Hooked on handmade soaps

Handmade soaps are our everyday luxury item.

Nomadic lifestyle makes you really reconsider what everyday luxury means. Last year when we moved from New York to Sweden we had to sell about 80% of everything we owned and while our home now feels “full” of new things, we still don’t have curtains in the windows and half of our glassware is from flea markets (because we won’t be using them in two years anyways), and I am tired of buying new things just to either try to get rid off or pack them shortly again. Everything I buy has to be heirloom quality for the keep-forever pile, or easily resold or recycled when we move again or something that can be consumed. This is where the luxury comes in… My bathroom is very minimalistic, or call it bare if you like, and my everyday luxury comes from products like soaps, not from the plush new bathroom accessories.

It was my daughter who got us all hooked on handmade soaps, and we have been shopping for them from Tuscany to Sweden this past year. A few weeks ago we finally took the plunge and tried making some soaps at home. What do you think of our lavender soaps? I think they turned out great!

What you have to know about handmade soaps

Soap is made from lye and oils through a chemical process that can be messy and even dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing. It also takes a long time for handmade soap to harden and be ready to use. I have no experience making handmade soaps from the scratch, so we took a shortcut – we bought ready made base that we just melted in the microwave oven and it was easy to even do with my 11-year old daughter. You can also use crockpot if you have one.

Easy DIY soaps using the microwave oven

I am not an expert in soap making but if I was able to make these soaps with the first try, I can only imagine what kind of soaps you are able to create! We bought all of the soap making supplies just from a regular craft store. You can purchase special soap molds from the craft store, but we also used cupcake molds (not shown in the pictures). Any silicone molds will do.

You will need:
For the soaps:
Melt and pour soap base
Dye
Fragrance
Additional ingredients such as herbs or flower petals, we used dried lavender

Supplies needed:
Chopping block & knife
Plastic bowl to melt the soap in (in the microwave oven)
soap molds (and stamps if wanted)

Instructions how to make melt and pour soap bars.
1. Cut the block of soap in about one inch cubes and put it inside a microwavable bowl. Melt in high for 2 minutes and check how melted the soap is and add more time as needed until the soap base is completely melted.

2. Stir the soap to make sure it has melted completely, but be careful not to mix too much or you will get bubbles to the mix. You can carefully remove the bubbles from the top if wanted and discard the top foam. Add coloring a drop at a time, we used about 4-5 drops, but it’s better to go slowly so you won’t accidentally add too much. Stirring until well combined.

3. Add the essential oil or fragrance and stir well.

4. Add other ingredients, like flower petals, herbs, or oatmeal and stir but again remember to go slowly so you won’t get the foam on the top.

5. Pour the soap mixture into soap molds and allow to cool and set for 24 hours.

6. Take the soaps off the molds and let air dry before wrapping (if used for gifts).

This is how my daughter packed her soaps to give to her friends for the Valentine’s Day.

Winter Wonderland gifts for her under $60

These après-ski style Holiday gifts are perfect for skiers or non-skiers alike. Even if she isn’t the snowboarding queen nor the belle of black diamonds, it’s OK. These après-ski lifestyle gift ideas just say “Winter Wonderland,” and work great for gifts for friends, as stocking stuffers or even for teen girls, or college students. And this snowmama would be happy to have any of these as a present.

1. Jet set coasters by Jonathan Adler ($48)
The Jet Set Part Trois ski resort inspired coasters by Jonathan Adler could also be my “ski travel wish list” with four dreamy ski destinations in the coaster pictures. Great for ski lodge, home or even to protect the office desk.

2. Solstice artisan New Zealand wool socks, two pairs ($48)
The solstice artisan socks from Sundance Catalog are great for ski chalets and beyond to keep her toes warm during cold winter months. These wool socks come in twos and you can even slip them to gift socks for two. Handknit in New Zealand.

3. Snow Village hand lotion set by Philosophy ($20)
Snow Village hand lotion set by Philosophy is a perfect stocking stuffer for any woman. No parabens, no sulfates, no phthalates, just the good stuff and yummy scents to keep her hands soft during the dry winter months. The three scents in the set are Candy Cane, Spiced Cider and Sweetly Fallen Snow.

4. Fairisle Pom Pom Toque hat by Roots ($45)
The Fairisle Pom Pom Toque hat will keep her warm outdoors, but who are we kidding here.. she’d love it because it’s cute! Perfect winter accessory that combined practical and cute. Plus she will really love it for après-ski, it’ll cover her helmet hair after a day of skiing.

