DIY Marvel (Easter) Gift Basket

 To go hand in hand with the post I shared earlier, here is another themed Easter basket that could be used for any occasion, this time for Marvel fans. Again, I printed Marvel activities from the internet along with the clock from Loki, and I bought my brother a Hawkeye shirt I happened to come across in advance at Five Below. The card I handmade read "As you Marvel at the miraculous Easter story, I hope you enjoy this super gift!" But a card could say something like "I hope you have a marvelous birthday!" This gift was very simple, I like to keep celebrations Loki. Sorry, I'm going to stop now.

I hope you find this handy!

-Lauryn

DIY Beatles-Themed Easter Basket

 This post is super random, but I was looking back at gifts I put together and thought that even though this is an Easter gift, the idea could easily be translated into a birthday or Christmas gift for those of you who, like me, have a huge Beatle fan in their life. I used a lot of free printables found on Google such as the Yellow Submarine on the front. In the Easter eggs, I printed out a mini Paul, Beatles activities such as crossword puzzles, and you could also include sheet music for musicians. This gift was honestly very last minute, so those printables were a life saver. A gift saver, I suppose is more accurate. I added a decorate-your-own-mug kit (Michaels sells them), cookies that I repackaged to look fancier, and a handmade card. The card said "You can't Beatle that Jesus has done for you. Happy Easter!" or something along those lines. If you didn't get that, you are not alone, but I tried. 

I hope you found this simple gift idea useful. Thanks for stopping by!

-Lauryn

DIY "Fun in the Sun" Gift Basket

 

Hey, everyone! I am sorry that I have not posted in forever, I am so behind and I have so much to share. I hopefully will be able to post weekly as I did before, maybe even more, but I am not sure. Today I would like to share a summer gift basket I call the "Fun in the Sun" Gift Basket. I created this as a family gift that hopefully children will love, along with refreshments for the family. 

To create this, you will need:

-Lemonade Packets (I used True Lemon packets, which my family uses all the time. They have dye-free, caffeine-free, sugar free products, so I'd say this is a pretty safe choice.)

-Fresh Lemons

-A Jar (to put the lemon supplies into.)

-Sidewalk Chalk

-Glow-Sticks (or other Glow-in-the-Dark alternatives.)

-A Book

-A Basket (of course!)

-Yellow Tissue Paper

-Optional: A Card/Letter

To create this basket, I am not going to break the process down into steps because as you can tell, this is pretty straight forward. Simply put the lemonade supplies into the jar, and the lemons that don't fit can go in the basket. You can create a jar label by cutting brown card-stock or an alternative paper into a circle to fit the Mason Jar lid, writing "Lemonade in a Jar" on it with a black pen, unscrewing the lid to put the paper inside, and then twisting the lid back on. Fill the basket with the yellow tissue paper, and try to spread the paper out and fluff the paper up as much as possible. Place the book against the back of the basket. I used a book I published called "Meet Balance". I need to edit a few things, I found, so I unpublished the book temporarily, but you can find "Meet Texture" here. Both are part of a series I am writing called "Meet the Elements and Principles of Design". Next, tuck in your glow-stick package and jar, a card or letter if you decided to add such, and lastly the sidewalk chalk and extra lemon(s). You may need to rearrange depending on how your supplies look, but the idea is tallest items in the back, smallest in the front, and do your best to make sure everything can be seen. I hope you enjoyed creating this fun, simple summer gift! 

Thank you for visiting! I have lots of events and craft tutorials I hope to share with you soon!

-Lauryn

What to Include in a Mother's Day Gift Basket/Box

Hey guys! Here's the second post I promised you. Today I'd like to present a list of ideas for what to include in a Mother's Day gift basket or gift box, followed by a few suggestions for putting together that gift basket or gift box.

Here are 26+ ideas on what you might include:
-Lotion
-Sanatizer
-Lip Balm
-Soap
-Fruit
-Coffee or Tea
-Books (activity, story, scrapbooks, nonfiction, magazines, journals, notebooks, etc.)
-Plants (succulents, flowers, trees, food plants, etc.)
-Candles
-Decor
-Stylish Dishcloths (or are they dishtowels?)
-Oven Mitts
-Cooking Utensils/Gadgets
-Cleaning Supplies (natural, delicious-smelling cleaning spray, sponges, etc.)
-Socks
-Blanket
-Bag (in place of a basket or box; this could be a shopping bag, beach bag, purse, etc.)
-Writing or Drawing Tools (markers, pens, pencils, etc.)
-An Art Kit or Art Supplies
-Photos (these could be a little something extra thrown in, or they could be framed or in an album)
-Nail Polish
-A DVD/CD (such as a movie, soundtrack, compiled family videos, etc.)
-A Gift Card
-Accessories
-Keychain/Magnet/Some Other Useful, Tiny Item
-Other Body Care Items (such as shampoo, conditioner, perfume, shower gel, etc.)

Some Other Suggestions:

-Go with a theme. Every gift basket or box should have a theme, and not just 'Mother's Day' but something more specific, such as cooking, florals, music, a character, a movie or book, the beach, etc.

