Bath and Spa Gifts

Use cardboard milk or juice cartons to make these lovely soaps.

Make dozens of effervescent treats in a variety of shapes and colors that will scent and soften bath water as they bubble.

Fill heat-sealable tea bags with calming scents, including lavender buds, peppermint leaves, and chamomile buds.

Add nature's essence to a homemade soap gift.

You need only four ingredients to make these moisturizing exfoliants. The base can be made from either Epsom salts or sugar, depending on whether you want a large or fine grain.

Spa-inspired presents, including these handmade lip balms, can be created from basic kitchen ingredients and craft materials. 

Stamped soaps, inspired by candy conversation hearts, are great gifts for friends.

Coaxed from leaves, roots, tree bark, fruit peels, or flower petals, essential oils make lovely homemade gifts that carry a plant's very life force.

These fragrant spheres for the bath are made by packing Epsom salts into a plastic mold; they can be tinted any color. You'll need 3 to 4 days to make the bath balls because of the drying time between steps. Makes 2 large or 4 small balls.

Turn a plain old soak into a real retreat with bath salts you make and package yourself.

Ice-cube trays serve as molds, giving the fizzies their shape. Using a flexible silicone model lets you slide the cubes out smoothly without breaking them.

Muslin bags stamped with an evergreen motif and filled with fragrant dried balsam make seasonally appropriate sachets. The tiny tags were made using a craft punch.