5. Shearling Cuff Gloves by Ralph Lauren ($59.99)
Shearling gloves are a classic winter accessory that never goes out of style, and I have owned several pairs of them. They tend to be pricey, and if you love snow as much as I do… they do take some damage when they get wet. I’ve found that Timberland and Ralph Lauren gloves give the best bang for your buck, good quality, but not super expensive. Shearling Cuff Glove by Ralph Lauren would make a perfect gift for any woman who likes classic style.

6. Peppermint bark from Williams-Sonoma ($26.95)
Hot chocolate gift would be a perfect too for a snowbunny gift, but my personal favorite is peppermint bark, it just says winter to me. It’s easy to make at home but my favorite store-bought peppermint bark comes from Williams-Sonoma.

7. Uniqlo Heattech Leggings ($14.90)
If practical is what you are looking for for the skier girl in your life, there is nothing better than Uniqlo heattech leggings. I swear by these, and own these in several colors. They are ultra light (but warm) and pack perfectly in small for ski trips and go from under layer for snow fun to warming leggings under skirts for après-ski fun. That’s why she needs them in every color for each occasion.

Read all of the Holiday Gift Guide posts and stay tuned for more from all of our writers.

Gift Ideas for your Best Friend

I love to buy gifts to my family and friends. Giving and making your love ones happy is so much fun! This year I’m going to surprise my love ones with the special gifts I have found during my Fall in New York. Here are some of the best things I have found lately. These gifts are perfect for your best friend, or even for the teen or college girl you want to get something special and trendy.

1. Baggu Pouch ($20-$40)
The softest leather ever, two different sizes, many beautiful colors, good quality, affordable and made in NYC. Can you ask for more? When you touch the soft surface of the pouch I bet you will fall in love with all the Baggu products instantly!

2. Cushion Garnet Pendant ($90)
Very simple and sophisticated gemstone pendant from Blue Nile is a perfect gift for a friend who loves jewelry. It is sometimes difficult to buy a jewelry to someone if you are not sure what kind of jewelry they like. The gemstone pendant is a good solution because every horoscope has it’s own gemstone. If your friend is born in January her lucky gemstone is Garnet, so you really can’t go wrong with buying her her lucky stone!

3. Pompey Ring ($48)
Maybe the best thing I have found during my Fall in New York is a jewelry collection called BRVTVS created by Caroline Ventura. This delicate and beautiful collection is 14k cold and every piece is hand made in New York. The jewelry is made by order so you can get the right size immediately. I simply love all the jewelry from BRVTVS!

4. Vintage earrings ($20-$1000)
One more jewelry find I want to share with you. Erica Weiner‘s lovely jewelry store is at one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Manhattan, in Nolita. You can make an amazing finds from the store full of vintage and antique jewellery and Erica’s own design as well. You can find a beautiful ring for $6 but if you need something more special you are able to find an amazing and unique antique pieces in every price range. This place in Elizabeth Street (or the Erica Weiner web store) is totally worth visiting for!

5. Benetint from Benefit ($29)
Every girl loves to try new cosmetics, right?! This liquid blush from Benefit has a cult status but it’s still affordable and available in all the Benefit stores. You can use this product to your lips and cheeks. You will have a sheer, natural and healthy look without heavy make up. This is a must have!

6. DOSE Nail Polish ($20/one color trio)
This is my latest find and I’m super excited about it! This Fall Strange Beautiful has invented something fun! A nail polish called DOSE. This Capsule Line is a perfect gift for your friend if she likes to try out different things, different colors or likes to travel. One capsule of the DOSE is very small and easy to take with and it’s enough for three manicures. The collection consists 6 different trios so there is a color trio for every taste. I think this is a cool idea!

7. Gnosis Raw Chocolate ($7)
Last but not least the gift that can’t go wrong, chocolate. Gnosis Raw Chocolate is 100% hand made in New York. Three years ago health counselor Vanessa Barg started to make raw chocolate for her clients to replace their unhealthy sweets. Suddenly everybody wanted her chocolate and now it’s carried in over 200 stores! I have tasted a few different flavors and I can really understand why Gnosis chocolate is so popular. It’s organic, it’s healthy,  it’s hand made, it’s yummy and it’s good for you. A perfect gift for someone you care about!

