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

Spring Snail Mail Inspiration

Hey everyone! I'm sorry I didn't post last week, I had a crazy past two weeks of working feverishly sun up to sun down on finals every day, and thank goodness they are over. To make up for my missed post I will share two this week. Today I would like to share some photos of snail mail I made during week one or two of quarentine for relatives who live out of state, which I hope give you inspiration for your own snail mail or care packages. I mainly used one pad of scrapbook paper I had for each package and went with the theme. These were themed around spring with pastel pink, light green and lots of florals. I also used Happy Planner stickers, washi tapes, wrote calligraphy with a gel ink pen, made mini bags with favor bags, scrapbook paper and a stapler, made confetti with my heart- and star-shaped hole punchers, and made banners by glueing the cutout paper onto string with a hot glue gun. I also included small gifts like a makeup bag, necklace, gel ink pens, stickers, sanitizer and lotion (from Bath and Body Works), tea samples, photographs, markers, colored pencils, handwritten lists/cards/drawing prompts, mini notebooks, and a handmade Easter paper doll.

I will share another post soon. Thank you for visiting!

-Lauryn

My "Christmas Movie Night in a Box" Gift

This was a gift idea that has been all over Pinterest for a few years. I decided to make it for my grandfather, who is very tricky to come up with gifts for and likes movies. To make my version, you will need:

-A box of popcorn

-Candy (mine was Reeses)

-Hot cocoa mix or packets

-Trail mix or an alternative treat

-Chocolate (I used a mini sampler box, mostly because of the adorable box)

-Scrapbook paper/labels

-A pen/marker

-A card and money (optional)

-Mason jar and string/twine/ribbon (optional)

I used a small, Christmas cardstock pad I bought on sale at Michaels. I cut a big sheet out and glued it onto the popcorn box to prettify it. I wrote "Movie Theater Extra Butter Popcorn" since that was what the box read. I glued a matching cardstock trim onto the bottom of the Reeses box. I poured the trail mix into a mason jar, and tied a matching cardstock tag on with twine. I added a circle of the cardstock on the lid and wrote the trail mix title on it. Then I wrote a card and included $2 for a Redbox movie. It's a great last-minute option if you're pressed for time, too. The total price for mine was under $9. It wasn't too cheap but it wasn't too terribly expensive, either. 

Hopefully this will help give you ideas for adult movie-lovers next Christmas!

-Lauryn

Easy, DIY Christmas Cookie Baking Kit

This gift is super easy to put together, and great for mailing. I used a poem on Pinterest and wrote it on a tag for the paper plates and straws. I tied bows on everything and wrote on paper "Christmas Cookie Kit" along with what was included. To make this, you will need:

-Candy canes

-Marshmellows

-Paper Plates

-Straws

-Sugar Cookie Mix

-Icings

-Sprinkles

-Ribbon/Twine/String

-Plastic Bags (preferably favor bags)

Since the box was prepaid to ship, I also added a candle although it wasn't really relevant to baking. This gift is fun to send to a family. You could change some ingredients or add cookie cutters and other supplies, too. 

 I hope that if you find yourself searching for a good family gift next year, this helps!

-Lauryn

DIY Christmas Fun in a Box Kit

It's a little late for Christmas posts, but I'm trying to get caught up before New Years, so here is a super easy Christmas gift for kids. It's a great low-cost (besides shipping), portable gift that younger kids will have lots of fun with. I just put together lots of tasty or fun surprises and made up the puns on the printable below. You could even do your own birthday, Easter or other version of this kit.
To make it, you will need:
-Balloons
-Straws
-Candy Canes
-Hot Chocolate
-Markers
-Watercolors
-Glowsticks
-Crazy Eights Card Game
-Candy
-Toy Farm Animals
-Pretty ribbon/twine/yarn
-Favor Bags (optional)
-This free printable (below):

Print and cut out the printout above, then package all of your items however you wish. I used favor bags for some things and tied everything with pretty yarn. Put them all in a box, and you have a quick, cheap Christmas gift! 

Have fun crafting!

-Lauryn

DIY Out-of-the-Blue Party in a Box

For my grandfather's birthday, I made this party-in-a-box gift. It was late, so I called it the 'out-of-the-blue' party in a box. He lives far away, so I thought this was the perfect gift. It was pretty light to ship, too. Below I will review everything in it so that you can make one, too!

This box included:

-Cupcake topper flags, which can be found at almost any craft store, upon which I wrote "Happy Birthday, ____!" using my grandfather's name in the blank.

- I stuck some blue balloons from Walmart in as well.

- I made a party hat by stapling scrapbook paper into a cone, trimming the edges, and hot-gluing a diamond, then an initial on top of the diamond on the middle. I made a paper pom-pom, but you could buy a pom-pom to glue on top.

- I added a bundle of blue candles from Dollar Tree. 

- I cut strips of tissue paper into confetti, and used the confetti to fill

- a pinata, which you can make with numerous tutorials, such as this one.

To finish it off, I made a banner by hot-gluing paper triangles to bakers twine, and wrote "Happy Birthday" on the banner. Don't forget to add a note reading "Out-of-the-Blue Party in a Box" with a sentimental poem on the back!

I hope to share some costume tutorials soon!