This is 30 Days of Blogging: Day 25
This week my sis and I had the opportunity to put together a get-well basket for a friend. Even though the reason for putting together a get-well basket is not fun, it is incredibly meaningful to get to bless someone that way.
I always struggle with knowing what to put in get-well baskets because it’s hard to know what’s actually going to be helpful and enjoyable for someone who’s in pain, not feeling well, and/or emotionally down.
Thankfully this time around there was a family member who’s brain we could pick. As she gave us her ideas, a theme started to emerge – purple & lavender.
So my sis and I got ourselves to the store and started searching for anything comforting, healing, hydrating, nourishing, or calming in purple or flavored/scented lavender.
Surprisingly we found so many great options and even had a hard time deciding which items to include. But we purchased our items and went home to put the basket together. We love how the purple & lavender theme came out!
Making your own themed gift basket
Choose a Theme
When I do baskets I often get stuck because I think too broadly. A “get-well” basket or a “Christmas” basket rather than a “white & vanilla” basket or a “winter wonderland basket.” Narrowing down the theme just a bit really helps in picking out items and putting together a basket that looks beautiful and coordinated. Of course if you know something in particular that the person you’re doing the basket for likes, of course go with that. Otherwise you can choose a theme of your own.
This doesn’t have to be complicated! If nothing else you can choose a color to stick with. This helps narrow down your options (read: decision making) and makes an esthetic basket.
Choose Your Items
I like to group items in categories and make sure I have something in every category.
Bath & Body
- Bubble Bath
- Bath salts
- Essential oils
- Lotion
- Sugar scrub
- Back scrubber
- Bath pillow
- Foot soak
- Face mask
- Back-scratcher
- Lip Balm
- Face cream
- Scrunchies
- Face cleansing wipes
- Nail polish or nail stickers
Snacks & drinks
- Protein or energy bar
- Fruit strips
- Nuts
- Dried or dehydrated fruit
- Chips
- Crackers
- Cookies
- Chocolate
- Candy
- Granola or granola bars
- Tea
- Coffee
- Cocoa
- Sparkling water
Cozy & Comforting
- Blanket
- Pillow
- Slippers
- Pajamas
- Socks
- Heated neck wrap
- Mug
- Tumbler
- Warm drinks
- Candle
Activity / Entertainment
We got a novel to include since we knew what our friend would enjoy. But other great options include:
- Puzzle Books (word search, sudoku, brain games, logic games, etc)
- Spotify Gift Card
- Journal
- Coloring Book
- Audio book
- Fidget toys
- Craft kit
Pick a Basket
A lot of times it’s easier to pick your items first and then pick a basket that fits it all in there nicely. But you can do it the other way around too, and you can use tissue paper to fill any gaps or to prop up items.
Assemble!
Next is assembly. It usually takes a few tries rearranging items to figure out how it best fits and displays the items. Again, tissue paper can come in really handy here. Our basket ended up being really full so we didn’t use any tissue paper. Thankfully we had enough variation in the shapes and sizes of the items that they when together fairly easily.
And don’t forget to add in a card or note of encouragement!
This is such a sweet way to bless someone going through a hard time. A friend did one for me last year when I had terrible terrible morning sickness and it really meant so much and really helped getting through those rough days.
And of course gift baskets can be given for any occasion so have fun with it!