DIY Peppermint Hot Chocolate pails

Here’s a perfect little gift you can give to those on your list, just be sure to make one for yourself! 

 

I’d seen recipes for homemade hot chocolate a few times, but hadn’t ever tried them out.  When I  came across this recipe for homemade peppermint hot chocolate, I was sold!

I found the little paint cans at my bulk food store and thought they were the perfect way to see the layers and a fun little present.

The recipe calls for 1 cup of each powdered milk, cocoa and sugar; my little pail wouldn’t fit that so I cut it down to 3/4 cup of each. If you need to adjust the measurements, just be sure to keep the 1:1:1 ratio. I also adjusted the amount of chocolate chips and candy canes from the original recipe to fit in the pail.

 

My peppermint hot chocolate pails contain:

• 3/4 cup non-instant skim powdered milk (the original recipe doesn’t specify; I had never used powdered milk before and took a gamble on choosing this one. Also available at my bulk store was non-instant whole powdered milk and instant skim)
• 3/4 cup 100% pure cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup sugar (I’m guessing you could use a sugar substitute, but haven’t tried it; this is meant to be a little treat)
• 1/3 cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup crushed candy canes (I pulsed them in my little food chopper)

 

Layer them all in your container; the mouth of the little pail isn’t very wide, so I didn’t have anything to tap the layers down. 

 

Include these directions:

Mix all ingredients (if you can choose a container that has a bit of room at the top, your recipient can just mix it with a spoon to combine- if not, they may have to dump it into a bowl to mix)

Add 1/3 cup cocoa mix to 1 cup boiling water or hot milk.

 

I usually make my hot chocolate with half water, half milk.  If it’s an extra special occasion, I’ll use chocolate milk (highly recommended).

I made some mix for me, but had run out of candy canes so I added a drop or two of peppermint extract, and it was delish!

I love a good hot chocolate, and this is by far better than the instant kind you buy at the grocery store.  It’s rich and chocolatey, and I didn’t find it too sweet.  A gourmet hot chocolate made by you!

 

 

Happy gifting!

 

Technorati Tags: diy Christmas gifts,homemade hot chocolate

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Parliament

Not the political kind. The ‘group of owl’ kind. 

Before Christmas, one of the people I follow on Twitter posted a picture of an owl she had sewn as a Christmas gift.  Immediately I declared myself a seamstress and decided to make a few for my friends’ little ones (which is why I couldn’t share before Christmas. As for why I couldn’t share until the end of March…I have no excuse).

The tutorial is from Hammer and Thread and is very easy to follow.  I used some left over fabric I found from my last “I declare myself a seamstress” adventure and got to work.





I think the eyes are what secure these owls as totally adorable. Wouldn't you agree? I made three owls in total; once you start, it’s really hard to stop!

I have a tiny sewing machine, (that will be upgraded very very soon) that I bought with the intention of sewing on my cards. It doesn't actually sew through paper. It can, however, help out in small projects like this.

The hardest part about making the owl is the tail, but other than that the pattern comes together quite quickly. 

The owls were a big success, and my Godson has already declared that the purple owl made for his baby sister is now his.  I guess that means once I get the new sewing machine, I’ll be making at least one more owl ;)

Happy Sewing!

Technorati Tags: Hammer and Thread,stuffed toy,owl toy,sewing,DIY

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Yarn Wreath tutorial

Hello friends! I’ve been busy stocking up the shop, but thought I’d share with you a project I made before Christmas as a gift.  I know we’re past Christmas, but you could change this up for each season. So without further ado…here’s how to make a yarn wreath!
Supplies: foam wreath; yarn (amount will depend on the size of your wreath); floral picks; floral wire; ribbon and anything else you want to embellish your wreath.
Step 1: wrap the wreath with the yarn.  This part is the longest process; I wrapped two layers so that you couldn’t see the foam through the yarn.  After I finished my wreath, I was blog hopping and saw someone who had used quilting batting over the foam to give the wreath a more rounded appearance, so feel free if you want a “fuller” looking wreath.







Step 2: Take your floral wire and wrap it around the floral picks (these are the decorations you find at the craft store, leaves, mini ornaments, glittery bits, etc) so that you have a way to attach the decorations to the wreath. 








Step 3: Push the wire into the wreath to secure.  Continue adding all of your elements layering if need be.










Step 4: I then wrapped more yarn over top to secure it and cover the wire.  I suppose you could also use a dab of hot glue to secure things, but remember you’d just be securing it to the yarn, so make sure the yarn  is tight around the wreath.








Step 5: I used some felt and cut some flowers with my Nestibilities dies and Cuttlebug. I like how they are layered, but still lay flat.  For the next wreath I make {one for me to keep this time ;)} I think I’ll try making more dimensional felt flowers; here’s a tutorial from Scrapping Tonight. 







