My two closest friends and I are all planning to get together sometime after the holidays to exchange gifts and have a 'girls day' since we all are so busy with our families. Also, one of my friends JUST had her baby a few weeks ago. So yeah, there was just no way we were getting together anytime soon. Which brings me to my problem...
I had originally planned to make their gift this year. As in, I was going to make and bring them a butt-load of cookies and candy. I made two kinds of fudge, caramels, and a variety of cookies. I even dipped marshmallows in chocolate for hot cocoa treats. I spray painted all my ugly old tins a beautiful antiqued copper and dolled them up with ribbons to hold all my little confections. And they made excellent gifts for all our other friends. Buuuutttttt...they won't be good by the time I get to my girlfriends. Boo :-(
So when the fiance (I just love saying that now!) asked me to go out to Old Time Pottery today to pick up a last minute gift for him (yeah...he's one of THOSE people) I figured I'd take a peek and see what I could come up with for my girls.
All of us having had babies in the last year, I figured what we all needed most was relaxation. So I went with a spa basket. Yes, yes, yes, these are a tad overdone but hear me out...it's all consumable stuff or at the very least USEFUL stuff. So I'm not crowding their cabinets with a random painted wine glass or their walls with another picture frame. And the best part is these LOOK really cute but they didn't cost me a lot!
Items included in my baskets:
- One plastic utility tote-they're small, yes, but they will work perfectly to hold bath soaps and stuff or for something else around the house.
- Two washcloths
- A long, braided loofah
- A small candle
- Apricot scrub
- A small bag of truffles- you can't have a luxurious spa day without some chocolate!
- Argon Oil shampoo and conditioner (trial sized)- I know I would never purchase these for myself because the full size is so expensive, so I thought it'd be nice in the basket
- Nivea Soft moisturizing cream- this is a multitasker since it can be used on
- One pair of super fuzzy socks
Each basket cost me approximately $10. I could have easily cut the cost down a little more by purchasing a less expensive shampoo/conditioner set or by using tissue paper instead of the washcloths. That's the great thing about gift baskets...you can really make a little money go far. My best tips are to not spend a lot on packaging- if they don't have a use for the basket or tote you give them, they will probably just throw it out and there went serious $$$ out the window. Don't stress over the size of the items you put into it. Bigger is not always better; you can put a bunch of sample sizes in and get a good variety. On the other hand, don't go crazy on a bunch of little things...the price can add up fast. You could spend $1 a piece on 20 items that are tiny or you could spend $20 and get a four larger items that may look nicer in a basket. Go with a theme...spa (and choose a color/scent), cooking (choose a cuisine or a specific meal), etc.
One more note on the packaging: when in doubt, go a size DOWN. An overstuffed/overflowing basket looks way better than a sparse one. If you found or already have a basket that you want to use but are struggling to fill it up, think inexpensive things that take up a lot of real estate...towels (you could even line a cooking themed basket with a kitchen towel or a couple cloth napkins), candies (kisses, mints, etc), or even use some paper shreds (you can find these in the gift wrap aisle).
No comments:
Post a Comment