Simple Valentine Gift Ideas

Gift ideas for Valentine's Day or anytime can be simple, inexpensive, and still appreciated.

How about something for the bath that has all natural ingredients?  I've been trying different ratios to create my own simple hand soap.  It's low in suds, lightly moisturizing, and includes essential oils with some natural antibacterial properties.  Remember that some people can still have sensitivities to natural bath products, so you'll have to see what works for you.  At our house, this is a winner over soaps with questionable preservatives. 

Homemade Hand Soap
1 cup water
1/2 cup unscented Castile soap
1/8 cup vegetable glycerin
2 drops tea tree essential oil
2 drops lavender essential oil

We also enjoy a low-cost, all-natural bath soak made with these ingredients:

Lavender Bath Salts
1 cup Epsom salts
1/2 cup baking soda
1/4 cup natural sea salt
1 tablespoon vegetable glycerin
3 to 4 drops lavender essential oil

I keep an old wooden baby spoon to stir and dispense the salts into the bath.  A simple ribbon and sprig of fresh rosemary over a glass container make these salts pretty enough to give away.

Looking for a handy reference for lots of natural herbal products you can make yourself?  The gift of Jim Long's herb books is available from The Shops at Morgan Lane, where I recently met the lovely Georgia Denman and her family in Southeast Tennessee.

Denman carries the clean-burning line of Pacifica scented candles at her shop, along with a quaint mix of antiques and collectibles.  She reminds us that an inexpensive way to give candy or other treats might be in vintage glassware.  Odd, unmatched pieces can even be found at tag sales or thrift stores and used for creative gift giving.

Creative blogger Siobhan Warren at WeeWarrens.blogspot.com has been sewing some kid-friendly crafts for Valentine's Day.  She graciously agreed to a link to her latest projects that you might want to try.