Step 6: Add a ribbon at the top to hang the wreath.  Ta –Da!




Here’s a few detail shots:




I love how this wreath turned out, such a welcoming decoration to hang on your front door and welcome guests to you home.  If you make one, be sure to come back and share pictures- or post them on the A Paper Buffet’s Facebook page .

Happy Tuesday!
Steph

Technorati Tags: Yarn wreath tutorial,DIY yarn wreath,winter wreath

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DIY Christmas gift- Coconut/Peppermint Sugar scrub

 

I love giving homemade gifts.  Last year I gave some cookies in a jar and they were a big hit.  While watching Steven and Chris on CBC, they had a segment by The Frugalista  on coconut oil (she has a great website by the way).  Her sugar scrub stuck out in my mind and I knew I had found this years gift in a jar.

There are many recipes out there, but I followed Frugalista’s using coconut oil.  Here’s what you need:

 

 

 

1) Containers:

I found these sugar jars at my local dollar store. They were perfect because they had a lid and a little spoon!  If you can’t find a suitable sugar jar, I’d recommend a mason canning jar.  I think it’s important to have a wide mouth jar; if you don’t have a little spoon to scoop the scrub out, the recipient has to dig their fingers in the jar…much more difficult if the jar is narrow. I washed and dried the jars, and I removed the “sugar” sticker on them because I wanted to make my own labels.

 

2) Cocount oil:

I found organic extra virgin coconut oil at a local health food store.  This jar was $12.99 and was enough for the 6 jars I made.  You could likely substitute the coconut oil for olive oil if you wanted to.  I love the smell of coconut oil and it has very good moisturizing  properties, so I knew I really wanted to use it.

 

3) Scented oil:

This is the peppermint oil I use for my beeswax lip balm so I didn’t have to buy anymore.  You could use any essential oil you like, just make sure you’re not using baking extracts! {although since the recipe is just sugar and coconut oil, it would be completely edible…a little snack for the shower? ;) }

3) White sugar

 

C’mon, I don’t need to take a picture of white sugar, do I?

 

 

 

That’s it for ingredients!

Coconut oil is quite stable, meaning it can melt and then return to a solid form without any major consequences.  My apartment is a balmy 26 degrees Celsius year round, so I had to keep my oil in the fridge, otherwise it would turn to liquid.  Since the Frugalista measures her oil in solid form, I was convinced I had to have the oil solid.  I’m going to tell you to throw this out the window.  You have to melt the oil to mix it with the sugar anyhow.  The 1/4 cup of coconut oil that’s recommended in the recipe didn’t give me the consistency I was looking for.  So don’t worry if your oil at room temperature is a mix between solid and liquid, or all liquid. 

In a bowl you’re going to mix 1 cup white sugar with your coconut oil.  I will recommend you start with the 1/4 cup melted coconut oil that’s recommended, but I kept adding until I liked the consistency.  I wanted it to be a wet mixture; with 1/4 cup of oil, I found  the sugar to just be clumpy.  I ended up with close to 1/2 cup of oil, but mix it until you like it.  Add your essential oils; I never measure how many drops, I go by smell.

 

Now comes the crafty part…making the jars look pretty!

 

Labels are up first. 

I could have easily left the sugar labels that came with the jar, but I wanted something a little more festive.  You could design your own, or you could use holiday address labels.  Here’s a link to some holiday label templates from Avery. 

I decided to use the labels in my Stampin UP digital design free download, that I got a few weeks ago.  I chose the little snowman label.  I added the words “peppermint sugar scrub” and resized it to fit the space on my jar.

I printed them in colour and cut them out.   Since the scrub is most likely going to be used in the shower, I wanted to protect the label from water damage…which would make the ink run and get…well…yucky.

If you have a laminator, this is the time to use it!  If you’re like me, you resort to plan B and use shipping tape.

Sandwich the label in between shipping tape, and now it’s protected! Trim the edges and adhere to your jar.  I used double sided tape I use for making cards, it’s strong and sticky!

 

I wanted to dress up the jar a bit more, so I added one of my rhinestone snowflake gift tags and added some red and white baker’s twine to the lid of the jar.

 

How cute are they!!!??

I’ve gifted one already and it was a big hit!  I also had some scrub left over and used it myself.  It smells amazing and left my skin so soft and smooth.  A quick and easy gift, easily made in big batches and quite cost effective! 

 

If you make some, take a picture and post it on my Facebook page!  Tell me what oil you used too!

 

Happy gifting!!

 

Technorati Tags: homemade gift,DIY Sugar Scrub,coconut sugar scrub,The Frugalista,gifts in a jar,homemade Christmas gift,peppermint sugar scrub

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Homemade gifts- Cookies in a Jar

If you’re looking for some ideas for homemade gifts, check out my post from last year on Cowboy cookies in a jar- a great gift to give, and easy to put together!

Happy Gifting!

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