Homemade Christmas Gifts Part II

The second gift idea I found was Peppermint Bath Salts.

Material Needed:

12 tall jelly (12-ounce) canning jars with lid and rings
2 4-pound cartons Epsom Salts (approximately 16 cups)4 pounds sea salt or Kosher salt (approximately 6 cups)1/2 teaspoon glycerin, divided12 to 15 drops peppermint essential oil12 to 15 drops red food color
3 pieces cardstock (for tags)

I broke the recipe down and only made 1 jar to test. I only had quart jars so that is what I used. I will use a smaller jelly jar for the actual gift giving, but you can get the idea. Also I did not have enough red food coloring so I used green. I plan on giving this gift to my nieces & a couple of ALI's friends with a loofah ..not sure how to spell that.

Directions:
Wash, rinse and dry canning jars.
Empty one carton Epsom Salts into large mixing bowl or batter bowl. Add 3 cups sea salt, stir well. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon glycerin and 6 to 8 drops essential oil. Mix well.
In second large mixing bowl, empty one carton Epsom Salts, and add 3 cups sea salt. Stir well. Add 1/4 teaspoon glycerin, 6 to 8 drops essential oil, and food color. Stir until completely blended. Color should be even.
Tip: use a heavy-duty stand mixer (such as Kitchenaid-brand) to mix bath salts easily. Set mixer to lowest setting and mix until color is even--but don't try this with hand mixers or smaller stand mixers!
Holding canning jars at an angle, layer salts in jars, alternating white and colored mixtures.
These 2 gift ideas we have tried out. I can honestly say both were easy to put together and worked out great. The cookies from part I were yummy...and the bath salts were fun and we all smell like peppermint! This site here has other ideas for gifts in a jar, but we have only tested the 2 I mentioned. I will be testing others as time permits. Happy Christmas Planning!!!