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Gingerbread Sugar Scrub Recipe {Jar Gift Idea}

by Dana Zeliff on November 21, 20132013-11-21
in Gingerbread, Recipes

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Gingerbread Sugar Scrub Recipe

Exfoliate your skin with this Gingerbread Sugar Scrub recipe.  Sugar makes an excellent scrub and is a budget friendly alternative to those store bought scrubs.    Get into the holiday spirit by making this Gingerbread Sugar Scrub and giving it as gifts.

Gingerbread Sugar Scrub Ingredients

Gingerbread Sugar Scrub Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Almond
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp All Spice
1/2 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp vitamin E oil (optional)

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl combine all ingredients except the Coconut Oil.Gingerbread Sugar Scrub Process
  2. Gradually add Coconut Oil and stir.
  3. Place Mixture in Jar.
  4. If using as a gift, add this FREE Gingerbread Sugar Scrub PDF Printable Label to the front of the jar and a ribbon.

Gingerbread Sugar Scrub will make a great holiday gift.  You can make several at one time and gift them to teachers, friends and family.  You’re gift will not only be thoughtful and  homemade, it will be budget friendly!

Have you ever tried a Gingerbread Sugar Scrub Recipe?

See more Gingerbread Cookie Recipe and Gingerbread Recipes!

2 comments

Filed Under: Gingerbread, Recipes Tagged With: Christmas, Gingerbread Recipes

Alternative Wrapping Paper Ideas {4 Cheap Wrapping Paper Ideas}

by Dana Zeliff on November 18, 20132013-11-18
in Crafts, Frugal Living

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Cheap Wrapping Paper

Purchasing wrapping paper at your local stores can be boring & expensive.  It is the same wrapping paper that everyone else is buying and using. It allows little, if any, room for your own creativity and personality. Here are a few wrapping paper ideas that will allow you to step away from the norm and show your individuality.

Aluminum Foil – Use aluminum foil to wrap your gifts. This is a great way to wrap Christmas presents that will literally shine under the Christmas tree and in the stockings. When using foil to wrap presents, be sure that the shiny side is on the outside.

Newspaper – Wrap your gifts in newspaper. A fun way to wrap “over the hill” birthday presents is to use the obituaries. Baby shower gifts can be wrapped in the ads for baby items. Wrap presents for frugal friends with the coupon section of the local newspaper -just make sure the coupons are current.

Brown Paper Bags – Try wrapping presents in brown paper bags. Use your artistic abilities and draw pictures on the plain paper. If you don’t feel confident in your abilities as an artist, use stencils and stickers. If you have a flair for words, write a poem or a letter to the person you are giving the gift to. Perhaps add a note about a something the two of you shared in the past – perhaps a memorable birthday or other holiday you both shared.

Fabric – Use fabric to wrap presents. Create your own bows with ribbons that coordinate with the fabric. This is a wonderful way to wrap a baby gift. Housewarming gifts wrapped in gingham checks are a cute way to give a present. Wedding gifts wrapped in lace or satin will add a bit of flair to any present.

Stop buying boring wrapping paper and use these cheap wrapping paper ideas! There are so many better ways to wrap gifts other than following the crowd. Not only will your creativity and personality shine through, you can even save money!

What are you ideas for Cheap Wrapping Paper?

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Filed Under: Crafts, Frugal Living Tagged With: Christmas

White & Blue Snowflake Cookies Recipe

by Dana Zeliff on November 14, 20132013-11-14
in Recipes

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Snowflake Cookies

These White & Blue Snowflake Cookies will make a gorgeous addition to any holiday table.  While a little bit of work is involved, they will be worth it in the end.

Snowflake Ingrediants

INGREDIENTS
3 cup Flour
3/4 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup softened Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 Egg
1 tbsp Milk
ICING INGREDIENTS
3 Egg Whites
1 tsp Vanilla
4 cup Powdered Sugar
Blue Food Coloring

