Review for Qwessi Kitchen tea infusers

Hello, lovelies! I've finally gotten off my behind and have done my review for Qwessi Kitchen's 4pk of multicolored tea infusers.

In my video, I walk you through my first use of this product.

I absolutely love these guys! You'll definitely get tons of compliments on these. They're also great as an affordable gift idea for a tea lover. Or you can order one and split them up among a few tea lovers! The price is right, as it's comparable to what a single tea infuser would go for, but you get 4 of them.

I'm grateful to Qwessi Kitchen for allowing me to test these out at a discounted rate. A big thank you to them!

If you're interested in these, you can find them here. 

I've started a facebook page to house all of my reviews. Please stop by here and give us a like!

Thanks for stopping by and checking this out! Until next time, shine on!

The controversial Amazon TOS update!

For those of you (well, probably all of you, really) who were not aware, I do reviews on Amazon. Not as a business (I don't get paid) or as a way to make money or profits of any kind (again, I don't get paid and I have NEVER accepted money or gifts from any seller asking for a review). Instead I did it as a way to try new things while helping other people like me who don't have a lot of money to spend on things they're merely intrigued by or slightly interested in. A review from me was an honest representation of whether or not the product in question was worth the money they were charging for it. Sometimes they were, sometimes they weren't. And sometimes, more than a few times, the product was awesome but the price was overkill. I represented alllllllllll of that in my reviews. Because, honestly... the review section is always your decision maker on anything you purchase online, don't even try to lie and say it's not.

So yes, I would receive items at a pretty good discount, or sometimes free, in exchange for my time to test it out and then my time to write up my honest review. It worked out perfectly for me because I was getting to try some things I've been interested in for a while (and some things I hadn't been interested in but found to be something I SHOULD have been interested in all along), I wasn't going broke doing it, AND I was able to spread some love to the consumer so that they weren't getting misled.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of assbags in the world who adore taking advantage of a good system. Some dickless sellers were either paying for the reviews or making the discount a condition of a 5 star review (no matter what they thought of it). I used to be part of a group who used to demand 5 star reviews. I left said group. After a while of being on their warning list for not completing reviews I had no intention of leaving 5 stars for, they simply allowed me to fall through the cracks of their impeccable system and had I chosen to stay, I could have easily began receiving items again right under their noses. That would have been wildly underhanded and I wasn't happy anyway, so I hit the road. It all seemed off to me.. and that's essentially when I discovered what they were doing was actually against Amazon's terms. Writing long winded 5 star reviews for a shitty product or, perhaps, a product it's clear you didn't bother trying? Yeah. That's been a valid concern for like... ya know, EVER.

But it was always perpetuated by these shady ass reviewers who were willing to whore out their keyboard and brown nosing vocabulary just to obtain free shit. Half the time I'd check the other reviews on something I had criticized and I would find BULLSHIT flowery rainbows. Reviewers waxing poetically about how wonderful this bullshit was and how they can't imagine how they've lived without it and BLAH BLAH BLAH KILL ME BLAH. I'm over here saying... Have you even tried the thing? Because it's not even close to the mythical being you've painted it to be.

Since this asshattery was common place and had no end in sight-- Amazon updated their TOS to include an all out ban on incentivized reviews. Anyone who received the item with a substantial promo code and then wrote a review are getting their reviews wiped out now even as I type this. They claim they're looking strictly for the "overboard" ones, but let's just face facts and understand that they aren't looking at your reviews. They are using an algorithm to seek and destroy any reviews posted for an order purchased with a promo code. Which is fine. No skin off my ass. Am I sad to see all my hard work erased? Absolutely. I'm pissed. But ya know what? Whatever. Because I know my work.

There are some people out there bitter as hell claiming it's a money grab on Amazon's part because they want to further their Vine program (where Amazon acts as the middle man for incentivized reviews so they ensure unbiased reviews as opposed to written defecation), which costs the sellers more money to participate in than offering codes to reviewers. And hey, that might be a valid perk on their end. But you're fucking blind if you can't see there was a legit issue that people kept taking advantage of over and over and it was killing Amazon's credibility. Ever heard the adage that a few can ruin it for everyone? Here's your real life example.

THERE IS A POINT TO THIS, I PROMISE!!

