Gift idea: Selfcare Box

I had an absolute blast making my Secret Santa gift for my colleague in the recent weeks. It was pretty obvious that she got it from me – it took her seconds to guess. So I guess I’m okay posting this up now! However, I just wanted to share the gift with you as it was so much fun to make. I might actually make myself one – and perhaps some others for other people. Presenting the selfcare box!

This year, I opted to make a self-care box for the recipient. The budget was only £10 so I definitely had to get a little creative. It is possible to purchase some premade self-care boxes for slightly more. I personally love the Blurt boxes but they are double the price (they are definitely worth it though). Since I was trying very hard to stick to the budget, I ended up making a bunch of things myself.

The Selfcare Box itself

You can easily purchase a box from somewhere but I ended up making it myself to save that pound or two. You could easily recycle an old one if you had one of the right size. Since I did not, I ended up making mine using the “Boxer” tool from Crafter’s Companion. It was really quick and easy to do it.

I lined the base of the box with some old packaging, covering it with some sticker paper and decorative christmas patterned paper. This just reinforced the base, making it a bit stronger whilst adding some interest.

Quotes

Inspirational quotes are always a nice addition to the box. You can easily print some that you find online, create some with a word document and any font of your choice or purchase some from a store. Postcards, posters, anything works. However, creating your own is a really fun option, in my opinion. I opted to make mine. Keeping it simple, I used a calligraphy brush and a fineliner to draw the cup of tea at the bottom.

You can definitely theme the quote to the box. For example, “Make selfcare a priority” or “Selfcare is not selfish”. I decided to use the quote “you can’t pour from an empty cup” as I knew I wanted to include tea in the box. It just worked perfectly!

The Products

There are a lot of different products that can help promote selfcare. This part should be mixed and matched to the individual. It also depends on your budget.

Food – Cookies, Honey, Tea

Food or drinks can be a good item to add into the selfcare boxes. The first thing to check is if they have any dietary requirements or allergies. I opted for a selection of herbal teas, from a ‘winter wellness’ collection, that I thought fit both the selfcare theme and the festive season. If you know their favourite teas then that would work too! Hot chocolate – perhaps with some marshmallows – would be great too.

I also added cookies to the box – because who doesn’t love cookies? However, any food would work here. Cupcakes, a bottle of honey, chocolate. Anything that makes someone feel good.

Stationery – Affirmation Cards, Journaling, Books, Pencils You Plant, Art Supplies

I love stationery – if you hadn’t already guessed! So a sessions dedicated to stationery had to be added. There’s a ton of different bits of stationery that you could add to someone’s selfcare box. A set of affirmation cards, for example, could go a long way. You can either make some yourself or purchase a pack from the stores.

You could add a notebook and pen to encourage them to journal, or one of the journaling books with preset questions for each day. It’s also possible to get selfcare or mindfulness books that can be written it. Alternatively, fictional books – or nonfictional wellbeing books – can be a nice addition if you know what they might enjoy reading.

If they enjoy an artistic hobby, such as painting or calligraphy, supplies for that might be a nice idea. It’s also possible to get colouring books or dot-to-dot for adults that would be nice for anyone that might enjoy an easy task where they can switch off.

I actually got an awesome gift from my secret santa, which was a set of sprout pencils. These are pencils that you can plant afterwards. I was given the ‘mindful thoughts’ set, which has some motivational quotes engraved on them. Definitely something that could be given to anyone who uses pencils!

Cosy and Warm – Socks, Jumpers, Blanket, Hot Water Bottle, candles

Anything warm and cosy is a great idea for a selfcare box, especially for the winter season. A pair of fluffy socks, a snuggly blanket or a festive jumper would work great. When I think of selfcare, I tend to think of something that is warmth and cosy indoors. Snuggling into a blanket with a hot cup of tea, for example. However, you could definitely get something that keeps them warm outdoors, in the cold winter months. One of those hand warmers or some heat pads might be nice. Who doesn’t love a hot water bottle, for example?

Scented candles and bubble bath products can also go down a treat.

Hobbies – Seeds to Plant, Art Supplies, Exercise Equipment

Encouraging people to do hobbies that they enjoy might be a good addition to the box. Some hobbies have been known to help improve wellbeing – such as exercise or art – which you could focus on. Gardening might be nice too.

Other things to consider is that if they have difficulty with something, such as sleeping, perhaps you could try and find some things that might help them. A Lavendar spray, for example, has been said to help with sleep.

Individualise the gift, it’s the thought that counts.

At the end of the day, it’s the thought that counts – not the budget. I managed to make a box with £10 by getting a little creative and making things myself, where possible. Think of what they might like and personlise it as much as possible. Mostly, have fun. It’s so much fun putting gifts together. The theme of my selfcare box was ‘ethical‘, so I did end up using reusing some old packaging to create the box.