Read all of the Holiday Gift Guide posts and stay tuned for more from all of our writers.

Stay tuned for a cool toy line launching at Targets later this year. The Beatles Yellow Submarine toys by K’NEX® are bound to be in the Christmas wishlists of the hipster parents, I mean, of the kids of the hipster parents. Music lovers, young and old, will be able to build and play with characters from the iconic rock band, The Beatles.

The Beatles redefined music for their own generation and generations to come; they also redefined art, fashion and entertainment. The Beatles were responsible for several films that were well ahead of their time, including their only animated and possibly most recognizable film, the animated classic – Yellow Submarine. K’NEX captured the essence of Yellow Submarine in all of its whimsical charm in a new collectible line that launches with a four-piece buildable figure set.

The Beatles Yellow Submarine toys are designed for kids, but I have a hunch they will have an older audience as well. The Beatles Yellow Submarine buildable figure packs will be available exclusively at Target, target.com and knex.com in Fall 2012.

I added several gifts from Scandinavia or with Scandinavian influence in the Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for Kids and wanted to highlight some of my favorites from the gift guide, and add a few others as well.

Scandinavian Clothes for Kids

Polarn O. Pyret Wind Fleece Bunting $87 Nordic moms know how to bundle their babies even on the coldest days. One of their secrets is Swedish Polarn O. Pyret and their high quality kids clothing. This fleece bunting makes a cute gift for any baby!

Snowflake or The Elk print mittens $21.50-$25 is another great gift idea from Polarn O. Pyret and follows the Nordic traditions. I got many pairs of mittens like this when growing up for Christmas – knitted by my mother.

Marimekko’s Lumikoja one piece for babies (top right picture) $79 Finnish Marimekko made the original Scandinavian stripe shirt already in the 1950′s and still sells stripes for everyone in the family. If Marimekko’s high prices are not appealing, also Polarn O. Pyret has their own line of classic stripes from socks to underwear to rubber boots.

And when talking about Scandinavian style children’s clothing… Let’s not forget our American alternative for Scandinavian style: Hanna Andersson. This year, check out the classic Swedish moccasins $14 (sale price) or the gorgeous Speaking of Sweden collection, my favorites are the hoodie romper for babies and the sweater dress for girls.

Scandinavian Classics

Scandinavian Suitcase Puzzles $26.59 This beautiful puzzle suitcase has two puzzles in it. You can choose from Finnish Moomin or Swedish Elsa Beskow’s Forest Children Puzzles, both beloved Scandinavian classics.

Maileg Little Brother/Sister Mouse toy Starting $25.75 This cute little mouse from Denmark lives in a match box.

ISAK Fika Cups set $34 Cute heirloom cups in a gift box. Modern and timeless design, perfect for toddler – or adults alike. The designer is originally from Sweden, and her design inspiration is clearly Scandinavian, even though her company is based in UK.

Gingerhaus® Ultimate Gingerbread House Kit $29.95 While this Gingerbread House isn’t coming directly from the North, baking gingerbread cookies is a Scandinavian Christmas tradition you should not miss. If making the gingerbread house from the scratch isn’t for you – this gingerbread house kit from Sur La Table is for you.

Favorite Furniture

Stokke Tripp Trapp Highchair $265 This Norwegian designed chair is worth every penny, and makes a great gift for anyone in the family. We own 3 of these, and all of my children still use them daily, now they have just moved from around the dining table to accompany the school desks. Perfect from starting 6 months old to grandpas.

DODO rocking chair by Oiva Toikka $229 This modern rocking chair is designed by famous Finnish designer Oiva Toikka and manufactured by Magis. Now, only if all kids toys looked like they came from modern art museum.

Angry Birds Gift Ideas from Finland

You can’t go wrong with Angry Birds gifts for kids this year. You may not know this but Angry Birds are from my home country Finland!

Angry Birds: Bad Piggies’ Egg Recipes $10.99 (sale price) This eggcellent cookbook is a must for budding chef at home.

Angry Birds T-Shirts $12.99-$19.99 If cooking isn’t his thing but Angry Birds are the hit in the house – check out the wide selection of Angry Birds t-shirts available on many stores.

Angry Birds: Knock On Wood Game $27.49 I know… you’d rather have your kiddo off the Angry Birds game and the phone.. No problem, there is an Angry Birds gift for that too. This Angry Birds Knock on Wood Game will be fun for smaller Angry Birds fans of the family.

