You Grow Girl™

Posted: 01-12-04 15:19

Anyone making any garden-related holiday gifts this year? I've got some ideas and recipes listed here but am always keen to hear what others are up to.

The Bath Tea is one of my faves.

Posted: 01-12-04 15:45

I make most of my xmas gifts, this year I'm making:
knitted plant cozys (pattern found in recent Knit 1 magazine)
I harvested a lot of lavender, thyme and rosemary and am filling soothing eye pillows and little frogs (frog pattern from old 70's McCalls pattern) with herbs and rice.
Spice mixes (thanks to a helpful YGG that posted great instructions) in little decorated jars.
Rosemary oils in nice bottles with some yummy bread. (Just set some cups of olive oil and sprigs of fresh rosemary in a Crockpot for a few hours then strain - it is a beautiful green color)
I also got a dehydrator this summer - so jars of dehydrated berries and tomatoes (if they don't get all used up by xmas).
Also sewed some covers for cheap photo albums to make gardening journals (also am planning a knitter's version).
I wanted to, but haven't gotten around to making beaded collars for rooting jars, maybe next year.....

Posted: 01-12-04 17:35

my sister has a new apartment this year, so i'm doing lots of cuttings for her.

also making my usual giant batches of herbed bath salts, and making a lavender sleep mask and maybe a wrist rest for my computery family.

Posted: 01-12-04 18:24

I was also thinking about trying to make plant cozies (okay for myself though not gifts) since I've had some plants (like stevia) that don't like their pots to be even marginally cool.... usually I wrap a blanket or old tshirt around them but thought a cozy would be niftier.

I always do the mini lavender pillow for putting on your eyes or under your pillow for the smell too. I add flax seed. I LOVE the frog idea. We did beanbag frogs in grade 7 Home Ec. These seem to go over big every year. My other yearly projects include lip balm and bath bombs. The bath bombs were particularly good last year.

Oh I like the album cover journal. Wait until you see the garden journal project I devised for the book.... it is also constructed from recycled materials. I can't wait until I can start revealing this stuff.

I really must get a dehydrator. I bet your tomatoes were delicious...

Posted: 02-12-04 16:07

Gayla,

I might have missed it and have only done a quick search...would you be willing to share your recipe for lip balm?

dg

Posted: 02-12-04 18:16

I have never posted it. This is not the recipe I use (I made mine up after a whole lot of trial and error) but I suggest you check out Megan's adventures in lipbalm because it covers all the bases that you'd ever need as a first-timer.

Joined: 28 Nov 2004 Posts: 7 Location: austin, tx

my dad grows tomato plants and i'm trying to think of a good gift for him... can anyone recommend a tomato-growing-related present?

Posted: 02-12-04 18:54

Well you could get him packets of heirloom tomato seeds. I recommend Seed Savers.

There are special organic fertilizer mixes made especially for growing tomatoes.

A great gift I got from a friend were long (9 feet!), heavy stakes with points on one end for driving them into the ground easily.

Maybe a seed starting kit? I like my electric seedling warmer.

Upside down tomato planter...

Old Growth Joined: 28 Jan 2004 Posts: 329

I was thinking of actually "planting" an herb garden for the boyfriend as part of his Xmas gift... but I'm wondering if that's kind of like the Simpson's episode where Homer buys Marge the bowling ball...

Posted: 14-12-04 1:07

You can get him the 'bowling ball,' just be sure that it is the right 'bowling ball' for him, like maybe a bonsai or a carnivorous plant, or a cactus Smile

Gayla, thanks for posting the bath tea recipe! My girlfriend and I spent the entire day on Saturday drinking champagne punch and whipping up a batch of "sensual tea" (lavender/rose/ylang ylang/neroli/oatmeal/epsom) and making brown sugar body scrub. Mmmm.

Also, if anyone wants the recipe for brown sugar body scrub I am happy to share...it is divine.

Posted: 14-12-04 2:53

mmm... brown sugar - go on, then. is it very labour-intensive?

briana, what about a banana plant? guys seem to love them.
a herb garden wouldn't be a bowling ball if he cooks a lot...

Posted: 14-12-04 10:33

I second the request for brown sugar body scrub recipe.
(actually that would be a great future YGG 'issue'....more herbal gift instructions and recipes)

Posted: 14-12-04 11:56

I want the brown sugar body scrub recipe too

Posted: 14-12-04 20:59

I was able to find all of the ingredients at my local health food store. This year we substituted olive oil for the jojoba (which can be pricey) and it is still very nice...
Brown Sugar Body Scrub:
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c fine sea salt
1/4 c (or less) of a combination of sunflower, sweet almond, and jojoba oils
1/2 c shredded soap (optional)***
1 T kaolin or china clay (white)
1 T honey
1 t vitamin E oil
1 t each of grapefruit, lime, and orange fragrance or essential oils (note: if using these EOs avoid exposing skin to direct sun)

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Spoon into jar. The recipe makes 8 ounces. The oil will settle to the top, just stir before use. This is an invigorating scrub, so rub gently. Works very well on legs, feet, knees, and elbows; not reccomended for faces.

***When we made this last year, we opted to leave out the shredded soap. The scrub was still fabulous, but we all felt that it would have been that much better with the soap added - more lathery. This year we added unscented goat milk soap and it is nice and foamy.
We tripled the recipe and filled 16 x 2.5 oz(approx) glass jars with the metal clamps. Stick on a fancy label of your own design and tie on a little wooden spoon with a ribbon and bob's your uncle...

Posted: 15-12-04 2:10

thanks!

Posted: 15-12-04 12:32

i'm going to have to try to make that. sounds awesome!

Posted: 15-12-04 15:29

Quote:

...and bob's your uncle...

That is SO funny!!! Laughing

I have never heard that saying.

Thanks so much for the recipe...I can't wait to try it!

Posted: 16-12-04 3:30

i have a feeling kaolin or china clay may be difficult to get around here. hey, perhaps i can use plaster instead? been doing a lot of diy around the house lately...

Posted: 17-12-04 19:08

The clay that I found at the health food store is just called 'white clay' and I guess it can be ingested to 'cleanse,' as well. ...just in case you weren't looking in the 'edible clay' section. Plaster could work, I guess, if you were planning to stay in the bathtub for a very long time.

Posted: 19-12-04 19:37

Where can i get the scoops??