Emergency Essentials Gift DIY

DIY

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Give the hard-to-gift people on your list this DIY emergency essentials kit.  Everyone will love you and your clever ingenuity!

I really love the holidays!  Everyone’s kinder, the treats are out in full force and we get to give awesome gifts to our loved ones and see their sweet faces light up!  (Unless your kid is getting coal, and in that case, all I gotta say is: solidarity, moms and dads).

But there’s always someone (or a few someones) on your list that you’re pulling up blanks for gift ideas.  This quick little DIY has got you covered!  Teachers, postal workers, hair stylists, babysitters…they’d all love this, trust me.

You know those random things that are always rolling around the bottom of your purse? Those bizarre items that seem pointless but you’d DIE if they weren’t there? The chapstick, the tampon, the granola bar (albeit a smooshed one), the pen, the safety pin…you get my drift.

What if you packaged all of those necessary random essentials into one cute little bag?  Then your recipient would just throw it into her (or his, sans tampon, obviously) backpack, purse, diaper bag and know that they’re always covered for any emergency!

Scroll down to see what I like to include in mine.


So, you ready for the easiest DIY gift ever??

A couple of notes about these little pouches:

  1. You can obviously go with as many or as few of these things as you like.  Depends on the size of your bag and how much effort/money you want to put in.  But the more stuff, the better.
  2. Be sure to check your local dollar store for these items. I bought enough stuff to make about 4 pouches and it cost me less than $20!  That doesn’t count the pouches themselves which I found at Target for $1.99 each. That’s still only about $7 per gift!
  3. This is a really easy gift to make multiples of, so consider giving an emergency essentials kit to lots of people this year!  Or make a dozen of them and stockpile them for birthdays throughout the year.
  4. You can also customize it to a recipient’s hobby or occupation.  For example, you could add an energy drink for a nurse who works nights or for a friend who lives at the gym, include some cheap earbuds.  I also like the idea of doing one for a sick friend with cough drops and ibuprofen…get creative!OR – do you love this idea but feeling too busy or tired to put it all together? My cute friend Teresa sells her own versions (in adorable handmade bags) HERE!

What you’ll need:

Safety pin
bandaid
emery board
bobby pins
hair tie &/or headband
tampon (&/or wrapped menstrual pad)
pen
chapstick
gum or breath mints
cheap comb
hand sanitizer
facial tissues
(optional) travel sized dry shampoo, deoderant, baby wipes, cheap nail clippers, etc.
(optional) $20 bill!  This is a fun surprise and also functions in an emergency if you’re stranded without cash or cards.
Cute travel bag to hold everything (storebought or handmade)

Shove it all in, wrap it pretty and voila!  Simplest (and most affordable!) gift they’ll love.

What other little goodies would you pack in your emergency essentials kit?

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