Homemade coconut and chocolate sugar scrub

Since discovering count oil as the saviour of dairy and gluten free cooking I've been reading up on other uses for this miracle product.

I wash my face with it, I clean my teeth with it (google oil pulling and there are a million articles on it) and now I use it in a body scrub. 

Pinterest is a gold mine of thousands of other suggestions for coconut oil from cleaning make up brushes to moisturisers, face masks, fixing squeaky doors, even a treatment for head lice. 

But whilst I was trawling pins for inspiration one of the ideas that stood out for me was body scrubs. 

Made with store cupboard ingredients you can whip this up in under half an hour. It costs much less than the beauty brands' body scrubs and it also makes a wonderful gift.

This particular scrub caught my eye as it's chocolate and I don't think it's possible to have enough chocolate in your life. Being dairy free I don't eat chocolate bars anymore so this is a fantastic way to get a blast of chocolaty scent without eating any. Although, in reality,  you could eat this as everything contained in it is completely edible. I bet you can't say that about many store bought beauty products!!!

This was the second body scrub I made (the first was also divine and I will blog that soon) and although that first scrub was wonderful, it was difficult to take into the shower in batches and I didn't want to leave my Kilner jar in the shower to go rusty. As I was using the scrub in the shower - my best ideas come to me in the shower - I thought about setting the scrub in ice cube trays so that I could store the cubes in a jar and simply pick up a couple of cubes before jumping in the shower.

Whilst searching in the depths of the cupboard for the ice cube tray I found a shaped muffin silicone mould - perfect for  chocolate body scrub roses! 

These would make a fantastic gift wrapped in little cellophane bags finished with a ribbon or bow and my friends and family might just find a few of these in their stocking this Christmas!!

 

Chocolate and Coconut oil sugar scrub roses 

1 cup mixed sugars (I used a combination of soft brown, demerara and granulated) 

1/2 cup coconut oil 

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

 

Mix the dry ingredients and add the coconut oil. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water to melt the coconut oil. Do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. 

 

Once melted, give the sugar a through mix to ensure the coconut oil is evenly distributed. 

 

Press the mixture into moulds, or put directly into a jar. If using moulds chill for 20 minutes to reset the coconut. 

Be aware that the oil will melt if it gets too warm. 

I'm done with all these posh and expensive beauty products that are full of chemicals, perfumes, parabens and Lord knows what else. I'm going au naturel!!

You will love the smell of this scrub when you take it into the shower; it smells like chocolate cupcakes baking!!! Let me know how you get on. 

Crafty Christmas

This Christmas we were once again invited to spend the special day with my Aunty and Uncle, my cousin, her daughter and my mom and dad.

Christmas is a very special time for us with many traditions that have established themselves into our day, such as the youngest member of the family placing baby Jesus in the nativity officially signalling the start of the festivities, a glass of champagne being handed to guests the minute they walk over the threshold and Santa's jingle bells making a second appearance after lunch. 

Washi tape bows

It's these little routines that make for such a special day and hopefully will make my children look back with the same warmth and fondness that I now do about my childhood Christmasses.

But the pressure to make Christmas special can be hard to manage. It's important to take a step away from it all and remember to enjoy the preparation, planning and the day itself. Whilst I have been lucky enough to never have had to cook a Christmas dinner yet, I do like to be involved in making the day go with a swing.

Monogram chair back decorations, created using Cricut Explore

This year I very much enjoyed the planning and preparation which involved making sweet treats such as fudge, marshmallow, gingerbread (Biscuiteers book of Biscuits recipe), Nigella's honeycomb, and not forgetting a dairy-free chocolate sponge with 'buttercream' filling (c/o Jamie Oliver) as well as the table settings and of course the wrapping. Gift tags, names and initials were designed and cut on the Cricut Explore with glitter card, and I made washi tape bows as well (via tutorial by NoBiggie who has a Washi Tape Christmas book - which is definitely on my wish list for next year!). 

They were all extremely simple, with time being a critical factor i.e. I never have enough of it but in my mind, very effective. Let me know what you think...

Cricut vinyl name monikers atop simple Christmas crackers 

Homemade marshmallow, chocolate fudge and honeycomb

Crafting matters

Whilst I count my nearest and dearest as supportive people I am not sure they are on my wavelength when it comes to making, baking and craft.

