College Survival Gift Basket

So the time has come when your child must leave the nest... thank goodness I do not have to know how this feels for 17 more years! But, it's just as hard when your kid sister goes off to college... especially when there is a 10 yr age difference. Yep, the big 3-0 is not too far down the road for me. Back to happy thoughts :) So being the big sister that I am, I wanted to get her something nice and that she's going to need for college. And... being the big sister that I am... it had to be down right funny!

 

We made 2 baskets- 1 for my sister and 1 for her friend

 

Inspiration from: funkypolkadotgiraffe who created a super cute back to school survival basket for her kid's teacher and giftsucanmake for a survival kit for sisters.

 

So I got with my mom and we brainstormed, then went shopping! Honestly, it was quite fun making. We had an idea for most of the items, but others just came up with on the spot so forgive us if some are just super corny.

 

 

Our items and its corny uses (sisters basket) :

 

BAND AIDS for when things get a little rough

CHEWING GUM to help you stick to it

CRAYONS to color your day bright and cheerful

ERASER to remind you everyone makes mistakes

LIFE SAVERS for when you've had one of those days

KLEENEX for when your day just blows

UNDERWEAR to remind you it is time to do laundry (haha sister in me)

RULER for when you need to be slapped straight

AIR FRESHENER for when life stinks

TWIZZLERS for life's little twists

PAPERCLIPS to hold it all together

HAND SANITIZER to keep you healthy and happy

GLOBES for when you feel powerless (found squishy globes to squeeze- DT)

FIRST AID kit for life's little emergencies (accident-prone sis used within the week)

POP-UP flags to help you find your place

BUBBLES to help you get away

FLARP for when there's no one else to blame (haha its putty and sounds like gas when squeeze it)

PICTURE FRAME for when you're homesick

ICE PACK to help you keep your cool

CUP to help you suck it up (Travel cup with straw)

FLOWERS to brighten your day (yes they were black- sister humor- DT @ Halloween)

STAR BURSTS to give you a "burst" of energy

TOOTHPICKS to help you "pick out" the good qualities in others and yourself

MARBLES to replace the ones you lost :)

 

 

Other basket contained some of the above, but was altered for a boy:

 

SOCKS to remind you its time for laundry (great alternative if not family)

CAR SAVER PEN to save you a call back home

STICKY TUMBLER to remind you to be flexible (one of those sticky men you throw on the wall)

TOOTHBRUSH to wash away the cobwebs :)

 

 

The baskets were found @ Dollar Tree (DT) as were about half the items. The baskets and tissue paper inside were their college colors. So lucky they had those baskets in those colors. The rest of the items were found @ Walmart. Thankfully it was back-to-school time so they had a lot of school supplies to help personalize the gifts more (Superman, Hello Kitty, etc) and make it that much funnier.

 

All in all, it cost about $50 to make both. Very fun to make and a lot more personal gift in my opinion.

 

Best of luck in college, Michaela and Colby! Go Islanders!

 

Till the next inspiration...