a spill-free experience. Store in a shaded spot, and shake before using.

If you’re interested in buying or selling doTERRA essential oils or Norwex, email Jessica and Jodi at hello@jsorelle.com with questions on how to order or how to sell them.

Labels were made with Avery.

Note: Skin irritations can occur with essential oils. Avoid contact with eyes. Ask a doctor about the ingredients in the toner, especially if you have sensitive skin. We love these products, but we are by no means a professional, and these were not endorsed by the FDA. We are simply bloggers who share products we love, and things we love to make.

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Filed Under: diy, gifts, lifestyle Tagged: diy, essential oils, homemade, spring cleaning, toner

03/01

DIY String Art: Bright Red Balloon

Let It Go.

Those are three short words that make up a powerful phrase. There are so many different things that come to mind when we hear or say those words;

Disney’s Frozen
parenting
grieving a loved one
holding on to the past
living a life of fear
anger/resentment for a person (or people)
holding on to what could have been
expectations that others put on us
trying to control situations and outcomes
our plan for our lives (because God has a better one)

Oh my goodness, we could go on and on. One thing we know for sure is that it’s easier to say Let It Go than to actually do it, but we’re working on it. Now that we have our own DIY string art with a bright red balloon and those three little words under it, it’s top of mind. If we can practice letting go a little bit everyday, my will we soar!

Read the tutorial at Momtastic. It’s awesome DIY art because you don’t need a hammer or nails!

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Filed Under: diy, gifts, lifestyle Tagged: balloon, corkboard, diy, inspiration, let it go, red, string art

02/01

Pucker Up: DIY Lip Balm with Essential Oils Just in Time for Valentine’s Day

We have a drawer full of essential oils. The more we learn about the uses of the oils, the more we love. The more we love, the more we want to make. The more we make, the more we want to share.

This post was inspired by Gabriella’s (Jessica’s daughter) lip-making kit she got for Christmas (if a 6-year-old can make DIY lip balm with the help of a kit, we could surely make it, too), as well as Valentine’s Day. We made DIY lip balms with essential oils that not only smell amazing, but feel soft and smooth on lips too! These make awesome gifts for girlfriends and loved ones. It was so easy, and so fun.

DIY Lip Balm with Essential Oils
makes 6 lip balm tubes

Ingredients:

doTERRA essential oils, peppermint, lavender, wild orange and lemon (you can buy them from Jessica here)
Organic, Raw and Unrefined Shea Butter, ½ tablespoon
Organic Coconut Oil, 1 tablespoon
Organic Beeswax, 1 tablespoon
Lip Balm Tubes (50 for $10)
Saucepan and glass measuring cup

Directions:

Step 1: Add 2 inches of water to a saucepan on the stove. Put on high for boiling water.

Step 2: Add shea butter, beeswax pellets and coconut butter to a glass measuring cup.

Step 3: Place the glass measuring cup in the pan on the stove, and occasionally stir the mixture with a wood popsicle stick until all pellets are melted. Once they are melted, remove the cup from the stove, wait about 30 seconds, then add the essential oils. The combinations we chose are:
Peppermint: 30 drops
Peppermint and Lavender: 15 drops Peppermint and 10 drops Lavender
Peppermint and Wild Orange: 15 drops of each
Lemon and Wild Orange: 15 drops of each

Step 4: Stir the essentials oils in the oil. Quickly pour into the lip balm tubes before it hardens.

Step 5: Print labels. We made our labels for our lip balms using Avery labels. Free PDF file here. The Avery label you need to purchase is 5195. There are 60 labels per sheet.

Step 6: Once the lip balm is set (about 3 hours), stick the labels on.

diy-lavender-and-peppermint-wild-orange-lip-balms

Share the lip balm love, and give to friends! Baci, Baci (kisses, kisses).

diy-lip-balm-with-yellow-beeswax-pellets

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Filed Under: diy, gifts, holiday, lifestyle, recipe Tagged: diy, essential oils, favors, Gift, kisses, lavender, lip balm, peppermint, pucker up, valentine's day

12/11

Spread Christmas Cheer with Family Movie Nights

Does anyone else have The Holiday, Love Actually, The Family Man or Miracle on 34th Street on repeat this time of year? Seriously, we can’t get enough of the holiday movies. Our kids prefer The Polar Express, Elf and Home Alone. Some of our favorite nights are spent in with our families. We like to play games, watch a movie, eat popcorn and candy, too.

We’re giving the gift of family fun nights in to our friend this Christmas season. We’re calling them Christmas Cheer in a Bucket. It’s all a family needs for a night of pure entertainment, spent together. We gathered some of our favorite holiday family movies and goodies, and put them inside a bucket with an adorable label with a quote from the movie on it. Oriental Trading is our standard go-to for party items, but they were our shopping spot for our holiday night in gifts, as well.

Materials:

Galvanized Buckets, Oriental Trading
Elmer’s Painter’s Markers, Oriental Trading
Chalkboard Washi Tape, Oriental Trading (our new favorite addition to our craft bin)
Movies, popcorn, candy, deck of cards or any other fun games

Directions:

Step 1: Rip the tape off, and row by row, add it to the Galvanized Bucket.

Step 2: Write your favorite quotes from the Christmas movies. We chose, ‘Merry Christmas you filthy animal,” from Home Alone, “Treat everyday like Christmas,” from Elf and “Believe,” from The Polar Express. Use the Painter’s Markers. You can use a pencil to draft it before it’s permanently on there with the markers.

Step 3: Fill the basket with all the goodies, including the movie, popcorn, candy and game. Add a bow and give, give, give.

Oriental Trading sent us some items of our choosing for this post, free of charge. We’re so happy they did! All opinions are honest, and our own. No other type of compensation was received. Thanks for supporting the companies that support j. sorelle. We love Oriental Trading, even before this post.

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Filed Under: diy, gifts, holiday, lifestyle

12/04

DIY Polar Advent Calendar

The craziness of the season sometimes creeps up on us, and honestly we can feel our anxiety rise. Bake the cookies. Buy the gifts. Don’t just buy the gifts – find a good sale on the perfect gifts. Oh, and don’t buy every gift…make DIY homemade gifts. Host a holiday party. Mark the calendar for Christmas Pageants and office holiday parties, too. It’s all very magical, and we absolutely love it. But, wow, it’s exhausting.

Now that we are in Christmas mode, it’s only fitting that we kick it off with our official Advent calendar. Since Jessica is late with almost everything she ever does (and goes), it’s even more fitting this Advent Calendar comes on Dec. 4, 4 days after Advent officially started. Better late than ever. You still have time – make it this year, or pin it for next year.

We made a fun DIY Advent Calendar last year. This year, we shopped Oriental Trading {where the options are endless} and went with a snowy, polar scene topped off with our kid’s favorite toys – animals. Not just any animals, but animals with mini Santa hats. Ho Ho Ho.