My husband doesn’t understand it (and often despairs at it). My friends share positive comments but would freely admit that they struggle to grasp why I would work into the small hours to finish a project when I have a career and family to keep me busy enough.

Colleagues at my real-world PR job smile encouragingly but similarly can't see the sense or understand the enjoyment I get from taking a pile of raw materials or ingredients and turning them into a 'make'.

I asked my five year old daughter why she thinks mummy likes to craft and she said: “because you like selling to people”. I think she’s half right. I enjoy giving to people. I enjoy the feeling of handing over, or posting if it's purchased online, something that I have made and receiving the feedback.

The sense of accomplishment when something I'd imagined would be beautiful when finished actually is a thing of beauty (in my humble opinion) will never grow tiresome. And that's multiplied when I make something that somebody else has parted with their hard earned cash to enjoy.

I’m probably a psychologist’s dream when it comes to putting a finger on what that really says about me, but I think a little part of me feels good about knowing somebody likes something I made. There’s a piece of me going out with each and every item I make and that leads to a lovely warm cosy feeling that I am doing something right.

And actually, I don’t think I'm alone. I believe that the digital age we live in, filled with social media channels galore, is feeding this sensation for personal gratification. We’re hungry for thumbs up, favourites and hearts on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts. We want more people repining our favourite things. We seek reassurance from others through our pictures and posts, rants and ravings.  

It's no different when it comes to the big brands, who are ravenous for interactions, engagement and commendation of their products. The only difference is that when it’s something I’ve made it's personal. That 'like' or 'share' means someone has appreciated the time, effort and creativity that has been lovingly injected into each make, whether it be a cake, word art, gift, card or anything else I've designed and made. I want my friends, family, colleagues and followers to love it as much as I do. 

Why I am championing homemade and handmade

I have been wracking my brain to put into words why I feel so strongly about handmade and homemade crafts, bakes and makes. I have always liked individual and bespoke items. From the fimo jewellery of my youth and salt dough models during my teens to the button art, papercuts and map art of today, I am naturally attracted to objects that have been made with love and care.

After moving into a new (bigger) home a year ago, I started surrounding myself with these items at a rapid rate and I think I have hit on the reason why.

I need beautiful things. Beautiful things that brighten my day and make me smile. It’s a necessity, not just a desire to fill my life with pretty, crafty or intricate handmade items. Things that I can look at and know someone has crafted an item so that I may enjoy it as much as they do. Maybe they were up until the small hours of the morning just to finish a new design. Maybe that was after a full day at work and putting two kids to bed, getting their kit ready for the next day, but still finding time to fit in an hour of craft in between cooking tea and catching up with Bake Off. A need to glance across the room at a wall hanging or tuck into a flavoursome cake, and know that someone put a little bit of their own soul in there to make me happy.

The ‘need’ has made me look at the things I buy very differently. Now before whipping out the debit card to buy a bag, a purse, a scarf, a photo frame, even a loaf of bread, there is a little voice inside my head asking “could you buy this handmade?”. The answer is often yes. In fact more often than I thought it would be, the answer is yes. For instance, I have refrained from buying myself a much needed new wallet after mine is fraying at the seams, and instead commissioned a designer I met at a craft fair to make me one. And she will make me one that is the colour I want, has the features I want and will be made to make me, her customer, happy. Last week, I did not hop on over to the John Lewis website to buy the, admittedly very attractive, doorstop that I saw in a home magazine, but instead looked through the crafters commenting on the Handmade in the UK Facebook page I follow and ordered one that matched my colour scheme and used the fabrics I chose from a selection the maker offered to me.

It couldn't be simpler really. When I need something for the house, an accessory, an item of clothing, a foodstuff, the little head voice just repeats its simple question. “Could you buy this homemade?” And when the answer is yes, I go and buy myself a little bit of the love, happiness and soul that will be crafted into my completely unique purchase. 

Cookie gift tags

This Christmas I am going to make my own gift tags, and they're going to be baked.

I did a few this weekend for a friend who I won't be seeing again until Christmas.

I am really pleased with how they look - I just have to remember to tell people not to actually eat them. Not sure they will taste too good by the time we get to Christmas day!

POST UPDATE: I was so pleased with the cookies that I decided to make decorations for the tree too. Baby puddle duck helped me decorate them so it was a lovely pre-Christmas activity to do together.