The housing market is HOT! Our family is staying put but I can probably name on two hands friends of ours who are selling/buying or just sold and looking. So today, I’m taking you along while I assemble something for friends of ours who just moved to their new home - perhaps it can give you an idea to bounce off of in your own gift giving!
Before shopping, I make sure to sit down and think of my recipients - their interests and style are usually where I go for ideas first. So my STEP 1: make a plan before shopping. This is important. Write ideas down - some may intertwine and you just don’t realize it. For this particular gift, I felt I needed to go two routes: useful and personal. I wanted it to be functional yet have things in it that were thoughtful.
A little background: My girlfriend and I love to talk home décor. I have so much fun texting back and forth with her about things we see online or the 'gram - she is definitely an eye and opinion I value if I need help decorating. We counted down the days to the new Studio McGee release at Target earlier this year. The minute I made my purchase I took a screen shot to show her what I scored (hey, it was an exciting day)! We chose a lot of the same items (as did many shoppers - the release was POPULAR). I just knew something in the gift needed to be from the new collection. And so the personal is where I started! Baskets, Baskets, Baskets - When in doubt, package your gift in a basket. Call this my STEP 2: figure out what you are delivering your gift in. Bags get thrown away - baskets are the gift that keep on giving. Small or large- doesn't matter. Get a basket you think they will like. Keep in mind what size you get because that will also help determine how much you need to fill it (with additional items or with tissue). This last Studio McGee release had THE BEST baskets. The one I scooped up is deep and perfect for storing toys, pillows or blankets. I couldn’t believe my local Target had it still in stock. I knew it was the perfect one for them because it not only was functional, but personal because she loves the brand! My STEP 3: Fill it! I shifted to the useful/functional route here. I love giving home essentials. They may seem generic to some but there are so many ways to make something simple feel personal through scents, brands, and colors. I also feel you can never have enough of them - they will always be used at some point! Who doesn't love a good soap, especially during a pandemic?
My go-to is Williams Sonoma, and luckily I have an outlet exactly 0.9 miles from my home. I frequent it at least once a month. If you have followed me for a while, you know I collect all my holiday dinnerware in the off season. In fact, during my shopping trip for this gift, they had an entire shelf of last years holiday - my cart was full! If you don't have a WS, I think Anthropology, Target, and Trader Joes all provide amazing, thoughtful home essentials that are pretty to the eye! And all different price points to fit many budgets. Switching gears back to personal. As I was about to check out, these adorable mini spatulas caught my eye. Their little guy loves Star Wars and they had a cute floral pattern I felt their daughter would like. I thought about their new kitchen and I just knew they would be making a ton of new memories together as a family in that particular space. So I ended up including my boys' favorite cookie recipe along with the sets. STEP 4 (if you need another one lol): add something special or unique you enjoy to share with your recipient- spread the joy!
After I got the special touch for the kiddos, I wanted to give one to them as well. They happened to move cities and you know I LOVE a city or state sign. Adding this plaque was the last thing to bring this basket together. I grabbed my tissue paper (makes staging a bit easier, folks!) and assembled it - their gift was ready to go!
I love to give a to gift. It brings me joy to give to others - it's my love language actually. Any gift given in love is the right one. No matter your budget, a recipient is sure to feel special when it's given in love ♥️.
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