Happy Tuesday, my friends! Is it raining where you are? We are finally getting some MUCH needed rain in our neck of the woods in North Carolina. So, while I’m rained in, I thought I’d share with you a few unique ideas for gift giving! Come see a few gifts-in-a-bag ideas!
My older son and daughter-in-law live in a large apartment building outside of NYC and it has a huge, beautiful swimming pool. In the summer they like to pack a bag, sit by the pool and relax on the weekends. In July, when it came time for my daughter-in-law’s birthday, I asked my son for ideas. He suggested a cooler bag so they could take cold drinks and snacks by the pool. So, I took the idea and ran with it! I found this pretty insulated bag on Amazon. The inside is lined in plastic so you can put ice or cooler packs inside, and and it won’t leak. I ordered the bag and decided to put a few pool-related items in the bag just for fun!
I ordered a pretty monogramed beach towel, then bought a few other fun things to go in the birthday bag. Included was a paperback fiction novel, some sunscreen and lotions, lip balm, hair scrunchies and mints. This made for a fun and unique birthday gift for my daughter-in-law, but would be a great gift idea for any age, with age-appropriate contents. How about for a kid going away to summer camp?
So, this got me thinking about gifts in other sorts of bags or totes. When my boys were little and we lived in Colorado, we would often fly back and forth to NC to see family and friends. Since my husband traveled often for work, sometimes it was just me flying with our two young boys, and he would meet us on the other end. In anticipation, I would surprise them a new backpack and fill it with snacks, a few new toys, games, and coloring books. As they got a little older, I would buy them with a new Gameboy game for the trip. This kept them entertained and quiet for hours, making travel much more pleasant for me (and everyone sitting around us on the plane.) This would be a fun idea as a birthday gift for a young person starting to school or going on a trip to Grandma’s house! This cute backpack is from Pottery Barn Kids and can be monogramed. (Of course you may not want to put their name on the back pack for safety reasons.)
A diaper bag filled with nursery supplies is another good idea for a gift or baby shower! If you know which type of diaper bag the expectant mother wants, simply buy the bag and stuff it with diapers, wipes, toys, teething rings, bibs, pacifiers, etc. With all of the online baby registries, it’s easy to find out what the expectant parents are looking for, and items on these lists are often small and affordable. This makes it easy to find fun bag-fillers that are useful and needed. The sky is the limit as far as diaper bags go, but this sturdy canvas version is by Pottery Barn Kids and can also be monogrammed. It’s available in many styles and colors for around $150, but you can find nice diaper bags from many places without breaking the bank.
Do you have a niece or nephew going off to college? How about a book bag with the college logo as a graduation gift? Fill it with fun things for their dorm room, future classes or something that reminds them of home. Bags and duffels are always useful and isn’t it great to give a gift that someone uses over and over? (Naturally I chose Penn State for this example, because it’s our boy’s alma mater!)
These days you can find cooler bags with college logos, too. You know, for when your student wants to take a sandwich and cold drink to a game. (Soft drinks of course!) Also, a great gift idea!
Maybe you are looking for a house warming gift? How about a pretty, re-useable insulated grocery bag filled with goodies? You can fill it with items such as cocktail napkins, snacks, a wine opener and bottle of wine. I remember the first day we moved into our new house some sweet friends brought over a basket filled with goodies and a nice bottle of wine. Since we hadn’t been to the grocery store or unpacked any food or wine, this was PERFECT! Exhausted after a busy and hot day of moving, my husband and I popped open the bottle of wine and had some yummy snacks. It was the best possible way to end a hectic day. From now on, this will be my go-to welcome gift! These insulated bags are on Amazon for around $12 for both.
With the holidays, baby showers and birthdays always around the corner, maybe you can use a few of these ideas! What’s your go-to gift? Is it in a basket, or some sort of bag? I’m always looking for ideas so send them my way!
I hope you have a wonderful day, and stay dry out there my friends! Let’s chat again soon, shall we? xoxo Dell
