Handmade Gifts for Teachers

I have typically not been as diligent gift-giver for the kids' teachers as I would like to be.  I was seeking to rectify this oversight the day "It Came to Pass."  Between the four kids in school, they have eight main teachers.  In a family of eight with one on the way, times are never short on wants/need and are rarely long on moolah.  So what to do?  Donate to their Scrips account?  Well, it is not a bad idea and I can sneak in for $5-10 a teacher without much fuss or embarrassment, but it isn't very personal and this school does not participate.

So what to do?  A friend suggested bath bombs.  She and I made soap a few weeks ago and I had considered that, but then I ran across this bloggie suggestion:  Candy Cane Sugar Scrub!  Why, it's festive, pretty, and seasonally scented!  

So on that fateful day of Ankledoom, I ran out and bought a big bag of sugar and 4 boxes of candy canes and some peppermint essential oil.  Having recently made a castile-style soap, I have plenty of light olive oil and cocoa butter on hand.  Pint and half pint jars can cost as little or as much as you want to spend, but they aren't hard to find.  If you don't want to use olive oil, you can substitute it for Almond oil or Sunflower oil.  Any of them would be very healing to dry, winter skin.  

Finally, this project is simple enough to do with the kids.  It makes very little mess and takes approximately 10 minutes to put together.  Sadly, there are no pretty labels or ribbons for ours as I am limited on my travel capabilities, but I still think the jars of sparkly, pink fluffy sugar are pretty as can be all the same.

Candy Cane Sugar Scrub
(makes 8 pints)

4 boxes of candy canes (48 canes total)

8 cups of white sugar

4 cups of light olive, almond, or sunflower oil

4 tsp. Vitamin E oil for a preservative (optional, I didn't use it)

8 tsp. cocoa butter (optional, I did use it)

½ tsp peppermint essential oil

• Unwrap all the canes and put into the food processor.  
• Grind to a powder.  
• Place sugar and candy cane powder in a bowl and whisk together.
• Place oil and cocoa butter together in a small sauce pan and heat over medium low until the cocoa butter melts.  Let cool slightly.
• Add essential oil.
• Pour oil mix over sugar and mix thoroughly until it all looks like wet sand. 
• Spoon into widemouth jars and decorate with festive ribbon or fabric of your choosing.

Ta-daa!