For a while there, it felt like I was attending a bachelorette party or wedding every other weekend. I absolutely loved celebrating some of my best girlfriends and now that a lot of the wedding-related celebrations have died down a bit, I find myself missing them (although my wallet certainly does not)!
During my friend Cherayne’s bachelorette party weekend in Miami, a group of my girlfriend’s spent one night at my friend Leah’s in-law’s house in Ft. Lauderdale on our way down to Miami to break up the drive. We quickly realized Leah’s mother-in-law is pretty much the ultimate hostess.
She welcomed us with open arms and a warm smile but went above and beyond with little extra touches all over her house. We had bottles of water and a piece of dark chocolate waiting by our beds at night. We woke up to the smell of a delicious breakfast casserole and hot coffee. My girlfriends and I all told her we felt like we were staying at a bed and breakfast and we really appreciated all of the effort she put into making our stay in her home so comfortable.
With all of the guests we’ve had visit us since Chase was born, I’ve tried my best to make everyone feel at home with the usual necessities: Fresh towels, clean sheets, readily-available snacks and extra toiletries. I keep a big basket of items guests might need under the guest bathroom sink but an article in a local magazine that addressed “Southern Hospitality” made me want to go a step further. None of our guests made us feel like we needed to do more but sometimes it’s fun to put a little extra effort into the small details that might make someone’s stay with you feel a little more comfortable.
And that’s where the Houseguest Welcome Basket comes into play!
Have you ever traveled to a wedding and the bride and groom had welcome bags waiting for guests at hotel check-in? I love thoughtful touches like this and now that my wedding planning days are behind me (tear… I loved wedding planning!), I jump at the chance to revisit things that remind me of my wedding planning days and assembling a houseguest welcome basket definitely took me back!
I had so much fun selecting the items for the basket and made sure to start with the basics: Fluffy towels, shampoo, conditioner and body wash.
For this gift basket, I included Ultra Calming Honest Shampoo + Body Wash and Conditioner from The Honest Company in the Dreamy Lavender scent. Aside from the plus of smelling like a relaxing spa, the shampoo and conditioner are made without potentially harmful chemicals and synthetic fragrances, pH balanced and hypoallergenic, so they’re products I feel good about our guests using while they’re staying in our home.
The Honest Company’s updated bath and body products include four new scents (Perfectly Gentle – sweet orange vanilla // Ultra Calming – dreamy lavender // Deeply Nourishing – apricot kiss // Purely Simple – scent free) and while I figured the lavender scent would be perfect for guests, I think the apricot scent is pleasantly subtle and we’ve been using the sweet orange vanilla shampoo + body wash on Chase daily for months now and adore the bright, clean scent that now makes me want to wrap Chase up in a cozy towel and snuggle him all day long whenever I smell it.
Continuing with the essentials, I included a spare toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and mouthwash in the welcome basket, as well as some tissues, Deeply Nourishing Honest Face + Body Lotion in Apricot Kiss (perfect for the dry winter months) and facial cleansing wipes.
And then it was time for the fun stuff! I made sure to include some non-essential items that will hopefully make our guests smile. Since tasty snacks are almost always appreciated, I added a few bars, dried fruit, dark chocolate squares and peanut butter cups to the basket, along with a couple of bottles of water and a pack of gum.
I couldn’t resist adding a few beauty-related items to the welcome basket, including dry shampoo, extra hair ties (because we all know hair ties and bobby pins constantly disappear into oblivion), lip balm, cotton swabs, a razor and shaving cream.
The next time we have guests in town, I hope this gift basket makes them feel a little more welcome and extra special!
And now here’s your chance to grab some goodies from The Honest Company to enjoy for yourself or to use to assemble a welcome basket of your own for your guests!
The Honest Company Discount + Giveaway
The Honest Company is offering PBF readers 35 percent off their first bundle order on Honest.com through March 15! (The discount may be applied to up to two bundles purchased in a single transaction.) The Honest Company offers a variety of bundles on their site (a convenient way to continually receive favorite products from The Honest Company at your doorstep for up to 40 percent off) and you can choose the products you want to receive in your bundle! (They currently have Diapering, Health and Wellness, Cleaning and Personal Care Bundles.) To redeem this offer, simply click here and use the code PBF35OFF!
I am also self-sponsoring a giveaway for one reader to win a bundle of their choice from The Honest Company! To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment on this post telling me which bundle you would select to receive if you were to win this giveaway! Does the diapering bundle call to you? Are you in need of some new cleaning supplies or personal care (bath + beauty) items? Let me know!
I will randomly select a winner this Friday.
Terms: The 35% off discount is eligible for new honest.com Bundle subscribers only. Limit 1 Promo Code per customer/household. Code must be entered into “Promo Code” section at Checkout. Ends at 11:59 p.m. (PST) on 3/15/2016. Valid for up to 2 Bundles purchased in a single transaction. Cannot be applied to previous purchases, Gift Card purchases or Gift Bundles. Cannot be redeemed for cash or combined with any other promotion. Terms subject to change at any time.
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Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by The Honest Company who provided products and payment. All opinions are my own. I am personally sponsoring the giveaway portion of this post. I truly appreciate your support!
