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 love Honest! I would go for some bath products!
I would love the diaper bundle, since I and due with my first child in July!
Aw!! Congrats to you, Cara!! 🙂
The Diapers and wipes bundle for sure!
I would love to try a personal care bundle.
I would love the cleaning or bath/beauty bundle!
I’ve been really intrigued by the honest products lately. Would love to try the personal care products out.
The diaper bundle would be lovely, since my first baby is on his way this month!
The diapering bundle looks perfect! We are in the final count down now awaiting the arrival of our first babe!
I would love the personal care bundle!
I would get the diapering bundle! With a 20 month old at home, it would be put to good use!
So hard to pick!! Either the diapering or cleaning. Thanks for the giveaway!
Would love the diapering bundle!
I would pick the cleaning bundle. It would be great to get rid of the products I have with harsh chemicals in them!
While all the bundles sound great…I would like to try the personal care products most! 🙂 We’ve tried the diapers and love them!
I have a little one due in August so I would love to win the diaper bundle!
I would love a cleaning products bundle… I finished binge watching Fuller House on Netflix and developed a cleaning obsession… Thanks Danny Tanner. ??
I’d definitely do the diaper bundle. I’ve used their diapers on my 14 month old since day 1!
The personal care bundle!
I’ve always been curious about the Honest company bundles and would love to try the Cleaning and Personal Care bundle!
Love this idea! I’d get the personal car bundle 🙂
Since I’m expecting my first bundle of joy, I’d definitely go for the diaper bundle!
Bath products for sure!
I would love to try a personal care bundle!
The diapers and wipes bundle! Baby #2 due in July!
Also, where is your bookshelf from in the last photo of you displaying your box of goodies? 🙂
The Essentials bundle is calling my name a mix of personal care & cleaning items would be amazing – LOVE Honest products 🙂
The essentials bundle looks great!
I would really like to try the personal products, so the personal/bath box looks great! I have wondered about this brand for a while so this would be pretty neat! 🙂
Diapering bundle for our baby coming in May! And I love the idea of a welcome basket for guests!
I would be most interested in the diapering bundle! My first baby (a boy!) is arriving in a few months 🙂
I have never tried Honest Co before, so I would be interested in trying the personal care bundle!
I would love the personal care bundle!
I’m pregnant with baby #1 and would love the diaper bundle!
Would love to win the diaper bundle!
I would go for the personal care and cleaning supplies.
The diapering bundle would be awesome! We are expecting our first baby in less than three weeks:-)
I think I would like to try the essentials bundle or the health and wellness bundle! They all sound so good! Hard to pick! I wish they had a doggie bundle! 🙂
I would love the diaper bundle – I have a 4 month old and all of the diapers are so cute!
Definitely the diaper and wipe bundle. I’m expecting my second child next month (AHHH!) and have been wanting to try Honest products!
The cleaning and personal care bundle looks great!
Holy cats! The last time I did a guest room basket (maybe 10 years ago since we no longer have a spare bedroom), it was a berry basket with a few samples in it for an overnight guest. #guestfail I think anyone would be ecstatic to see that basket o’ goodies…I know I would!
I have never tried honest company but would love to given all the great reviews I have seen! I would love to try to personal care bundle!
Cleaning products bundle!!
I would love the Personal Care bundle! I’ve always wanted to try The Honest Company products!
i feel so lame, but i want the cleaning supplies!!
I’d go for the cleaning bundle – I’ve been wanting to try out their cleaning products! And anything that makes cleaning more enjoyable is a winner in my book 🙂
Definitely interested in the diaper bundle… my first baby is due in 3 weeks! I have a feeling I’ll be going through a lot of diaper supplies in the near future 😉
I’d love the personal care bundle!
I’d love to try the personal care products….especially the bubble bath!
I would love to try a personal care bundle.