Dollar Store Gifts

This week I participated in a Dollar Store Holiday Decorating Challenge.  I made peppermint stick candles.  While I was browsing around the dollar store, I noticed several things I thought would make good gifts.  So in addition to the peppermint sticks and candles, I brought home several other goodies.

Here are the gift items I came up with.  Maybe you could use some of them, too!

Personalized cookie spatula:

I just used a Sharpie to add a name to a wood-handled spatula.  I've had one of these spatulas for years and just love it--it's a great little tool and very sturdy.  I made one for a friend and made this one for myself.  

Back scratcher:

Again, I used a Sharpie and free-handed "Quid pro quo" onto the backscratcher's handle.  Get it?

Cinnamon stick candles:

I simply cut cinnamon sticks the same length as the height of two pillar candles and hot-glued them on.

Cinnamon stick ornament:

This is just three cinnamon sticks tied with a bright bow.  I attached an ornament hanger to make it easy to place on the tree.  This would also be great tied on top of a package.

Note:  To make my cinnamon stick creations even more delectable, I rub some of this oil onto each cinnamon stick.  You can't buy this at the dollar store, but I think it's worth the investment.  This is my favorite Christmas scent, and the cinnamon sticks are the perfect absorbent surface.

Lavender bath salts:

I simply poured some lavender-scented epsom salts into a jar and added a tag.  These smell wonderful!

Hand and body scrub:

I mixed some plain Epsom salts with extra-virgin olive oil to create this pretty citron-colored scrub.  It exfoliates and moisturizes.  (You can use any kind of salt and any kind of oil for this.  Sometimes I use Tropicana suntan oil, and the mixture smells like the beach!)

Hot cocoa mug:

I poured a cup's worth of hot cocoa mix into a disposable cake decorating bag, added some marshmallows to the top, and tied it with twine and a tag.

Then I simply placed the cocoa mix into a dollar store mug along with a giant peppermint stick.  

Note:  My "tags" are just pieces of cardstock.  I used Microsoft Word to create the messages and just printed in the colors I liked, then cut the tags out with scissors.  Not very sophisticated, but it works!

Do you ever use dollar store items to make gifts?  I'd love to hear about them!

**Don't forget that the "Home for the Holy Days" link party here on Monday, December 17!**

**I'm joining Amanda at Serenity Now for Weekend Bloggy Reading.**