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I had a little girl in December and tried really hard to make guests feel welcomed while visiting. Of course, it was tough with all the holiday planning, tending to a newborn and juggling housework, but I enjoyed every minute (you’ll never get those days back, right?!) The house guest baskets would have been a great “thank you” for my guests’ help and also keep me more calm knowing they had access to things they may have forgotten.
The more you talk about the Honest Company items, the more I’m interested in trying them. The diaper bundle would be a great start!
I would love to try the Health and Wellness bundle!
We just bought a new house and I would LOVE to try the cleaning supplies bundle! 🙂
I would go with the personal care bundle! I love trying new products and have never used anything from the Honest Company before! As always, I love reading your blog! Thanks, Whitney
The essentials bundle looks perfect! I would love to try a mix of skincare items + a few household products.
Such a great idea! Definitely the cleaning bundle. Their stuff seems so high quality
The personal care bundle is calling my name!
Our first little one is due soon, and I have been looking for the best baby bath products for him!
I would definitely choose the personal care bundle!
A personal care bundle would be so exciting to try. I have heard wonderful things about these products and am in major need of a product overhaul. I’ve been researching “clean” products, free of all the nasty stuff and was just looking at this brand. Thank YOU for offering such a great giveaway. I LOVE your blog and look forward to reading it daily.
I would definitely be interested in the cleaning or personal care bundle!
We are in the process of buying our first home so the cleaning bundle would be perfect!!
We are expecting a son on or around May and I would love to try the diaper bundle!
I would pick the diapering bundle, I have twins on the way!
I love the honest cleaning supplies!
Loving the look of the personal care bundle! I think these are such a good idea for lots of occasions, from weddings to meet the new parents and baby.
Personal care for sure! I love lavender shampoos!!
What a great giveaway! I have some sample Honest products that I think are terrific.
Would love to try the personal care pack!
I’d like to try an Essentials bundle because it looks like that has a variety of the products Honest offers. A good way to try a variety of things!
When we had family coming to visit last year, I made sure the guest bathroom had a nice basket with various toiletries AND that is the room we keep all our medicine anyway so I figured if someone had a headache or something they were covered. Sure enough, in the middle of the night, my sister in law knocked on our door because she had a terrible stomachache and needed Tums. The ONE thing I forgot to put in there!
What a lovely idea to create these house-guest baskets. My mother-in-law does this in her home and when my husband and I visited, I was blown away by how a basket of essentials and goodies made a huge difference. For your Giveaway, if I won, I’d like to have the Health & Wellness Bundle! I could use the supplements to help boost my health needs.
The essentials bundle would be perfect for what we currently need!
Lately, I’ve been trying to clean with greener supplies rather than nasty chemicals. I’d love to try out that bundle!
Just reading about guest bundles makes me excited about bundles in general haha.. I would choose the personal care one.
I would definitely choose the personal care bundle… I’m a sucker for trying new beauty products!
I would choose the Essentials bundle. I love Honest Co products.
I would definitely pick the personal care
Bundle! Lots of great stuff in there
I would love to try their Health & Wellness Bundle. I’m currently due on September 15th and need all the prenatals!
The diapering bundle would be amazing!
The personal care bundle sounds perfect! Thanks. 🙂
I’d love the Essentials bundle because it seems to offer a variety of the Honest Co. products and is a great way to try an assortment of everything!
Health and Wellness or Essentials bundle…decisions decisions 🙂
The Essentials bundle looks lovely!!!!
The diapering bundle is what we need!! This looks wonderful!
I’d definitely go for the essentials bundle!
The Honest Essentials Bundle looks amazing!
I’d love to win the personal care and cleaning bundle as I am moving in a couple months to a new place and I’d start it off fresh with new clean stuff 🙂
The essentials bundle looks fabulous. I’ve always wanted to try their products!
I’d love to try the personal care bundle!
Love your basket! I think I would opt for the Essentials bundle! We have moved twice in the last month and a half and really have no idea where most of my stuff is! haha
Health and Wellness bundle!
I would love the Essentials bundle — it would be perfect for a big spring cleaning later this month. Great give-away and love the baskets you created.
I could use the bath and beauty bundle! We have out of town guests every now and then and it’d be nice to put some of those items in a “guest basket”! 🙂
I’d go with the diapering bundle. I have an 11 day old baby boy who goes through a lot of diapers.
I’d love to try the personal care bundle! 🙂
I would love a cleaning/house stuff bundle! 🙂
Thanks so much for the giveaway! I would be interested in either the personal care or cleaning supply bundle. I use their shampoos for my kids and love them!
The essentials bundle would be such a lifesavor! Crossing fingers and toes I get picked.
i would love a bath/beauty package to try some of honest’s products – i’ve been trying to move more towards natural beauty products, so this would be a great opportunity to try some great new things! p.s. i just got my rosehip seed oil from amazon and can’t wait to incorporate it into my beauty routine after hearing your rave reviews 🙂
I try to do this for our guests, though on a much smaller scale. Great ideas for the future! For the giveaway, Health and Wellness calls to me most. Cheers!