BRIO & LEGO Toys

Two of our family’s favorite toys companies LEGO and BRIO are both from Northern Europe, BRIO from Sweden and LEGO from Denmark, and their toys seem just to get more and more popular in the US as well each year! The best about the Brio and LEGo toys is that they are heirloom quality and your kids’ kids will be able to play with mommy’s or daddy’s toys one day making spending the big bucks for these sets double worth while.

Brio Metro Railway Set $114.81 This Brio train set won several best toy of the year awards in 2011 in Europe, and it is already hard to find in the US and sold out in many places. This link works for now – but order fast if you want to make sure to get it.

BRIO Record and Play Railway Station $68.99 is another great holiday gift idea from BRIO.

LEGO Space Shuttle $30.02 is one of the most inexpensive yet most popular LEGO sets for this Holiday season. But if you think that your home is already filled with LEGOs and adding more building material is not an option, now worries, there are plenty of gift ideas for your LEGO fan that don’t include adding more chaos to the playing area.

LEGO sort and store storage box by Blip $29.99 (sale price) LEGO enthusiasts love this storage box. You can find it from Toys’r'Us and Target for the cheapest.

LEGO Star Wars Darth Vader Mini-Figure Alarm Clock $23.99 (sale price) is another popular gift idea for boys.

LEGO headlamp $11.50 (sale price) No explanation needed, all boys will love the LEGO headlamp.

Note: I use the term “Scandinavia” loosely, and ultimately wrong. Scandinavia technically only consists of Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and I refer more to Nordic countries including also Finland and Iceland. As a Finnish person though, I’ve always considered myself as “Scandinavian” and “Nordic” and with very little difference with the words.

Check out our Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for Kids for over 50 gift ideas for children! Here are some favorite gift ideas for girls.

The Company Store Fleece Robe $42 These soft fleece robes are adorable and they can be personalized with your daughter’s name. My favorite is the poodle one, but check out all of the different ones!

Disney Animator’s Collection Dolls $20 (sale price) Choose any Disney princess from Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Aurora from Sleeping Beauty to Pocahontas and more. The dolls are the Disney Family Fun Magazine 2011 Toy of the Year Award winner and comes in collector’s display box featuring character sketches by the animators.

Winter Fun Rudolp from Build-A-Bear $39 Cute and cuddly, perfect for snuggling, and girls love Build-A-Bear toys.

Jingle Kitten Money Bank $21.99 Girls love these cute piggy banks! Add a little note about Kidworth to the gift and get your girl saving money with specific goals and to be money savvy.

Fossil’s Coin purse $30 A coin purse is also a great little gift for a savvy young lady. Fossil has some fashionable ones, even for the picky teenager.

ChicBuds Fauvette Speakers $34.99-$39.99 are cute accessory for her iPod, MP3 player or other device to play her music with.

Triple Wrap Pink Braided Leather Bracelet with Fine Silver Heart Charm $44.50 Bracelet is a must have fashion accessory for this winter, and she will love this pink braided one from Round House Jewelry.

Sephora Favorites Perfume Sampler $75 Sephora’s perfume sampler is the perfect for a teen girl, she’ll get 10 perfume samples and a voucher to get any one of the perfumes full sized from Sephora. She will get exactly what she wants, and she will be “forced” to go shopping with her friends to pick up her perfume. What else could she ask for?

Friendship bracelet kit $14 Everything she will need to make friendship bracelets.

Sale Find: Fresh Sugar Lust Set
Normal value: $66 Sale price: $28
Shop: Sephora.

This set contains:
- 0.15 oz Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15
- 0.28 oz Sugar Lip Polish
- 3.4 oz Brown Sugar Body Cream
- Red Makeup Bag

I love the Fresh Sugar Lust products, they make your skin so soft, add the body shrub and you’ve just found a perfect gift!

Sale Find: Angry Birds: Bad Piggies’ Egg Recipes cookbook
Normal price: $14.99 Sale price: $7.99
Shop: Amazon.com

The Angry Birds cookbook will release on December 6th, make sure to pre-order it now for a special low price to get it for the Holidays. Must have for any Angry Birds fun who likes cooking.

Sale Find: Lancôme Beauty Sensation Beauty Box
Value: $300.00 Sale price: $57.50 with any Lancôme purchase
Shop: macys.com.
Offer begins 11/9 until supplies last.

