5 Days of Stocking Stuffers: Ice Scraper Mitt

It's time for the third stocking stuffer idea! I'm sharing 5 ideas in this series that you can easily make yourself to add a special, handmade touch to those smaller gifts for neighbors, teachers, or a last minute thoughtful and practical stocking stuffer. This pattern is not mine, but it's a great idea! The Ice Scraper Mitt pattern comes from Stitches N Scraps. An ice scraper with a warm mitt to keep your hand warm as you scrape is a thoughtful, practical gift for a man or a woman. They work up quickly, and it's easy to fit them to any ice scraper. I used different yarn than the pattern calls for in black, white, and gray, and it turned out really well. Here is the yarn and the scraper I used:
These are affiliate links, which means I do get a small commission if you use these links to buy, but at no cost to you. These are the same products I used to make it myself.

I also made these gift tags to go with it! You can download a free copy by subscribing to my blog.

Good luck finishing up your handmade gifts! If you liked this stocking stuffer idea, check out the pattern for the Santa Hat for Lotion Bottle, and Earbud/Cord Organizers. Don't forget to check back for more new stocking stuffer ideas!

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Christmas in July: Wool Dryer Balls

Have you ever used wool dryer balls instead of fabric softener? They really do work! Putting 4 - 5 wool dryer balls in your dryer with a load of clothes saves energy by cutting down your drying time, it reduces static cling and wrinkles, and you can use them over and over. You can also add essential oils to make your clothes smell great!

You can buy wool dryer balls, but it's so easy to make your own, and they make great homemade, practical gifts. It's really simple to do. Here's what you'll need:

• 100% wool yarn

• Essential oil (I like lavender)

• Panty hose or tights

Here are the instructions that I used for DIY Wool Dryer Balls from the Frugal Girls which includes a picture tutorial, but it's really easy:

1. Wind the yarn into a baseball-sized ball and tuck in the end so it won't unwind.

2. Cut off the leg of some panty hose. Stick a wool ball into the toe of panty hose and tie it to keep the ball of wool inside. You can tie several balls of yarn into the same leg of panty hose. Just tie a knot after each ball of wool is put inside.

3. Put the panty hose chain of wool balls into the dryer on the highest heat setting a few times so you can "felt" the wool. (That basically means it won't unwind because it becomes sort of matted together).

4. Untie the pantyhose and take the wool balls out. Then add 3 - 5 drops of essential oil to each ball and put 4 wool balls in with your next load of laundry.

That's it!

There are some things you need to watch out for, however,  to make sure it works for you:

• MAKE SURE YOU ARE USING 100% WOOL: I tried the 2 brands of wool listed above and they both work because they are 100% wool. Be sure to check the label. Lion Brand has some yarn called wool-ease, but it is only 20% wool. Even the Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool (listed above) is not 100% wool in certain colors, so be sure to check. I personally preferred the size, colors, and texture of the Paton's Classic Roving Wool, but it is a bit more expensive per yard. I could only get 3 balls out of 1 skein. 
• USE NO MORE THAN 5 DROPS OF ESSENTIAL OIL PER BALL OF WOOL: I am new to using essential oils, so I don't really know the rules. I didn't count how many drops I was using the first time I did it and I just shook a bunch of oil onto the balls. The smell was WAY too strong! I put the wool balls in with sheets, and the smell of the sheets was overpowering for a little while. You don't need a lot to make your laundry smell great! 

These wool dryer balls make great stocking stuffers! I modified this free crochet pattern from the Creative Jewish Mom and put the wool dryer balls that I made inside with the label above that I made using Canva. Click the picture above to print your own (4 labels to a page)! 

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Christmas in July: Kid-Safe Hand Sanitizer

Do you remember the scary stuff that was in the news a few years ago when schools started banning hand sanitizer? There were a bunch of reports that kids were being poisoned from the alcohol in hand sanitizer. This article from WebMD in 2015 gives a good summary: Hand Sanitizer Poisoning More Kids. Yikes! Since then, it has been recommended that you DO NOT use hand sanitizer with kids under 12. But we still need an on-the-go solution for washing hands, right?  If you're having a picnic at the park or kids are eating a snack in the car after riding in the grocery store basket, you want them to have clean hands.

