More Gift Ideas You Can Be Sure They Don't Already Have...

Probably everyone needs a rabbit finger puppet:  http://www.etsy.com/listing/84187124/bunny-rabbit-finger-puppet-bruno 
Or possibly an antelope: http://www.etsy.com/listing/84089598/antelope-finger-puppet-annie

Unique Gifts...

It's time to think of unusual, memorable gifts.  For everyone on your list.  Within a budget.  And within the month.  Here's something I'll bet no one already has.  And if they have one, certainly two could only be better.  Cause everyone needs a faux fox scarf.   http://www.etsy.com/listing/82946874/faux-fox-scarf-spooky-with-scull

It's Fall so It's Cranberry Bread

Mix 1-1/2c flour, 1/2c whole wheat flour, 1-1/2t baking powder, 1/2t baking soda, 3/4c sugar and rind of one orange.  Separately, mix 2T oil, juice of one orange plus extra oj or water to fill 3/4c.  Mix liquid and add one beaten egg.  Add wet to dry.  Fold in 1c chopped cranberries.  Dump into greased loaf pan and bake at 325 about one hour.  Now it's really fall.

Not Necessary But Ever So Cute

Even though this is a knic-knac with absolutely no practical use -- can't you see it sitting on a windowsill waiting for spring?  Very cute.  Another Etsy find...etsy listing

Rosehip Oil

Rosehip oil doesn't smell like roses. And it doesn't have a rose-colored tint.  But it is very sweet for your skin -- one of those great all-purpose skin oils. It doesn't have a thick, sticky oil-feel.  You can smooth it directly on and it'll slowly be absorbed into your skin. And that absorption allows the oil's high levels of Vitamin C and A to penetrate your skin.  Rosehip oil's fatty acids are said to help reduce scarring and promote skin repair; and those fatty acids also act as emollients to improve skin flexibility.  Pretty sweet.

Carrot Seed Oil

They can actually get an oil out of a carrot seed?  Why would they bother?  Turns out, carrot seed essential oil has all sorts of anti-oxidants so is great for skin care.  Everything from eczema to wrinkles to excess oil.  40% of the carrot seed is made up of carotol -- something that assists with cell growth and thus helps skin stay healthy.  Carrot seed essential oil:  who would have thought...but it works for me.

Meadowfoam Oil: Quadruple Winner

 

Meadowfoam -- named because the flower blooms so profusely that a meadow full of it looks like a sea (or meadow) of foam.  Must be a sight.  Regardless, it's one of those you-can't-do-much-better-than-this oils:  environmentally healthy, great for your skin, and stabilizes the other oils it's mixed with.  Win-win-win.  Plus it's got a beautiful name because it is a beautiful plant.  Make that a win-win-win-win.

Cajeput and Her Sister

If somebody says, "Cajeput" -- do you respond with "God Bless You"?  Or possibly, "I beg your pardon?"  It may be more appropriate to immediately say, "Don't open that bottle near me; I hate the smell of cajeput -- it smells like turpentine.  Although not as bad as tea tree...".  And then you might launch into a heated discussion of the pros and cons of both essential oils.  I tend to stay with tea tree if only because it's easier to pronounce.  It's also easier to find and less likely to be a skin irritant.  But they both have antibacterial properties and have been used for years in their native lands.  Sister trees.  Similar but each their own personality.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

this one is embarrassingly easy but no so great if you have no patience.  Stick a vanilla bean in a pint of vodka or cheap brandy.  If the liquor is in a clear bottle, put the bottle in a brown paper bag.  Shake it weekly. Start using it in three to six months.  Best vanilla ever.

Matted Hair becomes Art

Have you ever had a dog's hair get matted to the point where there's no way you can clean let alone comb it out...it literally becomes a mat and can only be cut.  So this happy family ( http://www.etsy.com/listing/69325144/needle-felted-mother-with-children ) was made using the same principle:  mat up wool to the point where it won't ever come un-done -- but do it all on purpose with clean, colorful wool (and it works best if you're an artist).  Needle felting:  one barbed needle prick by prick matting up wool into something sculpted.

Odd Goat Stories

talk about a very cool oil:  Argan Oil comes from a tree that's been around for over 1-1/2 million years.  The tree can live as long as 200 years but only grows in a few places -- namely Morocco.  Thus the reason that sometimes it's referred to as "Moroccan Oil".  It's rich in skin-loving fatty acids and Vitamin E; great for helping to heal scars, is said to increase skin elasticity.  But the really great news is the goat story:  supposedly goats love to eat the fruit but can't digest the kernals (where the oil resides).  So if you want argan kernels, you just pick through goat poop during ripe argan fruit season, grind those kernals up and there's your precious argan oil.  I'm told the argan oil I bought didn't go through a goat's intentines.  But I don't know that for sure.

Borage Porridge

I hear the word, "borage" and immediately think, "porridge".  Both seem vaguely old European, in a thatched-roof sort of way.  Apparently it's an herb originally from Syria but is now all over.  And can spread pretty easily.  Has a really pretty blue star-shaped flower; the plant's also known as (surprise), "Starflower".  It's eaten as a fresh vegetable and used as a dried herb but it's greatest commercial value is the oil from the seed.  That oil is the highest known plant-based source for gamma-linolenic acid, said to help with inflammation and very dry skin conditions.  Still lots of research going on but in the meantime we use it in our dry skin oils.  Cause how can you resist rubbing borage porridge all over?