The point of this post was to not only express my feelings on the change, but also to issue a gripe against Amazon itself. Not for amending their TOS, not even for deleting my hard work. But because they were so wildly unprepared for the blow back of this move that I am still receiving emails from sellers-- THROUGH AMAZON NO LESS-- asking and reminding me for my reviews. I will share a few examples here-- fear not, anything that would identify the product or the seller has been blacked out to ensure privacy. I'm not in the game of putting anyone on blast, especially since this is most likely Amazon's flub and the emails could very well be automated via their system. Please note the time stamps on these, as the TOS change took effect October 3.

The screenshots posted above are a few I received from sellers via Amazon Marketplace. I assume they are automated. Amazon sent me these. Amazon even sent me this, even though seller feedback is also strictly prohibited under the new TOS:

Now, there were a few honest sellers out there who contacted me via Amazon Marketplace to assure me that in order to abide by the new rules, a review was not necessary.

These are the good guys, folks. So either Amazon has dropped the ball and didn't stop all automated messages from being sent out, or these sellers don't give a rat's ass what Amazon thinks. Either way... It's quite vexing. So kudos to the sellers who are reaching out and letting us know they are aware of the changes and urging us to abide by the rules. I applaud you. Seriously.

So from here on in, I will be posting my product reviews here. I will try to keep the products I review here relate-able to my audience, but if I do post something that doesn't catch your interest... apologies in advance. I am well aware I can't possibly please everyone. But what I will do is provide a completely honest review of the item and hopefully it will help both my audience and the seller.

Full disclosure-- I teased a review in my last post and promised it for today-- whoops! Many bads on my part on that one. Time certainly got away with me and I wasn't feeling well at the start of the day, but I will get that posted here as soon as I possibly can. It's a good one, guys.. so I hope you enjoy it.

That's it for now! Thanks for tuning in to my ravings. I really felt the need to vent about my peeves and also shine a bit more light on why I've altered this blog to include reviews. This would be it! I kinda feel better doing them here anyway. Gives me much more creative flexibility. And I can curse! I can actually say THIS IS THE NICEST SHIT EVER OMG FUCKING FUCK I CAN'T EVEN!

And that makes my little black heart beat quicker with excitement.

Until next time, my stars... keep shining!

Adventures in anxiety!

I know I haven't talked about it on here before, but I have anxiety. I usually don't talk about it much because I'm always apprehensive that people will pull away from me simply because they don't understand or think that must mean I'm a lunatic. Which has happened, sadly. I know a lot of people see me differently now than they saw me before I started having panic attacks. People are more careful with me, they handle me with care as if I'm a delicate vase they'll get in trouble for breaking. So I rarely talk about it, except in passing ("oh hey, yes, this post is relate-able because I also struggle with that" or "man, I feel ya.. that makes me nervous too"). Never in depth. Unless I'm close to you, but just the same, I'm cautious. So I've decided to talk about it. Not constantly (hell, this entire post won't even be entirely about it), but more. Time to stop feeling like I'm the odd one out, as I know many of you out there struggle with it in varying degrees. And maybe you're afraid too. Maybe you feel like you're not normal and don't fit in. Being different takes a lot more courage than fitting in with the crowd. From here on in, I'll be sharing my stories with you in an effort to be as real as I possibly can be. The real me, 100% of the time. No "don't worry, I'm fine" or "look at these pictures where I'm smiling and life seems so perfect". I'm as imperfect as they come. Let's be entirely real with each other. Let's interact. I want to see some comments. If you're going through something similar, please always feel free to share your story. You can choose to stay in the shallow end or you can choose to swim in the ocean. So let's make some waves, darlings.

Along with my newfound willingness to speak openly about my anxiety, I will occasionally be sharing some things that work for me to help calm the nerves. Tonight it's all about a quiet, safe space. Tonight I am in my bedroom as I type this and I have my candles lit and my incense burning. I have a small space to my right that inhabits my bookshelf, along with a few carefully chosen decorations and practical items. I love my special space. It allows me to find a semblance of tranquility to help me get whatever rest I can grab onto. Here I'll burn strictly frankincense because it calms me. It's actually a natural antidepressant. I'll light my candles and every so often I'll look over and enjoy the dancing flames. I'll usually couple this with music and a relaxing or mind numbing activity. Some of you may be expecting a stereotypical pagan sound like meditation music or throat singing. In actuality, I'll put on Miles Davis and let him melt me into relaxation. I'll read or sometimes, yes shame on me, I'll play a mindless game on my phone (with the backlight turned all the way down, mind you... you won't get any rest from bright lights). This is my quiet place. It's not special to anyone but me.

So tell me.. what is your quiet place? Where do you go when you need to zen immediately? I'd love to hear your story. Thanks for reading mine.