DIRECTIONS

  1. Combine dry ingredients and set aside
  2. Cream butter and sugar.
  3. Add beaten egg and milk.
  4. Gradually add in flour.
  5. Divide mixture in half, place one half in plastic bag in refrigerator.
  6. Place remaining dough between parchment paper and roll to uniform 1/4″ thick and place in refrigerator to chill.
  7. Cut out snowflakes using your Wilton Snowflake Cutter and transfer to parchment coated cookie sheet.
  8. Gather and reroll remaining dough between parchment paper and roll to uniform 1/4″ thick and place in refrigerator to chill…
  9. Bake in 375 degree oven about 7-8 minutes (watch for edges to begin to turn lightly brown).
  10. Leave on cookie sheet for several minutes before moving to cooling rack.
  11. Combine the egg whites and vanilla and beat until bubbly.
  12. Add powdered sugar gradually and mix until all sugar is incorporated.
  13. Beat on high until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks.
  14. Transfer 1/3 of icing to pastry bag.
  15. Transfer 1/3 of icing to squeeze bottle and add 2 tbsp water to dilute.
  16. Add blue food color to remaining icing and mix until color is evenly blended.Snowflake Icing
  17. Use white icing in bag and pipe outline of snowflake on eack cookie.
  18. Wait at least several hours for icing to set.
  19. Using diluted white icing carefully spread on to cookies to fill in the snowflake. use a small blunt object to help spread the icing close to the outline.
  20. Wait at least several hours for icing to set.
  21. Transfer blue icing to pastry bag.
  22. Pipe the line pattern on cookies.
  23. Wait at least several hours for icing to set.

Snowflake Cookie Recipe Collage

Looking for more recipes? You may also like my Super Cute Rudolph Truffles as well! 

1 Comment

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Christmas

15 Holiday Wreaths

by Dana Zeliff on November 11, 20132013-11-11
in Crafts

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Christmas WreathsI 15 Holiday Wreaths to Decorate Your Home

One great way to get your home ready for the Holiday’s is with a unique and beautiful wreath. With all your family and friends visiting this time of year, having your front door inviting guests inside is a must!

Holiday Wreaths:

    1. A Winter Wreath by Dukes and Duchesses
    2. Felt Christmas Wreath by Occasionally Crafty
    3. Jingle Bell Rock Wreath by Chicken Scratch NY
    4. Striped Paper Straw Wreath by Tatertots & Jello
    5. $6 Dollar Wire Hanger Christmas Ornament Wreath and Bow by Six Sisters’
    6. A Versatile Wreath for All Seasons by Simply Darrling
    7. Advent Calendar Wreath by Homemade Gifts Made Easy
    8. Winter Twig Wreath by Design, Dining and Diapers
    9. S is For Sister (Wrapped Fabric Wreath) by That’s My Letter
    10. Monogram Wreath by Our Unexpected Journey
    11. DIY Dollar Store Holiday Wreath by Irish Italian Blessings
    12. Fall Wreath with Felt Rosettes by Crafting Mom
    13. DIY Holiday Wreath by Juggling Act Mama
    14. Fall Wreath by Clean & Sensible
    15. Yarn Ball & Ornament Wreath by Life Through the Lens

Which of these Holiday wreaths is your favorite?

You might also like these 15 Kids Christmas Crafts!

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Filed Under: Crafts Tagged With: Christmas

Rudolph Cookie Pops for Christmas

by Dana Zeliff on November 11, 20132013-11-11
in Recipes

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Rudolph Cookie Pops

How stinking cute are these Rudolph Cookie Pops? They will be awesome for any Holiday school party or event!

If you don’t already have one, you may consider purchasing the Wilton 2105-0271 Round Pops Cookie Pan from Amazon to make this a bit easier.

Rudolph Cookie Pops Ingrediemts

Cookie Ingredients:

1 cup softened Butter
1 1/2 cup Sugar
1 Egg
2 tsp Vanilla
2 3/4 cup Flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
12 long Lollipop Stocks

Glaze Ingredients:

2 cup Powdered Sugar
2 tbsp Milk
2 tbsp Corn Syrup
Food Coloring

Decoration Ingredients:

24 Chocolate covered Pretzels
24 White M&M Candy Corn pieces
12 Red Spice Drops

Directions:

  1. Cream butter and sugar.
  2. Add egg and vanilla and continue beating.
  3. Mix dry ingredients together and incorporate into wet mixture a litlle at a time.
  4. Press dough into Wilton Round Pops Cookie pan, filling each about 3/4 full.
  5. Press stick into each cookie.
  6. Add additional dough on back as needed to cover stick.
  7. Bake in 400 oven 13 minutes or until lightly brown around edges.
  8. Let cookie sit in pan for about 5 minutes, then carefully run a knife around the edge of each pop to loosen.
  9. Cool on a wire rack.
  10. Mix powdered sugar corn syrup and milk to make glaze.
  11. Transfer a small amount of glaze (enough to draw mouths on each reindeer) to a small bowl and add red food color.
  12. Add red, yellow, and blue to remaining glaze to make brown.
  13. Fill in face of pop in brown glaze and allow to set at least 30 minutes.
  14. Press Pretzel antlers in place.
  15. Press Red Spice Drop nose and white M&M eyes in place.
  16. Take a toothpick and dip in brown glaze and dot pupils on eyes.
  17. Allow to set for at least an hour.
  18. Transfer red glaze to small zipper bag and clip corner to pipe mouths.
  19. Allow to set at least 1 hour before serving.

