Creating thank you gift baskets – a simple and thoughtful approach

Creating a gift basket can be overwhelming; here are some helpful and inspirational tips from a designer.

I’m blessed to be surrounded by wonderful family and friends. After announcing that my husband and I are expecting our first child, my lovely sister in-law and darling close friend offered to host my baby shower. (You’ll find pictures of the event at the end of the post.) I was delighted with the idea of everyone gathering together to celebrate the new bundle of joy that is about to enter our lives.

With the planning in good hands, I quickly recognized that I needed to buy the hostesses gifts, but what to give them? I steered my selections towards house ware items . I also intended on adding a special touch to my sister in-laws; baby girl gifts since she is due two weeks after me with their 2nd baby. Such a delightful surprise that our children will be the same age!

After scouring the internet, I decided to curate baskets for them since I couldn’t find one large gift item that stood out to me. It will be something filled with unique surprises!

no.1- curated basket

no. 2 – curated basket

I kept things simple (always a good thing) and filled the baskets with meaningful and thoughtful gifts instead of a bunch of little items that could easily be disposed of or get lost in a junk drawer. Lets be honest, we all know what kind of gifts I’m talking about. I focused the purchases around 3 different vendors to buy from in order keep a general theme amongst the gifts. Each would receive one big item and the rest would follow. For my sister in-law I found this beautiful cream muslin throw blanket at H&M Home; with summer coming, this light weight and breathable fabric is perfect for snuggling with a newborn on a warm day. For my friend, I discovered these gorgeous etched Old Fashioned glasses from Anthropologie. Who doesn’t love drinking a good old fashioned cocktail out of a stunning glassware? Plus these will work well for wine. You can’t go wrong with this one.

After I selected the 2 big gifts it was time to curate the rest of the items in the basket. My final purchases are as follows;

For gift basket no. 1:

: Muslin Throw Blanket – H&M Home; Wood and Gold Detail Coasters – Target

: Grey and Tan Wicker Basket and Pampers Newborn Diapers – Target

: Owl Baby Rattle and floral Bloomers – Anthropologie

For gift basket no. 2:

: Old Fashioned Glasses – Anthropologie

: Seagrass basket and hand towels – H&M Home

: Lovely Peony Candle- H&M Home

My basket choices were based on size and style. Basket no. 1 measures – 12.0 inches (H) x 13.25 inches (W) x 13.25 inches (D); perfect size to fit the blanket and can be used to store all sorts of stuff. Basket no. 2 measures – 6.75 inches (H) x 9.75 inches (W) x 11.75 inches (D); shallow and wide to display the items without touching and the lid will make sure that the glasses are protect.

Stuffing Supplies:

Packing Material – recycled from other packages received, Black Hemp Cord – Amazon, Shredded Paper (I used 2.5 fl oz for both baskets) – Target

I used diapers to stuff the bottom of basket no. 1, allowing the items to sit nicely towards the top of the basket. The clear packing air bags were used by laying them at the bottom of basket no. 2. I then covered the filling with the shredded paper. To add cohesiveness to the groupings, I used black hemp cord to decorate each item. The stunning results are below!