Things I Made for Christmas

Yes, that is a Marmite jar; I ran out of pretty containers. But when the contents are so delicious, I don't think it matters too much.

I made pots of what I call 'Extreme Hand Creme' for everyone (actually Crunchy Betty's Gardener's Salve), and then, since I was in the kitchen getting grease all over everything, why not these too? I've never used scrubs before, but I'm addicted now. They're so easy to make, they work so very well, and they smell wonderful. And just as a tiny extra bonus, the salt and sugar granules dissolve, instead of passing through the water system to end up in the sea and then in the stomachs and gills of marine animals, the way plastic micro-granules in commercial scrubs do. Which is nice.

Oh, and I've never particularly cared for lip balm before. But I do now. This one lasts for hours, and it's minty!

I used this recipe for the Rosemary Mint Scrub, although without the fresh rosemary, since I worry that that could lead to a clogged drain. Perhaps those with more modern plumbing needn't worry.

The lip balm recipe is similar to this one, and the Cinnamon Vanilla Scrub is this one. (The versions of the recipes I used for these are from Heather Dessinger's DIY Organic Beauty Recipes e-book, one of the best things I bought last year. All the recipes are easy, they've all been tested and work well, and mixing up a batch of any of them is instantly cheering and calming. Feeling blue? Go make some shampoo!)