Making Christmas presents

Soap

– soap base
– peppermint essential oil
– red food colouring
– soap moulds
– a wooden skewer

Melt the soap base in the microwave for about 30 seconds then take it out and stir it. Put it in for another 30 seconds. My soap base was completely melted after a minute. Mix in the oil and pour into the soap moulds. Add some food colouring drop by drop and use the wooden skewer to swirl it around. Leave to set until the soap is hard.

Hot chocolate

– 1/2 cup milk powder
– 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
– 1/2 cup sugar
– 1/8 tsp salt
– 1/4 tsp chocolate flakes
– 1/2 cup candy canes (broken)
– glass jar

Fill the glass jar with the ingredients listed above, starting with the milk powder.

Earrings

– 2 metal rings
– white felt
– red thread
– 2 earring hooks

Cut ten little circles of white felt and one narrow strip for the outside. Then sew everything together using the red thread. See the photo. Attach a metal ring to the end of the thread and then add an earring hook. Repeat the process to make the second earring.

Bath salts

– 2 cups of Epsom salts
– 2 tsp baking soda
– 8 drops of peppermint essential oil
– 10 drops of red food colouring
– glass jar

Mix the Epsom salts with the baking soda and then add the essential oil. Pour half of the mixture into a separate bowl and add the food colouring. Tip the jar slightly and fill it with a layer of white bath salt then a layer of red bath salt. Once you’ve finished, it will look just like a candy cane.

Peppermint liqueur

– 1/3 kopjes suiker
– 1/3 cup sugar
– 2/3 cup water
– 2 tsp peppermint extract
– 2 cups vodka
– red food colouring

Heat the sugar and water together until the sugar has dissolved. Allow it to cool completely and then add the vodka, peppermint extract and a little bit of food colouring. A dash of this liqueur tastes delicious in hot chocolate.