DIY Coworker / Color Coordinated Gift Basket / Bag

Buying for a coworker can sometimes be a tedious task. What do they like? How much should I spend? Is this too personal or is it too impersonal? The constant struggle to find the right thing can be frustrating and unnecessarily stressful, but you can make a great gift with just the basics. Now, my coworker’s favorite color is yellow and she’s obsessed with energy drinks, but we constantly harass her to drink a healthier option. So my main goal is yellow and drinks in this basket/bag.

Supplies:

• Items of your color(s) of choice. (I chose yellow and purple because yellow was one of her favorite colors.)
• The items I chose were a Contigo Shake & Go Tumblr, powdered drink mix and a MiO, M&Ms, Lindor caramel candy, Juicy Fruit gum, Carmex lip balm, and a magnet.
• A bag with matching colors and filler paper shreds (optional).

The bag I picked up is actually a wine bottle bag I found at my local Dollar Tree, but I loved how the colors matched things perfectly. I also found matching paper shreds to help fill the void space around the items. The first thing I did was tape down the inside of the handles because they kept wanting to pop through the holes. It was a simple fix and kept me from worrying that the contents would spill out at any moment.

Be sure to remove any price tags. Nothing says “I put little effort into this” than leaving the price tags on your items. Most tags can be peeled off, but on items like the bracelets, where the price is a blatant display on the actual product, a quick work of the scissors can clean it up nicely. I just cut along the bottom of the price to make it even with the natural hook holder. (Did that make sense, because it did in my head?)

Since I was limited on space in my bag, I wanted to fill the tumblr as well. I opened the powdered mix drink and put the individual packets inside along with the MiO. I also ended up putting in the Juicy Fruit and the M&Ms.

Once I put everything that I could possibly fit in the tumblr, I put the tumblr in the bag and surrounded it by the paper shred. I was strategically placing the remaining items around the tumblr when I noticed I was being watched. Tails, the youngest, was keeping a close eye on me, but I’m sure he was more interested in the paper shreds than anything else.

After you’re finished arranging the items how you want them, tie the bag off, fill out your card and viola! You’re done. Now, I would have preferred to put the card in the bag, but the bag was much too slender for that. Either way I loved the way it turned out and the best part is it cost me under $25. The Contigo Shake & Go Tumblr and the bracelet were the two most expensive items, but I got the tumblr on sale at the time. Everything else came from my local Dollar Tree. Remember to have fun with it. Mix up colors or stick to just one, it’s the thought that counts.