I am super excited that I found this Three Ingredient DIY (non-toxic) Hand Sanitizer with Essential Oils from Eat, Craft, Parent. It totally works, and it's not hard to make at all! You just need:

• Aloe Vera gel

• Vitamin E oil 

• Thieves Essential Oil or Shield Protective Blend

• Distilled Water

The Thieves Oil (which can be up to $40 a bottle, so I replaced it with the cheaper version - Shield Protective Blend -- same oils, but different brand) is what makes it anti-bacterial. The Aloe Vera and vitamin E oil make it gentle and moisturizing on your hands instead of drying them out like alcohol tends to do. For directions on mixing your own bottle of hand sanitizer, see this article: Three Ingredient DIY (non-toxic) Hand Sanitizer with Essential Oils.

                              

I found 3 oz. travel bottles which work perfectly as hand sanitizer bottles. Inspired by this post from Micah Makes,  I made a crochet cover that would fit the bottles, added some accessories, and a clip so it can hook onto a child's backpack, a purse strap, etc. I have tried crocheting the strap that is in this pattern, but it doesn't last. 100% cotton stretches too much, so the little clips work much better.

You can adjust to fit any container!

Even a lotion bottle!

I made this label using Canva. Click here to download the labels.

These hand sanitizers make great, practical gifts for kids, teachers, and moms! You can use some of these cute free printable gift tags to go with it:

Spread Cheer Not Germs from Lil' Luna

Thank you for your helping hands from What the Teacher Wants

 Have fun making your own, or you can purchase from me!

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Christmas in July: Reusable Cling Wrap

I found a unique, practical, and creative gift I'm looking forward to using this year: Reusable Cling Wrap! I found this post from Nourishing Joy: DIY Homemade Cling Wrap: A Natural Plastic Wrap Alternative.  I was thinking that this would be a great way to wrap homemade food for gift giving! This reusable cling wrap can cover bowls, plates, or you can wrap homemade bread in it. 

If you have some furry friends who are part of the family, you can use it to fill their stockings with homemade treats too! 

While I love the idea of this reusable cling wrap, the first time I tried it, I made a crazy mess! Never having used beeswax before, I did not know how messy it was. It got EVERYWHERE! My husband said, "Now we know where the saying, 'Mind your own beeswax' came from!" You really do have to mind where that beeswax is going! So I encourage you to check out the original post from Nourishing Joy, but I'm going to show you how I have done it differently after my first messy attempt.

You will need:

• Beeswax (click here to get 100% organic beeswax pearls)
• 100% cotton cut to the size you want your cling wrap to be (a fat quarter can make one really big piece for a rectangular pan or you can cut it into 2 bowl-size pieces)
• pinking sheers (optional) to keep the edges of your fabric from fraying
• scraper
• wax paper
• sponge brush
• disposable container

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Cover the bottom of your container with beeswax pearls. Put them in the oven until melted. I don't think you can over heat them at this temperature, so just keep checking to see when they have melted.
I learned the hard way that it is practically impossible to clean beeswax off of whatever container you use to melt the beeswax, so I suggest using something disposable like an aluminum loaf pan.  I didn't originally, so the pan I used became my beeswax pan!

2. Dip a sponge brush into the melted beeswax. I suggest a sponge brush because you will need to throw it away when you're done. The beeswax hardens pretty quickly, so don't take your time! If it hardens before you're done, just pop it back in the oven.

3. With your fabric on top of wax paper, paint the beeswax onto your fabric. You don't need a lot! Just enough to cover the piece you have.

4. Personally, I could not get the beeswax on without clumping. Whether I dipped the whole thing into the pan (which was a crazy mess!) or painted it on (so much easier), it left clumps. Using a scraper to smooth it out worked great! Just scrape as much off the top of fabric as you can. It pushes the beeswax into the fabric and gives it a nice smooth feel. It feels pretty amazing! You can also just throw the part you scraped off back into the pan and remelt it.

Now you can try making your own reusable cling wrap! Your wrapping will be beautiful, and it will be part of the gift because they can reuse it. I made this tag using Canva to attach to your homemade cling wrap so people will know how to use it. Just click on the picture below to print. There are 4 on a page.

Now I'm going to try making some holiday-themed reusable cling wrap to make it festive!

Here are some of the recipes I'm going to make and wrap up this Christmas:

• Lemon-Thyme Tea Bread from Taste of Home
• Peanut Butter Banana Dog Treats from Damn Delicious

Happy Holidays (in July)!

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