There's lots of things coming up for this quiet little blog. Tomorrow I'll be reviewing a product that I think you're going to love. Here's a hint-- get the water boiling and grab your favorite mug! If there's anything you'd like to see discussed or addressed here, please let me know! I'm always open to suggestions (lawd knows I'm gonna need them after a while when writer's block rears it's stupid face).

If you haven't already, please subscribe or follow me (located on the right). Comments and shares are always much appreciated. Until next time, my stars... shine on.

Revamping and relaunching!

Good afternoon, my bright stars! It certainly has been a long time since my last post. This is about to change dramatically, you ready?!

Unfortunately, after I started this blog in 2014, life began to get a little crazy for me. Lots of changes to deal with and it took me a long while to acclimate to these changes. You see, not too long after the start of 2015, we took my dad in to the doctor to address his frequent memory loss. After some tests and referrals, we ended up at the VA in Cleveland in their neurology department. They tested, found it wasn't entirely abnormal for someone with diabetes as uncontrolled as my dad's has been. While we were up there, they put him through a mock and then real life driving test to test his reaction times and focus. It didn't go well and we walked away with a recommendation for him to stop driving. Since it was a warning, he still drove from time to time. At his checkup months later, the doctor was firm and serious- no more driving or there could be serious consequences. For instance, if he were to get into an accident and the opposing insurance company or police discovered he had been told not to drive, he could not only be sued for the damages, but could also be arrested for negligence if someone were to be injured. Since my mother has advanced arthritis in her knee and doesn't have much mobility these days, the task of driving for my entire family fell to me. It's been a rough transition. I've gone from having plenty of time to build my jewelry and crafting business and tending to a blog to having little to no time to do so. Much of my time from day to day is spent caring for others' needs instead of my own. I've been unable to obtain employment because of the need for me to be available as needed (in case of emergencies) and my personal life, to be honest, has suffered a bit. To be fair, I do have spare time on some days-- but I usually spend that time being LAZY or taking care of the needs in my own home. Mostly just being lazy. Gotta be honest here.

So now I am working on carving out some special time that is just for my own pursuits. I shall be posting weekly-- AT MINIMUM. Hopefully more, but certainly no less. I will also be working on restocking my virtual shelves (I shall soon include a link to my Etsy store in my profile for those interested in viewing my art) and you will see a random plug here and there for it, even if it's simply a teaser of something I'm excited about working on. I've also expanded my original intent for this blog and have decided to do a few product reviews for my lovely readers. They won't all be witchy/pagan related and they will probably vary in types. I will provide my best representation of the products as possible so you can have a sound foundation on which to stand when seeking out products of that type. I will not be asking you to purchase any of the products I review-- that's ridiculously underhanded and I WILL NOT EVER. So please don't ever feel that I am pushing or attempting to sell anything that I've reviewed. It's merely meant as a tool for my readers to use when unsure of what to look for in a given product. Yule is quickly approaching and I know a lot of you will be hunting for deals and great quality gifts. Hopefully I can assist you with this as best I can.

Speaking of shopping for Yule, I will also be posting tips on saving via online shopping, as well as crafty homemade ideas for stocking stuffers and decor. But since Samhain is approaching first, be prepared for a flurry of cool ideas! Samhain is my favorite and I relish autumn. You have been warned!

One more thing before I close. This blog is, and will always be, intended to be a home away from home for my dearest pagan stars. I will make every effort to remain relateable on that thread of thought. However, this is also intended for adults, so there will eventually, and inevitably, be profanity used. It's my second tongue! So if this offends you, I do highly recommend unsubscribing now before it gets worse!

As always, comments and feedback are life to me, so if you have any comments, please leave them for me! I will always reply to and questions and feedback I receive. And if you enjoy your experience here and wish to share this with your friends, please feel free to do so! Word of mouth is the best and most reliable form of advertisement.

Until the next post, keep shining!

Decorating for Yule

Yes, yes.. to some I know this post is late. Winter Solstice and Yule were on December 21st, so why so late? Well, there's a simple answer to that. Not only did we have friends in from out of town and gatherings at our house, but in our home, Yule isn't celebrated just one day a year. The kickoff, of course is on Winter Solstice. But in an effort to extend the good cheer and drastically reduce the stress, we tend to celebrate Yule until the end of January. We exchange our main gifts on Solstice, but are sure to spread out little gifts throughout the month, to keep our budget sane and keep the giving spirit active. What could perk up a crappy day better than a thoughtful, well timed gift? So when I decorate for Yule, I usually do so with the intention of keeping those decorations up and lit for well over a month. So my decorations always must be as practical as possible, and something that wouldn't seem tacky or out of place past the traditional holiday. We typical use a lot of greenery and natural seasonal objects to decorate for this reason. 

