D.I.Y Christmas Gifts

One of my favorite things about Christmas is giving gifts. Now as much as I do love shopping, I think I like to save money almost just as much. So here are some do it yourself Christmas gifts for you budget savvy people out there!

The good thing about these DIY gifts is that you can give them to someone as is, or in a gift basket type thing. Now i'm not going to pretend these did take a little bit of time to complete, but they're very simple to do. So here we go! Gift numero uno!

Cookies in a jar! I just freaking love this idea. I think it is so adorable and versatile. You could literally do any type of recipe with dry ingredients. While searching the web i've found Pancake mix in a jar, lentil soup in a jar, and tons and tons of recipes for all types of cookies in a jar. 

This DIY Christmas gift is super simple. I got this jar from Ikea for around 3 euro. I love this jar (for this project) more than a mason jar because it is the perfect size and I love the clasp thingy. For the dry ingredients you will need: 

1 wide-mouth jar

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup M&M's

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 tsp. baking powder

Mix the flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl. Once it's mixed throughly put it in your jar. Add your M&M's but beware if you carelessly drop them on top of the four, they will sink down a little bit. I used a spoon to gently put the M&M's down. Then layer your brown sugar, and top it off with your sugar. Because the lids on the jars I got are clear I also added a few extra M&M's on the top layer just to add some color. And there you go!

 Next just make sure to somehow attach the remaining instructions to your jar. There are tons of websites that have free printable labels that you could use, or you can make your own. I just made mine on Pages (on my MacBook). I typed out all the instructions, printed it, cut it, and then glued it on to some cute wrapping paper. Attach it to your jar and there ya go! Here are the remaining instructions you need to include on your tag:

Empty contents of jar into mixing bowl; blend throughly.

Add 1/2 cup butter or margarine softened, 1 beaten egg, and 1 tsp. vanilla.

Mix until blended.

Roll into 1-inch balls, and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 fahrenheit until edges are lightly browned, about 12-14 min. 

*** UPDATE: Okay guys so it is December 21st when I am writing this and I need to give you an update about these cookies! I didn't make up this recipe, I got it off of Google and then tweaked it a little. I just made one of the jars into cookies and found out that 1/2 cup of butter is not enough! I had to add about 1/4 cup more of butter and I had to add some salt. They turned out good though with more butter. If you made these then PLEASE PLEASE update your card to at least 3/4 cup butter or margarine. I'm sorry if you already made these and can't fix them. :( ***

Next up we have Hot Cocoa in a jar with some chocolate covered spoons! This is perfect for that someone who loves hot chocolate... and a little more chocolate ;) This DIY Christmas gift is super easy. All you need is:

Any type of jar

Hot chocolate mix ( I used 6 packets in this jar)

Milk chocolate chips

White chocolate chips

Marshmallows

And some fancy spoons. I used the plastic fancy ones that look like real silver wear. You could use whatever you would like. I saw a lot of pictures with wooden spoons and it looked really cute. But I couldn't find any so this will have to do!

First I needed to figure out how much powder is in one packet. I measured it out and in one packet was 2 1/2 Tablespoons of powder. Empty all of your packets into the jar. Layer some chocolate chips and some marshmallows and you're good to go! For the spoons I just melted some milk chocolate in a double boiler, dipped the spoons in and set them on some wax paper. After it cools melt some white chocolate and then drizzle it over the spoons. Wrap them in cellophane and finish it off with a cute little bow.

For the tag just put whatever instructions are on your packet. My tag reads:

Measure 2 1/2 Tablespoons of hot chocolate mixture.

Pour into cup.

Mix in 3/4 cup hot water or milk.

Drop a few marshmallows in the cup and stir with chocolate spoon. 

Enjoy!

Last but certainly not least, Sugar cookie lip scrub! I am obsessed with these little gems. They make your lips feel absolutely amazing and they are so easy to make! I got these jars from Ikea. They came in a 4 pack, and I believe they are made to be used for spices. I just thought they were the perfect size, so I had to get them.

To make these all you need is:

1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Coconut oil

Dash of vanilla extract

Put all of your ingredients into a bowl and mix. Be sure not to over mix so the mixture turns into a soupy mess. To use this just wet your lips, get the mixture on your finger, and work it onto your lips in a circular motion for a minute or so. Wash it off or eat it because it is so delicious and your lips will be as smooth as a babies bottom! 

So that is all. 3 DIY gifts you can make for your loved ones this Christmas. Remember if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask! 

Until next time

XOXO

Kassi