You can get the kids involved by letting them mix ingredients, press the dough into the mold, inserting the pop stick and decorating the cooled cookie.

(Yields approx 12 pops)

You might also like these Rudolph Truffles

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Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Christmas

How to Make a Peppermint Candy Bowl and Tree – Easy Peppermint Candy Crafts

by Dana Zeliff on November 8, 20132013-11-08
in Crafts

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

How to Make a Peppermint Candy Bowl and Tree

Try this simple and creative Peppermint Candy Bowl and Tray. These Peppermint Candy Crafts will be perfect for serving goodies during a Holiday event.

Peppermint Candy Bowl and Tree Ingredients

Items Needed:
Cookie Sheet
Parchment Paper
Green and Red Peppermint Candy

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.

2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Peppermint Candy Layout

3. Let your imagination take over, place candies in a circle for a bowl or a fun design like a Christmas Tree for a platter. Don’t worry if there is spaces in between your candies, they will melt together and close the gaps.

4. Once you have decided on your design, place cookie sheet in the oven. You will want to keep a close eye on things, it will only take 2-3 minutes for candies to melt completely.

Peppermint Candy Melted

5. After the candy is melted and has come together, remove from oven, and remove the parchment paper that the candy is on from the pan.

6. Allow to cool for about a minute so it is cool enough to handle.

Peppermint Candy Bowl

To mold a bowl:
1. Use the bottom of a coffee cup, or drinking glass for a mold. Place the candy and parchment paper over the your mold, and smooth the candy down until you are happy with the shape. Leave until ready to use.

Candy Bowl Over Cup

2. Once cooled, remove from mold and parchment paper, and refrigerate.

 

Peppermint Candy Tray

 

To Mold a Tray:

1. Gently fold the edges of your design up to form a small edge. Once you are happy with the shape, allow to cool completely.

2. Once cooled, remove from parchment paper and refrigerate until you are ready to use.

Peppermiknt Candy Bowl CollageWhich of these Peppermint Candy Crafts is your favorite?

*If it’s still sticky, you can place it in the fridge for an hour or so or dust it with a little corn starch.

You may also enjoy my Gingerbread House!

8 comments

Filed Under: Crafts Tagged With: Christmas

Super Cute Rudolph Truffles for Christmas

by Dana Zeliff on November 7, 20132013-11-07
in Recipes

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Rudolph Truffles Recipe

How cute are these Rudolph Truffles?  You don’t need a lot of ingredients, so these treats will be easy on your budget.  I think they would be perfect to take to a child’s school Holiday party.

Rudolph Truffles Ingredients

INGREDIENTS

12 Chocolate Truffles
1/4 cup Light Cocoa Candy Melts
24 Candy eyes
12 Red Round candy Decorations
12 Pretzels broken in half

DIRECTIONS

  1. Using a toothpick, poke holes on each side for Pretzel antlers.
  2. Heat Candy Chips in large bowl by microwaving for 30 seconds stirring and repeating until melted.
  3. If Truffles are not flat on bottom, dip bottom of truffle in chocolate and place on wax paper.
  4. Allow to set.Rudolph Truffles Step
  5. Using toothpick, gather up small bit of melted chocolate and paint on back of red “nose” and place on truffle. You may need to hold in place for a moment.
  6. Repeat this process with each eye.
  7. Allow chocolate to set.

That’s it. Enjoy!

Looking for more recipes? How about my White Chocolate & Cranberry Blondies Recipe!

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Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Christmas


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Hi! I'm Dana, the writer behind the scenes of The Coupon Challenge, a Hampton Roads, VA based coupon blog. I'm a wife and mother of 2. After getting out of debt we started using our savings to travel together as a family and create memories.

Are you looking for ways to save your family money? I strive to help you save on the products you need, so you can spend more on the things you want. Read More about Dana & Family

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