The first thing one usually does is put up their Yule or holiday tree, if they have one. I'm a bit of a tree hugger, so I'm majorly against having a live tree, unless it's potted and intended to be planted in the spring. I know that I'm of the majority in this subject, even among Pagans. If you do choose to use a live tree, please dispose of it responsibly, preferably in a compost. Needless to say, I choose to use an artificial tree. Instead of the usual ornaments and decorations that include Santa and such, I prefer to use more natural objects. For example, I decorate with birds, spider balls, bundles of sticks, acorns, etc. I also like recycling objects to use as ornaments, like old spoons bent to hang on a branch. There's also some random ornaments on my tree as well, most of which we had collected over the years and old ceramic ones made and painted by my mom. Hubby isn't fond of the idea of a star on top of the tree, so instead of a star, I use a big bow.

After the Yule tree is set up, I typically begin collecting things for my Yule altar. I love having a sacred space in the heart of our home. This year, I went outside to our backyard to one of our evergreen trees and took clippings from some of the lower branches. I always make sure to first ask permission and then thank the tree for letting me take the trimmings. It's never a bad idea to practice a healthy respect for nature, especially the Earth's lungs, even if your practice isn't nature based. I also took a couple thin, bare branches to craft my pentagram wreath and create an arrangement with some of the evergreen trimmings. 

Whenever setting up a sacred space, I like to have all the elements represented. You can represent Earth with rocks, crystals, salt, trimmings, etc. Fire is usually represented with candles and Air is usually represented with incense. Representing water is rather self explanatory, but if you have cats like mine who like to knock everything over to get to a water source (even if their water dish is filled to the brim), it might be a good idea to only bring the water to the altar when you use it. It's entirely up to you how you set up your altar. Some paths have outlines for appropriate placements of each item. You can use an outline if you like, but I usually just do whatever feels right and uncluttered. It's MY sacred space, after all.

The last major thing I like to do is have a nice pentagram wreath on my front door to greet guests. It's not as loud as having a giant sign in the yard that says "LOOK! A PAGAN LIVES HERE!", but it's enough to represent the home they are coming into. 

All the rest is just details. I put up a cute snowman on the door to greet guests during our gatherings after the door was closed. I took him down after the gatherings, mostly because tape refuses to stick to smooth wood for longer than a 24 hour period, it seems. 

The best part is to see it all lit up. After the Solstice celebration came to an end, I got to light all my candles and incense, turn off the lights and simply enjoy the quiet and the company. 

So how did you decorate this year? I'd love to hear from ya! Come check out the Gypsy Constellation Facebook page and share some pics from your holiday celebrations. You can find it HERE.

Thanks for stopping by, hope to see ya soon!

How To Quickly Cleanse Your Crystals

I've been using a personal crystal for a while now, with great results. It's just a clear quartz that I wear around my neck everyday. But lately, I've been considering upping the ante.

For the past couple of years, I've been struggling with an anxiety disorder. It began with a couple experiences that lead me to a panic attack, and after that they just kept coming, without warning or obvious trigger. The first couple of months I was in a total free fall. I had absolutely no control over when or where the symptoms would take place. I became more like a hermit during those times because, as anyone who suffers panic attacks knows, having one in public is beyond mortifying. And as much as people say they understand, you know that they really don't unless they have them as bad as you do. Over the past year, I've learned to recognize the symptoms and more obvious triggers. I still have unexpected potential melt downs from time to time, but I've learned to center myself and breathe through it. Which is a great deal of progress from where I was a year ago.

I was looking for an extra push the in the right direction. I refuse to concede to taking medication unless I can't control it anymore. So I began doing a little research about crystals and their properties. I figured replacing my personal crystal with one that naturally promotes calm and relaxation, while also grounding me, might be a good start. After carefully leafing through the many options out there, I finally settled on the amethyst. It promotes everything I was looking for, and the bonus is that it's a pretty darn attractive stone. 

So yesterday, my husband, who has always been my anchor and grounding force through all of this, took me to an amazing little pagan shop a couple towns over. As an early Yule gift, he treated me to the most gorgeous amethyst, along with a couple other stones to use in my rituals and works.I also picked up some sage for my solstice smudging and frankincense for my solstice altar (I'll be posting about this later!).