Details:
(A $300 value)
Special purchase available while supplies last. Minimum purchase amount for special offer does not include Gift Card purchases, tax, shipping or gift wrap charges.
PRETTY PLUMS:
Two Juicy Tubes Lip Glosses in Tickled Pink and Moulin Rose
Two Color Design Lipcolors in Love It and The New Pink
Blush Subtil in Aplum
Le Crayon Khôl EyeLiner in Black Ebony
Three Color Design Eye Shadows in Pink Pearls, Pink Zinc, and Drama
BEAUTIFUL BRONZES:
Two Juicy Tubes Lip Glosses in Bolole and Simmer
Two Color Design Lipcolors in It Girl and Sugared Maple
Blush Subtil in Cedar Rose
Limited Edition Eye Shadow Brush Duo (lid and liner)
Le Crayon Khôl EyeLiner in Black Coffee
Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover
Définicils Mascara in Black
Three Color Design Eye Shadows in Latte, Kitten Heel, and Mannequin
Lancôme Signature Train Case

NOTE: You will have to purchase a Lancôme product to be able to purchase this kit.

I recommend: Lancôme Trésor Passions Value Set – A Macy’s Exclusive, $97 value for $57.50.

This is a new feature at Skimbaco Lifestyle. Simple sale alert posts of great deals to help you to save time and money this Holiday season. Many of the deals are available only for a limited time, so don’t wait!

I have two daughters and a son, and while I might think it’s not the coolest thing in the world to be dressed in the same kind of gear, my kids actually love it, and thus I love it. I love that my kids want to be such mini-mes and they like the same type of clothing and products that I do. While the clothing that is exactly the same is sort of borderline a fashion no-no, there are alternatives that make you and your kiddo look cool. And believe me, there is nothing better than being the “best mom in the world” for sporting the same style as your kid. Just a warning for gift givers though – be careful not to go on the too matchy-matchy side, and stick to clothing that you can wear only at home, like lounge wear, pajamas or the apron set like featured below. My oldest daughter is ten now, and she still likes the same things as I do, but just to be on the safe side, I wouldn’t recommend getting teenagers the same gift as for the mom – unless it’s Tiffany diamonds, trip to beach or a new car, or something else as extravagant.

MOTHER-DAUGHTER APRON SET

For a duo that likes spending time together in the kitchen baking and cooking – the Carly Mother/Daughter Aprons make wonderful gifts. They are cute yet practical – and top the gift with a cooking like What’s New, Cupcake?: Ingeniously Simple Designs for Every Occasion- book all about cupcakes ($7.99). Aprons: $32 for children’s apron and $39 for the adult version.

MUGS

The Marimekko Nanuk mugs are big enough for adults but small enough for children’s little hands making it the perfect cup for hot cocoa mom and daughter can share together. The Marimekko Nanuk mugs are 20$ each and have an adorable polar bear design. High quality and timeless design make these mugs a functional gift that’ll last forever. Don’t forget the hot cocoa with this gift!

TIMELESS CARDIGANS

Classy cardigans and cable knit sweaters are great timeless fashions to gift every year. They also make an easy way to get matching gifts for entire family or for mother and daughter. This year my favorite style is the shawl cardigan with cable knit design in the front from Lands’ End. The EverSoft Shawl Cardigan ($79 now on sale for $55) for women and the Girls’ Shawl Collar Cardigan ($29.50) are matching enough without being entirely matchy-matchy.

NIN9 BRACELETS

WALLCANDY CUPCAKE CHALKBOARD

Wallcandy Cupcake Chalkboard Wall Decal ($56) is a perfect gift for families. The cupcake wall decal is a chalkboard that you stick on the wall and while kiddos can have fun with it drawing and coloring the sprinkles – mom can use it for family notes or writing down a favorite recipe. Can we say yummy without the calories? And yes, it even comes with the word “yummy”.

CONVERSE SHOES

Do you remember your first pair of Converse Chucks? They are timeless, yet trendier today than ever before. This year Converse’s Dr Seuss collection has several cool designs, both for adults and kids – or nothing beats the classic Chuck Taylor that comes in several colors to please mom and daughter.

PYJAMAS

Hatley Store is your one stop store for PJs for the entire family. Their cotton pajamas are cute and come in several different prints and styles so you can find matching set for the entire family is you wish (even infant sizes). My favorites for mom & daughter are the Birds & Flowers sets, and prices start from $29.

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