Baby Shower Gift :: Homemade Sugar Scrub in Decorated Jars

I wrote the other day about a project I was really excited about but needed to finish up, and here it is! These were gifts for a triple baby shower (not triplets, but three lovely ladies all due within a few weeks of each other, although triplets would be exciting) that I attended yesterday.

All three babies-to-be got sweet goodies from my shop (a bear hat for the little boy and button beanies for the girls) but I wanted to do something for the moms, too. It's so fun to open presents for your little nugget, but poor pregnant mom is the one doing all the hard work, and she deserves something, too! So I thought back to my final weeks of pregnancy--huge, bloated, swollen, miserable weeks--and thought of what I would have liked to have then (other than an early, pain-free labor . . . much as I wish I could bottle that up to gift to my friends) and came up with this:

 Mamas need some pampering, right? I whipped up some homemade sugar scrub and packed it into cute little decorated jars so they could enjoy some time to themselves before their little ones arrive!

 How true it is.

And want to know the best part of this gift? They cost me $1 apiece.

(Don't tell my friends.) 

And I had enough sugar scrub left over to keep for little ol' me, so I can tell you, this stuff is goooooooooooood.

And how much cuter would these be if you're a lucky duck who owns a Silhouette or Cricut (or even just cute punches) and could cut fun shapes for the labels? I just winged it (wung it?), but I was wishing the whole time that my labels had scalloped edges or a fun shape.

Want to make some yourself? Read on, friend, read on . . . 

What you'll need for the jars:

- jars (mine were 7 oz. and cost $1 each at Joann's) 

(they should really start paying me for how much I talk about them on my blog)

- cute scrapbook papers (you'll only need a tiny bit, and I chose 2 coordinating papers per jar)

- Mod Podge (my latest obsession)

- brush

- scissors

Wash and dry your jars before starting. Then cut a piece of cute paper into the shape you want for your label (I went with an oval shape), apply mod podge to the area of the jar you want to place the label, and press on your paper, smoothing out any wrinkles or bubbles.

I'm sure you could do fancier labels than mine if you're good at graphic design-type things, but I'm not, so I typed up a label on Word--apply mod podge to the scrapbook paper, apply the label, smooth it out, and add another coat of mod podge over the entire label--I purposely brushed mod podge past the edges of the label onto the jar to make sure it would stick on nice and tight, but cleaned up any out-of-control unruly streaks with a q-tip before letting it dry.

Set your cute li'l jar aside and move on to the lids!

Place your jar on the wrong side of the scrapbook paper, bend the paper up to the top of the lid, and make a few marks around where the paper meets the lid top:

Cut a circle at least 1/4" away from the marks, then make cuts about 1/4" apart extending in towards your markings:

Apply mod podge to the top of your lid and apply the paper (wrong side down), smoothing out any bubbles. Apply mod podge to the lid sides as well, folding the paper up around the sides (there will be some wrinkling . . . it's no big deal, just press them as flat as you can).

Working on a few strips at a time, apply mod podge to the little fringey tabs and press them down inside of the lid, pushing them firmly against the inside of the lid.

(I was excited about getting the mod podge all over my fingers . . . is it just me, or is the best part about mod podging peeling it off of your hands after it dries? Do you remember doing this with glue when you were a kid?)

Apply a layer of mod podge over the lid top and sides and let it dry, then flip over and apply to the paper around the inside of the lid as well. 

While you're anxiously waiting for all your pieces to dry, you can start making your sugar scrub! Bear in mind, I made enough to fill 3 jars and still had enough left over for a jar for myself, so this makes a lot! You may want to scale the recipe down if you're only making one jar!

What you'll need for the sugar scrub:

- mixing bowl and spoon

- 3 cups white sugar

- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. good quality oil (I used olive oil, but you can use any nice, non-smelly oil)

- 10 drops of yummy-scented essential oil per jar (I went with mandarin, peppermint, and lavender)

Combine your sugar and oil, mix it up well, and divide into separate bowls (if you're planning to flavor them separately). Add your essential oil, stir, and divide among your jars. 

Done! Easy peasy!

(My husband came in at this point, asked what I was making, and picked up the spoon to take a bite. I wish now I hadn't stopped him . . . I wonder how this stuff tastes?)

When the jars were dry, I filled them up and decorated them by tying a bit of string (maybe it's jute? or twine? I don't know), a cute button, and a little gift tag.

Now they can draw a nice bath, light some candles, and struggle to reach all the way down to their puffy hippo feet for a nice scrub!

Edited 10/8/11: In response to some questions I've received about this project, here are some more details:
- for the sugar, I just used plain old sugar  . . . white sugar, granulated sugar, table sugar, whatever you want to call it. You probably already have it in your cabinet! I didn't get too fancy with the ingredients ;-)
- I was lucky and already had essential oils on hand (left over from my massage therapy days), but I believe you can purchase them at health food stores, and I've even seen them at Michael's craft stores. If all else fails, you can definitely find some online!

Linking up here, here, and here!