After we got home from our travels, I was in quite the hurry to cleanse my crystal so I could begin using it. As I was doing the ritual, I had forgotten that last night was the full moon before Yule! I love cleansing on a full moon, it always seems so much more powerful. And you can't argue with results. This morning when I charged my crystal with my energy and intentions, I could FEEL it reacting. It heated up slightly and pulsated in my hands. So exciting! When I put it on for the first time, the effects were immediate. I felt like I had just taken a huge sigh of relief. And I've been in possibly the best moods I've had for ages! I'm incredibly excited to see what's in store for me now with this bad boy in my arsenal. 

My cleansing ritual is based off of another ritual posted on an amazing blog and I would really like to credit her, but I can't. The big bimbo inside of me went and closed down the browser without bookmarking the site first. But she really deserves the credit, because it was her post that took all of the intimidation I had been feeling during the cleansing rituals. I'm on a mission to find this blog again, and when I do, I will be posting it here, where it belongs! 

Like I said above, my ritual is based off of hers, I just changed the wording to fit my own style and needs. As I say with almost everything, you must always make it your own! If you want something to work for you personally, then it needs to come from you. There are no rules, there is only you. So feel free to use my ritual as a guideline and make your ritual your own. Or, if you feel comfortable with mine, feel free to use it. Whatever feels right for you.

Let's get started, shall we?

Quick & Easy Crystal Cleansing Ritual

 First, as always, you'll need to gather your supplies. The supplies you'll need are:

*a glass bowl

*a candle

*incense

*sea salt

*purified water

*your crystals

*essential oils (optional)

Once you have your supplies gathered, you'll need to set up a special space, or an altar. It's up to you what you include on your altar. Some people choose to embellish by adding things (statues, trinkets of good luck, etc.), while others choose to keep it simple. I chose the latter, especially since I was in such a hurry to get the ritual started so the crystals could have as much moonlight as possible. Another thing you'll have to consider when selecting your space is the weather. In the warmer months, I like to do the ritual outdoors, since the crystals should remain outdoors under the moon all night. Since it's pretty frigid outside here, I chose to do the ritual indoors and then move the crystals to a makeshift altar on my enclosed back porch area. Not only do the crystals get to be essentially outside, but since I was using essential oils, I wanted to keep it absolutely out of reach from the prying paws of my pets and the neighborhood society of cats.

 Before we begin the ritual instructions, let me first explain how the 4 elements are represented on your altar. The salt represents earth, the candle represents fire, the incense represents air, and the water represents... well, water. You will be calling upon all of the elements to help cleanse your crystal in this ritual.

When you are ready to begin, start by grounding and centering yourself, clearing all negativity. Light the candle and incense and fill the bowl about halfway full with the purified water. Now you'll need to gather the crystals you wish to cleanse. I chose to cleanse my clear quartz, my personal amethyst, a rough amethyst, and a black tourmaline.

 

 Gorgeous, aren't they?

Take your crystal and pass it through the fire repeatedly while saying, "Essence of fire, cleanse and clear this crystal of all negativity and make it ready for use in my spiritual work."

Pass the crystal through the smoke of the incense and repeat the incantation for the element of air.

Gently drop the crystal into the water and repeat the incantation for the element of water.

Pour just enough salt to barely cover the crystal and repeat the incantation for the element of earth. If you're cleansing more than one crystal, only add the salt once and add more if necessary once all crystals are in the bowl.

If you're using essential oils, you can add them now. Remember to only use oils that promote your purpose for the crystals. I used lavender for calming, which was my intention for my crystals.

Now the crystals can be taken outside to soak up that awesome moonlight. I took mine out to my makeshift altar, along with the candle and the incense. I like to leave them burning until the incense is spent and I snuff the candle as I'm heading to bed for the night. I cracked the back door open for ventilation as the incense burned, but was sure to lock it back up before leaving it unattended. No need for curious paws to be dipped in my crystal bath!

Leave the bowl outside overnight. Once you are fully awake in the morning, bring your bowl inside and rinse the crystals and dry them. Get ready to charge your crystals by first grounding yourself and releasing negativity.

Take the crystal and place it in your palm, covering it with your other palm. Close your eyes and begin channeling your energy and intentions into the stone. There's no wrong way to do this. Visualize images, project emotions, speak aloud, sing.. whatever moves you. You should feel your stone responding to your energy. You might feel a slight heat, a light pulsing or a tingling sensation. Don't worry! When you're finished, put the stone aside and move on to the next, if applicable. Take your time and breathe in between. While charging my personal amethyst, I found myself in a deep meditation and it took me a moment to settle back into reality. There's no need to rush at this stage.

