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 would LOVE to try the diapers and wipes bundle! I adore the cute diaper designs and would like to see how the wipes hold up (I hate when they tear apart).
I would love to try the cleaning supply bundle!
Would love to win the personal care bundle.
I’d love to try the personal care bundle!
I should say the diapering bundle with a baby on the way but, mom’s still need personal care, right?! Personal care it is ??
You did a great job on this! I would love the personal care bundle and have really been wanting to prioritize less chemicals on my skin.
Expecting baby #3, so diaper bundle!
I would treat myself with the personal care 🙂
Personal care bundle or cleaning bundle would be great.
I always love to see the baskets you put together. The are always so cute and everything is perfect for the occasion!
I would love it try the personal care bundle. Those scents sound great!
The health and wellness bundle appeals to me the most 🙂 I’m so glad you brought light to this company-I had no idea it existed!
Such a cute idea! Would love the personal care bundle!
The personal care bundle looks great!
I’d try cleaning for sure!
? Cleaning products! We already get the diaper bundles for our 14 month old son and LOVE IT! Would like to make the house a safer/chemical free place for the kiddo with honest co cleaning products. Just a fun fact…my husband’s name is also Chase ❤️??
I would try the personal care bundle!
I would choose the diapering bundle. We are expecting in June, so that would be a big help around here!
Personal care
The personal care bundle….the orange vanilla and apricot kiss fragrances sound wonderful.
I would love the cleaning bundle.
The diaper bundle for my little boy would be great!
With an 8 week old I’d definitely pick the diaper bundle!
I’ve started transitioning to less chemical household products so I would love to try either the cleaning or health/beauty bundles!
I would love the personal care bundle.
The new scents make me want a personal care bundle! …although I SHOULD pick a diaper bundle instead… 😉
Personal care bundle for sure! Can’t wait to check out the products!
I would try the personal care bundle!
I would choose the personal products. I have a guest basket in the guest bath that needs to be replenished before my future in laws visit soon!
Personal care for sure! I never splurge and get nice toiletries so this would be such a treat 🙂
I’d choose the Personal Care Bundle.
I would love to try the cleaning or diaper bundle!
I would love to try the diapering bundle!
Ooh. That’s a tough one. I’m torn between which I’d try first — personal care or cleaning!
The diapering bundle would be amazing as we are expecting our first baby in one week! ?
Would love to try the personal care bundle! 🙂
I am torn between the diapering bundle and the wanting some new cleaning supplies. We are expecting our first bundle of joy in April, so both diapering and nontoxic cleaners are more and more important to us.
I would definitely choose the Essentials Bundle. I’m always on the lookout for good, clean beauty and cleaning products!
The personal care one looks nice!
I’d love to try the diapering bundle
As a new mom is definitely be interested in the diaper bundle.
I would choose the personal care bundle!
Diaper bundle with a few add ons.. I love their products! You must try the bubble bath for chase, my little girl loves it!!
I would choose the health and wellness bundle!
I’d love to try the personal care bundle!
I would choose the personal care bundle!
I would love to try the personal bundle set!! I don’t have any kids yet, but I’ve been meaning to try the other products because I hear everyone raves about them.
The diaper bundle would be great! I’m always looking for new wipes to try 🙂
I would LOVE the cleaning and personal care bundle. Medical school third year doesnt give me alot of spare time to go to the store, and when I do I ALWAYS forget these items. This would be AWESOME.
~I’d choose the cleaning bundle I think!~
Definitely the personal care bundle!