This week I am participating in a fun Blog Hop with several very talented bloggers. One thing that always kills me is gift giving- I love to surprise people with thoughtful gifts and often it can be hard to come up with original ideas.
So I teamed up with some wonderful ladies to put together all sorts of great ideas for gift baskets that are simple and affordable to make. These feature essential oils, which is such a popular topic right now, and hopefully you are inspired to make some of these things for your friends and family or even for yourself!
First up is my gift basket, which has a travel theme. This would be a great idea for a friend planning a vacation or a move this summer.
I was trying to think of a birthday gift for a friend – something fun and practical that she would hopefully love. This particular friend is very difficult to shop for but super important in my life. I needed something unique and semi-homemade so she’d know that a lot of love went into the gift.
She is planning a big trip in the coming months and I thought- perfect! I will send her all my favorite essential oils in a fun little gift bag so she is totally prepared to have an amazing time.
I decided to include a few of my favorite oils that might be useful on the trip and will hopefully keep her feeling great. To start with I needed a bag of some sort- there are special bags you can find on Etsy specifically for essential oils but I wanted something that she might use over and over for other purposes.
So I found this cute little pouch at World Market and pulled out my Silhouette machine with some heat transfer vinyl.
I thought for awhile about a fun, bright, happy quote to put on the bag. Something to set the tone for her trip and since she has children, I decided on something we say all the time in our house “This is the Best Day Ever!” (Yes Tangled is still on fairly constant rotation in this house.)
I just cut the quote out and then ironed it right on to the pouch. I wanted a little more jazziness so I used my little mini-heart hole punch to cut hearts out and ironed those on (or the Silhouette can do this for you.)
Next I pulled together my favorite oils:
I put this in water all the time or in warm water to start my day and sometimes at the end of the day. I like this for occasional stomach discomfort (from eating not so great food or overeating when travelling). The bright citrus scent is uplifting and it can eliminate some odors too.*
Lavender is one of our very favorites and it can be awesome for many, many things. Minor skin irritations, feels great after a day in the sun, and I find the smell very calming for a more restful sleep. This one has a roller ball on it that I added to roll onto the feet before bed. I use this one on myself and on the children before bed and I also add just a little to my pillow to breathe in at night. Also great to have for any stressful travel situations that might pop up. (This is great to roll onto the feet of the kids during car trips too.)
I literally don’t leave home without this one as it is my all time very favorite. This also has a roller ball because I like to roll it on the back of my neck – I find the smell fresh and uplifting.
This is another favorite of mine to roll on after sitting for long periods of time (in a car or airplane.) It helps to relief any minor aches and pains in the back or shoulders. I absolutely LOVE this oil and it can be great applied to the bottom of the feet after a long day of walking around and exploring.
I included two types of Thieves, which can be great for immune support. I love the waterless hand purifier to use when you can’t wash up with soap and water. I also love the spray- I spritz it in the car and in hotel rooms and such. The smell is slightly spicy with cloves and cinnamon.
I also included a little baggie of cotton balls.* I like to add a drop or two of an oil of my choice to a cotton ball and I put it in the car vents. This is an all natural car air freshener- lemon or peppermint are perfect choices. (You can see how it looks on my Instagram post here.)
Last but not least, I made a little batch of this lavender foot soak with epsom salts, baking soda and lavender. It is great to put into the sink or bathtub in a hotel room to soak your feet after a long day.
And everything fits perfectly inside this little pouch, I added a bow and off it goes to a great friend who will hopefully have a wonderful vacation this year!
What do you think? Any other items you would include in this type of gift?
Here are a few other inspired ideas for various summertime gift baskets from some amazing bloggers:
And if you want a little more information about getting started with Essential Oils, click the box below!
Rebecca P in Florida says
I love this post and all the great ideas for using the oils! I would live a gift like this. Your friend will be blessed! Great post :-).