After you've charged your stone, you're done! You can begin wearing and using your crystals. If you're storing them for the first time, do a quick web search for proper storage information. There's a wealth of information out there if you look for it. 

That was easy, right?

If you're planning on trying this ritual, or have tried it, I'd love to hear from you! 

And remember, I'm always here to answer any and every question to the best of my ability. Just leave me a comment and I'll be sure to respond ASAP!

Thank you so much for stopping by, I hope you found this post helpful!

Have a blessed day!

Homemade Gifts-- Coffee Sugar Scrub

I've been wracking my brain for the past couple weeks on gift ideas that are inexpensive to make, preferably with the items I already have in my cupboards. Not to mention something unique that someone would be pleased to receive. My 2 cousins are the ones who prompted this epic brainstorm. Every year around the holidays, I find myself in ultra panic mode as I try to find a suitable gift that also fits my typically tight budget. This year, it was as if the skies had opened up and the universe smiled on me. I was at the local craft store and I happened to stumble across a giant coffee mug. Like... huge. The kind of coffee mug you could probably fit an entire pot of coffee into. Score! Both of my cousins adore coffee, especially Dunkin Donuts coffee. So the coffee themed gift basket (well, giant cup) began to take shape. I stopped off at DD to get 3 pounds of coffee- one for each mug and, of course, one for me. I can't help it Dunkin makes amazeballs coffee.

I had my coffee, which was the base of my gift mug. Now what? I needed some more coffee themed gifts to put inside this caffeinated treasure chest. I decided to make a batch of my famous cappuccino cookies (I'll post the recipe when I make them closer to the holidays), but I still needed at least one more main item. I started doing a little rifling online. I ignored the obvious food choices (I already have my cookies, why press my luck?), and instead began to search for something more in the beauty realm. I had been trying my hand at some natural body scrubs and foot soaks, so I decided to start there. Lo and behold, I discovered my holy grail! I found an amazing recipe for an all natural coffee sugar scrub! The original recipe called for olive oil, but I figured there might be a chance that it could end up being too... goopy. So I substituted coconut oil. Since most coconut oils remain mostly solid in a cool place, the goopy problem wouldn't be much of a problem anymore. This was incredibly easy and fun to make. If you know anyone who loves coffee, but also likes being pampered, this is the perfect gift. Did I mention it was INCREDIBLY easy to make? And you probably won't even need to buy anything to make this. If you're not a fan of coconut oil, or don't have any on hand, just switch back to the original recipe and use olive oil instead. Easy peasy, right?


Coffee Sugar Scrub

1 cup sugar
1 cup ground coffee
1 tbsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut oil (you may need a little more, depending on how solid your oil is)


First, you'll want to get some containers to put your finished product in. I didn't have any mason jars at the ready, so I soaked the labels off of 2 that I had set aside. The ones I used are 16 oz. jars. The recipe above will make enough for one 16 oz. jar. If you'd like to fill 2 of these babies like I did, you'll need to repeat the recipe for the second jar. On the bright side, that part takes little to no time to complete, so it's not a bother. Once I got the labels and glue soaked off, I gave them a good scrub to make sure any excess glue bits and grime were gone.

Next, go ahead and assemble your ingredients and prepare your work space. I like to put down a square of parchment paper whenever mixing anything. Mostly because I loathe the clean up process, and once you're all done, you can roll up the parchment and throw it away, along with all the stray bits that have fallen on it.

Measure out your dry ingredients.

Next, add your oil.

Mix it all up! Since my oil was more on the solid side, using the spatula was a silly venture. I ended up using my hands to mix it. Once mixed, it should be moist enough to stick together when pressed in your hand. If it's too dry, add a little more oil. You don't want it too wet, but you certainly don't want it dry either.

Once you've achieved the desired consistency, put it into your jars, pressing it down as you go. Pack it in tightly, and one full batch will fit comfortably inside a 16 oz. jar. Now that you've got it packed and ready to go, all you have left now is to personalize and package!

Dress it up however you like, but be sure to make it personal. You want your essence to be apparent, since you are the one who crafted this work of art. Once you've put on your finishing touches, it's ready to gift! You can put it in a gift basket, like me, or give it by itself. An amazing gift that could literally cost you NOTHING. Is there anything better?

If you're planning on trying this out, or have tried it, I'd love to hear from you! Comments are ALWAYS appreciated! I hope you enjoy it, and have a blessed day!