-Stick to a color palette. To create a gift that looks professional and elegant, you need to stick to a limited color palette. There is no set amount that I can give, but I would suggest approximately 2-4 colors. For example, four pastels, or for a colorful gift, black and white with pops of rainbow, or maybe black, white, and gold or brown, white, and gold for a simple but fancy look.

-Go off of what you know they like. Buy or make gifts that you know they would love and use for sure. Create a theme based on something you know the recipient definitely loves. For example, I love Alice in Wonderland (the books, the character, the classic movie, and all), so a friend once made an amazing, special gift box with that theme full of gifts with beautiful handmade tags that said "Eat Me", "Drink Me", "Open Me", "Read Me", and such where appropriate and included other special, handmade items that went with the theme.

-Make the gift unique. Try to use a theme that the specific recipient would love and that nobody has done before. If you use a more traditional theme, try to present the gift in a unique way and with unique colors that are not usually associated with that theme. The more unique, the better!

Well, that's all of my suggestions for you today. I hope those ideas and tips are helpful!

-Lauryn

Easy, Last-Minute Get-Well-Soon Gift

Hey, guys! Here is an easy, last-minute DIY gift that you can make if someone needs a special something to cheer them up or there is an emergency. I filled my gift basket with practical, yet (hopefully) pretty and fun gifts that can be useful and enjoyed. Here is a list of supplies you'll need to replicate it:

-A candle

-Pens

-A Coloring Book (and if it's for an adult, you could go with Zentangle or calligraphy)

-A Scrumptious Snack

-A Cute Mug

-Something Extra (such as body care products or flowers)

Also, you may want tissue paper or shredded paper, a card, and of course you'll need a basket! Just arrange everything inside, with the largest items in the back so that everything is visible, and easy as that, you're done! I hope this is a helpful gift idea to make for the sick or injured loved ones you know. 

I look forward to your next visit!

-Lauryn

Mother's Day Gift Basket Fillers

With Mother's Day just around the corner, it's time to begin planning gifts. What better way is there to show gratitude to your mother than to create a special, personalized gift basket? I know how hard it can be figuring out what to fill a gift basket with, so here's a list of over 35 Mother's Day gift basket filler ideas:

Mother's Day Gift Basket Fillers:

Business/Artist/Crafting Materials:

-Notebooks
-Pens/Markers
-Lists/Notepads
-Bible Journal
-Planner
-Stickers/Stamps
-Cute Pins/Paperclips
-Washi Tape
-Paint/Paintbrushes

Gardening:

-Flowers
-Succulents/Plants
-Gardening Tools
-Planters (bought or handmade)
-Gardening Gloves

Baking:

-Treats
-Food Mixes
-Coffee or Tea
-Fruit
-Baking Ingredients
-Oven Mitt

Body Care:

-Sugar Scrub
-Lotion
-Nail Polish
-Sanatizer

Decorating/Home:

-Magazine
-Dishcloth
-Handsoap
-Candles
-Art or Photo Print
-Decor (such as a sign or bird statue)
-Banner
-Throw Blanket

Other:

-Book
-Mug or Teacup
-Essential Oils

I hope you found something on this list to put in your Mother's Day gift basket! I will share some more gift ideas soon. Thanks for stopping by!

-Lauryn

DIY Easter/Spring Gift Baskets

Hey! I'm so sorry I didn't get around to any posts last week. I've been getting ready for two birthday parties and a graduation party that will be this month, June and July. Today I'm sharing two gift baskets I put together for my parents for Easter. They can be used for anytime or occasion though, really. They are super easy to create!

First, here's a gardening-themed gift basket. 

To make this, you will need:

-A basket (mine I had on hand, but it came from Dollar Tree)

-Seed packages

-A chocolate rabbit (which I took out of the box, placed in a plastic bag, and tied with a ribbon)

-A candle (mine was from Walmart for $0.98)

-Moss (mine was real moss from our yard)

-Newspaper/tissue paper (optional)

1. Gather moss and fill your basket or place tissue/newspaper in the bottom of the basket, and place the moss on top so that it appears full (I did the latter).

2. Stick your seed packets into the moss along the back of the basket.

3. Place your candle on a side of the basket.

4. Place your chocolate rabbit in the front center. You're done!

The second basket was for my mother, and filled with some random necessities, a photo, and watercolor typography artwork.

For this one, you'll need:

-A basket (Thrift stores are a good place to look)

-A bottle (mine was from Walmart)

-An oven mitt (again, mine was from Walmart)

-Body wash or some alternative, such as sugar scrub or lotion (mine was free from Bath and Body Works)

-A watercolor picture (I made mine, inspired by one I saw online, but I suggest you try Etsy)

-A photo print (Etsy is a good place to look for these, too)

-Tissue/paper shreds

1. Fill the basket with tissue/paper shreds.

2. Place the items listed above in the basket and arrange them to your satisfaction.

3. Done!

Hopefully some of you find these gift ideas handy! I'll hopefully post my Mother's Day party soon!

-Lauryn