Last summer, I had the pleasure of visiting my friend Marguerite at her new home in Pennsylvania. As soon as I decided to take the trip, the wheels started turning in my head. I wanted to give her a nice housewarming gift that would easily fit into her decor. However, there was a MAJOR PROBLEM. Marguerite had been in her home for a little over two years and had fully furnished and decorated her house. It quickly became obvious that it was going to be a difficult task coming up with something unique to give her that she didn’t already have, but I was definitely up for the challenge.
As usual, I immediately turned to Pinterest for inspiration. Of course, Pinterest had a plethora of ideas to choose from. There were laundry baskets filled with household supplies, colanders filled with food and recipes, and large glass jars filled with a variety of items. The list of ideas went on and on. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed as usual. It was hard zoning in on the perfect one to give to my oldest friend.
Fortunately, Marguerite and I had chatted throughout the course of her home renovation and decorating process. She had even sent me a few pictures of various rooms in her home throughout the process. So I was armed with a little background knowledge that helped guide me in my selection process. Since I knew her color scheme and that she purchased some items from Pottery Barn, I had an idea of what gift would fit comfortably in her home.
After a lot of thought and many clicks on a variety of pins, I settled on the lantern filled with small household items as a gift. I thought that this was the best option because I figured she didn’t have a lantern in her house. It’s not necessarily an item people think of buying when they are decorating their home. Plus, the items that I could place inside of the lantern could be unique as I wanted them to be.
Now armed with a gift idea, I could finally visit the store to purchase everything I needed to create the gift. I decided to visit my local Marshalls to purchase the items on my list because their home section is always loaded with cute and affordable products.
The first item that I needed to find was a lantern. Since I knew that her home decor consisted of earth tones and calming colors, I figured that a wooden lantern would be the best choice. Fortunately, Marshalls had just what I needed. I was able to find a lantern that was the perfect height and design for my gift idea.
Once I picked out the lantern, everything else fell into place. I worked very hard to find things that she probably wouldn’t have as part of her decor. I picked out things like unique spices, fun party straws and napkins, and a lovely large scented candle (see the full list of items below). I also made sure that I added the items to the lantern as I strolled through the store in order to ensure that everything would fit nicely inside. Once the lantern was filled to capacity, I knew that my shopping was done.
Upon returning to my apartment, I carefully arranged everything inside of the lantern and placed a nice pre-made bow on top as decoration. I was very proud of my gift idea. I had yet again created something unique, fun, and useful all in one. I couldn’t wait to give it to Marguerite during my visit.
I presented Marguerite with her gift after I arrived and settled in from my drive. She loved it. Everything fit nicely into her decor. The only item that wasn’t new was the spice. I tried to choose something exotic thinking that she probably didn’t have it as a part of her kitchen arsenal, but I was wrong. I should have known that my friend who is a great cook and has her own cooking website already had the spices in her cabinet. Oh well, now she has extra for her tasty recipes.
GIFT ITEM LIST
- Lantern
- Tea Towel
- Party straws and matching napkins
- Colorful vintage glass votives (tea candle holders)
- Large pillar candle
- Air freshener
- Exotic spices
