I used to find that when someone's birthday came along, I would have no clue what to buy for them. Thoughts like 'I don't know what they like, what if they already have it?' would pop into my head days before the party and I would end up getting them a gift card or my go-to present: jewelry. But recently, I found my new go-to gift: ____ in a Box. Fill that blank with whatever suits their personality- Spa in a Box, Movie Night in a Box, Night Out in a Box, etc. Choose a theme for your box/basket and buy things that go with that theme. For example, I gave my friend a Spa in a Basket for her birthday last year (which, by the way, she loved and all of our friends wanted to know where I got everything) consisting of a loofah, perfume, shower gel and lotion, socks, a mug, and more. This box idea works AMAZING- every time I've done it the recipient is always so pleased, as am I. It's easy to "theme" your box including whatever the recipient has an interest in, and presents look so much nicer when they're set up in a nice box/basket instead of a bag. But don't try too hard to fit to a specific theme- my example of one of these boxes that I'll be showing you doesn't really have a theme, and that's ok.
Without further ado, here is how to make your very own themed box!
Step One: Find a store near you to shop for your gifts (or multiple stores, or a website) that has affordably-priced items. It's no fun to pick things out for people and then realize your total is $200. My go-to store is TJ Maxx, forever and always.
Step Two: Pick out a box/basket to put all of your gifts inside. Remember that the box/basket is a gift in itself, since the gift-receiver can use it to store things in, so make sure it's pretty. The box I picked out says "This and That" and is white with a pink top. I like to pick out a box and then base the gifts off of the colors on the box, if you want to get super specific.
Step Three: Pick a theme for your box- or don't. It's really up to you and how well you know the person you're giving this to. If you know this person well or just know a certain fact about them, say, that their favorite show is The Walking Dead, you could easily make that your theme for the box. But if not, it's ok to just buy a bunch of cute little things you'd think they'd like, like a candle, jewelry, desk organizers...
Step Four: Shop! Like I said before, buy things depending on/not depending on a theme. For my box, I didn't really have a theme even though I know this person I'm gifting it to extremely well. (The contents of the box will be listed at the bottom of this post) If you're not finding anything, look harder. Seriously. You have to go through the shelves and take a little while finding the perfect things- and the right prices. Know that it's ok to buy things that are on the cheaper side- you are getting this person a box full of stuff, after all.
One of the things I bought for this person was this super cool 'M'... It was cheap and is SO pretty. This is a safe gift to get because all you have to know is the initial of their first name, and there are so many styles of these kinds of letters that you could find one that anyone would like.
Step Five: Wrap! Again, this is based on personal preference. I decided to wrap some items, but not others. I think it's more fun that way, and it looks cool, too. I found this really pretty tissue paper from TJ Maxx that fit the color scheme I had going on, so if you want everything to look similar, I recommend that!
Step Six: Gift your themed box to the birthday boy/girl! I gave this box to one of my best friends last night and she loved it (she was also the receiver of the Spa in a Basket last year too)!
I hope this little post helped some of you when you don't know what to get someone for their birthday or any kind of holiday/occasion. I know this is a pretty self-explanatory gift, but I thought it would be fun to take you guys along in my process of it. Let me know if you give someone a themed box, and if you do, tweet me a picture @the_evangeline_ . I'd love to see your creations!!
- Evangeline
Contents of the box in this post:
*if it's not from TJ Maxx, there's a star next to it
'M'
Card and tissue paper
Notepad and notebook
Markers
Desk organizer
*eyeliner
*lipstick
Gummy bears
