Personalized Gift Boxes
(will be your new best friend.)
August is a month filled with many a birthday in my calendar (even my very own)! I mean, not only does it include my birthday, several of my closest friends' birthdays, and my dad's birthday, but it also includes my (basically) momma-in-law's birthday. Now, after four years of being with my current boyfriend, I've given his mother lots and lots of gifts for special occasions in the past. Naturally, the time came where I was officially out of gift ideas. So, what else to do in this scenario but Google gift ideas for a mother-in-law? (I love this century.)
I came across a certain page (I don't remember if it was a Yahoo! Answers page, but it was something like it anyway) where the Asker's mother-in-law was very similar to my own: coffee lover, avid reader, lover of light, nice scents - you get the picture. Anyway, as I was sifting through the responses, I came across one that was particularly striking: Gift Baskets! While this person suggested purchasing several different items, such as cozy night slippers, coffee beans or tea packets, a nice scented candle for the home, etc., I decided to take a slightly different approach on this idea.
As of June, I have been subscribed to the GlossyBox US beauty boxes (and I'm a huge fan of them so far, if you were wondering). And as a gal on a tight budget, I thought it'd be a nifty idea to twist the concept of the beauty box in such a way where I could find small or travel-sized products that my mother-in-law would appreciate that would also fit in one of the two GlossyBox boxes I already had so I wouldn't have to spend more money on a basket, cellophane, ribbon, and the rest of that shenanigans.
Here are the products I purchased:
I compiled a little list of items I thought I could likely find in small sizes that could fit in the box (which already was very presentable and filled with pretty confetti and tissue paper). Since she loves coffee and I had just received a Starbucks gift card for my birthday, I decided to pop in and purchase a packet of instant coffee. Now, neither I nor my boyfriend knew which type of coffee she liked best, but since they had just traveled to Italy over the last winter break, I thought it would be clever to purchase the Italian Roast packet ($9.95). I also purchased some Madeleines ($3.95) to dip in the coffee as a second part to that gift. My mother-in-law loves travel, and they will be going to Paris next summer so the Italian Roast and Petite French Cakes were kind of a play on that.
Now, in my efforts to save some money, yet add a beauty-inspired tinge to my personalized gift box, I included this little pot of Moisturizing Body Creme which I had actually received in my June GlossyBox, but never actually got around to using. I thought the little tub was absolutely adorable and quite useful - I mean, who doesn't need a little bit of moisturizer every now and again?
Next up I made a little trip to Sephora to purchase a Rollerball-sized bottle of Chloé's signature Eau de Parfum. I usually like to avoid giving perfumes unless I know the person's signature scents, but considering my mom-in-law had actually gifted me Love, Chloé before and told me she loved it, I figured this would be a safe pick considering it is a bit more mature a version of Love, Chloé. This was also only $25, so it was quite a good price for a quality perfume.
My mother-in-law is also quite fond of her Kindle, so I figured what else better to give her than an Amazon Kindle Gift Card? This is something that gives her ample room to pick something she would like to read, on her preferred mode of reading rather than buying her a book from Barnes & Noble that she might not even be interested in, and also imposing on her the inconvenience of having to read a physical book when she prefers e-books.
The envelope I put the gift card in was from an old stationary set I've had for years that I think is absolutely charming, and I made the little heart seal myself using a cut-up index card, red nail polish, and tape.
Lastly, I purchased this charming little card from Francesca's Collections for $3.95. I thought it was quirky and cute and extremely me. Considering she's very spunky, this card was also something she would enjoy. Obviously if you've got a much more conservative mother-in-law, you should probably pick a more standard type birthday card.
Finished Product! :)
The whole gift came out to only about $50 out of my pocket, which is a very appropriate amount to spend on your mom-in-law if you've been around for four years haha.
If you are looking to try this out but don't subscribe to any beauty box, or if you simply don't have that kind of money to spend: 1) I suggest scrounging through your house for an old, intact shoebox or gift box (if it has some kind of brand name on it, simply wrap the box in gift paper to conceal it and add more personalized flair) to put your products in. You can also make your own confetti, or simply stuff the box with tissue paper or, if you are crafty and have this at hand, feathers! 2) You can always look through your house for nice little trinkets to re-gift, search consignment or thrift stores near you, or try to find products you'd like on sale on websites such as eBay or Amazon. You can also make your own things to put in the box, such as personal, meaningful photographs in pretty little frames, small pottery items, etc.
The important thing is to make sure everything you include in the box has some kind of significance. That's what truly makes the idea of a personalized gift box/basket innovative and unique! Who says a gift to someone has to be something completely new to them that they may not like? Avoid impersonal gift cards to large chain stores if you can. Choose simple things you know the person you want to give this gift to already loves and will get lots of use out of.
If you'd rather not create your own box, you can research beauty boxes that ship within your country. They usually sell individual boxes for very fair prices, and these boxes make wonderful gifts. I can't wait to flood my friends with gift boxes from now on! ^.^ LOL.
But most importantly: have fun with it! My momma-in-law absolutely adored her gift box, and I'm sure your mother-in-law/boyfriend/friend/mom/whoever will love your gift box too!
