DIY Heating Pad with Essential Oils & A Make 'n' Take Party

Evening friends!

It's Saturday, and we just returned from a strenuous afternoon of exploring the JBE Playground! If you've never been I would highly recommend it! The kids had so much fun exploring, and they find more and more to do every time we go there. From little to big kids, it seem to be a hit.

On to the point of this post though - my DIY Heating Pad!

I've had great success with making this super simple rice heating pad, and I even gifted them to my MOPS table this year at Christmas. I've had one myself for ages that nana made for me forever ago. While perusing pinterest (the bane of all crafting ideas), I saw the idea pop up and decided I too could make some! Being a sewing novice, I felt confident I could tackle a few straight lines sewn in a square.

This really takes little sewing skill, and it's super simple. I knocked out 9 for friends in a few hours start to finish, and my friends and I completed 7 in about hour with each person making their own.

What you need:

Sewing machine or needle/thread
1 yd of fabric (I prefer a soft cotton, think almost PJ pant material)
A bag of white rice (5 lb bag)
Funnel or measuring cup
Tupperware bowl (if using essential oils)
Essential Oils to make it smell nice! (lavender, deep blue, peppermint, citrus bliss are a few!)

How to Make It:

Start by cutting your fabric into squares. I made 4 bags out of 1 yd of fabric. Each bag measured around 4.5 in x 4.5 in. To cut your fabric, fold your yard of fabric in half and cut down the fold. You should have 2 large pieces now - approx. 18 in each. Repeat the following steps for each piece.

Fold your fabric in half and cut down that fold (it doesn't matter if you fold it hamburger or hot dog - whichever you prefer!). Now fold each 9 in piece one more time and cut down each of those folds. You should now have 4 equal sized pieces measuring about 4.5 inches each.

Repeat the above steps for your other large piece. You will now have 8 small squares of fabric which will make 4 bags total!

Place the fabric in pairs with the front or patterned sides facing each other and the "wrong" side out.

You will now sew around this square leaving a small seam and one small section open in the corner of one of the sides. Do not forget this opening! This is where you will insert the rice!

After sewing, flip your bag right side out.

If you want your bag scented, now is when you will add the oils!

Using a large tupperware container or even a large gallon ziploc you will add your rice, approx. 4 cups if you used my measurements. Now, grab the scent you want. At my Make 'n' Take party, Deep Blue was a huge hit. This blend is made of wintergreen, camphor, peppermint, blue tansy, blue chamomile, helichrysum, and osmanthus! It is known for its relaxing qualities as well as ability to help with tension headaches and muscle soreness. Really, it's the perfect scent for an athlete or someone who needs to de-stress quickly!

 I typically make lavender heating pads as well for its calming properties which makes this heating pad great for bedtime or when dealing with monthly cramps. The possibilities are endless so whatever scent you prefer, add it just don't mix them randomly!

We did 2 - 4 drops depending on the scent intensity preferred. Stir in the oil and let sit. Ideally, you want to add the oil and walk away for a few hours before finishing. Don't have time for that? That's okay too. It's just nice to do if you can, stirring every 30 min or so.

Using a funnel or measuring cup, scoop your rice into the heating pad bag. I prefer each bag about 2/3 full, but again this is all personal preference so add a little more if you want. Don't worry about adding plain rice if it's scented, it will absorb the scent as well.

For the next part, I did happen to spill rice all over my floor at my party so be careful when picking your bag up that the open side is not facing down! Once the bag is filled, carefully slide it into your sewing machine and add a few stitches over the opening to make sure it stays shut! If you are hand sewing it do the same, making sure to knot each end off well.

Annnnd you're done!! A personal heating pad for monthly cramps, sore muscles, headaches...anything you can think of! The drops of essential oil just make this a little more special and effective too! Look, you have 3 extra bags too! Gift them to friends, relatives, whoever could use one! I keep finding people to give one to.

To use, heat up your rice heating pad in the microwave with a small cup of water for about 2 minutes. The water helps keep it moist and is essential when heating up your heating pad!

I had such a great time making these for friends and then with friends! Doesn't our party look like fun?! It was Valentine's Day themed (the heating pads were mostly made for significant others) so we had lots of chocolate, some wine, and all things pink/hearts. It was a great first party, and I'm so happy so many great ladies got to join me for it!!

Thanks for following along! If you make one too, please comment or post your results!! I would love to hear about your experience. If you want to host your own make 'n' take party, send me a message or email! I would love to help you make your own deodorant, bud spray, cleaner, or even seasoning for your food!