Gift ideas - Simple and Fun DIY gifts

I always like to add personal, handmade touches to gifts for all occasions, so here are a few of my very favorites. They're inexpensive and fun, and are great to do with kids too!

1. Foot/Bath soak

You will need:

• 6-inch square fabric scraps or coffee filters
• mint or lavender tea bags
• epsom salt
• powdered milk
• ribbon
• scissors

Put a small spoon of epsom salt and powdered milk in the middle of your fabric (or coffee filter). Cut open a tea bag and add half the contents to your fabric. Pull up the edges and wrap the ribbon tightly to seal the pouch. Tie off.

To use, just toss one little pouch into a hot bath and relax!

2. Decorative (and nice smelling) candles

You will need:

• Plain pillar candles
• coffee beans, cinnamon sticks, seashells, or whatever non-flammable decorations you want to use
• A blow-dryer

Pour the decorations you're going to use into a bowl or onto a plate. With the blow-dryer as war as it goes, carefully heat the bottom end of your candle until it is just a little soft. Roll in the decorations you chose. For extra pizzazz, tie a pretty ribbon or bit of lace around your candles.

3. Seed Tape (Great for the gardener in your life!)

You will need: 

• seeds of your favorite garden plants or flowers
• 1" wide strips of black and white newspaper
• flour
• water
• paintbrush

Mix a few tablespoons of flour with a tablespoon of water, until it makes a thick paste. With the paintbrush, put a generous dollop of the paste every few inches along the newsprint strips (however far apart the seed directions say). Drop a few seeds onto each dollop. Allow to dry. To plant, simply lay the strip down and cover with a layer of soil.