The Only Gift Box Guide You’ll Need This Valentine’s Day

The Only Gift Box Guide You'll Need This Valentines Day | dreamgreendiy.com

With February already here and Valentine’s Day just two (ish) weeks away, I realized that it’s time to get my butt in gear. I tend to keep things understated around this particular holiday, and this year will be no different, but I still wanted to offer a handful of tips to those of you who are planning to go big this lovey dovey gifting season (or just in case you need a tutorial to email over to your significant other!).

In order to bring this story to life, I asked my pal Bethany Mallory to join me at our local Anthropologie store in nearby Charlottesville, Virginia, for a day of girlie shopping. The two of us wondered the shelves to come up with the perfect Valentine’s Day gift box, and we ended up walking away with a few shopping tricks to share, too. Read on for the scoop, plus a list of all the items you see pictured above in case you wouldn’t mind unwrapping this exact gift box on Valentine’s Day.

The Only Gift Box Guide You'll Need This Valentines Day | dreamgreendiy.com

The Only Gift Box Guide You'll Need This Valentines Day | dreamgreendiy.com

A Valentine’s Day Gift Box In 3 Steps:

  1. Start with a color palette: Although Valentine’s Day is traditionally all about pink, don’t feel like the gift itself needs to be pink! Try this: decide on your first gift item, and then pull a color or two from that to dictate your box’s color scheme. For example, I picked up the card first, so I went with a blue, blush, and gold theme for my box to ensure that everything matched. Having a palette will limit the options in-store, which will ultimately get you in and out quickly.
  2. Choose a theme: Another way to limit the options and avoid feeling overwhelmed is to decide on a specific theme for your gift box. A “Cozy Kitchen” themed box could include a set of measuring spoons, two mugs, and a box of hot cocoa, while a “Spa Day” box (like you see pictured in this post) could include things like a candle, matches, soap, and a scrubber.
  3. Put thought into the box: I hate to say it because I’m more of a no-fuss gal myself, but generally, a gift can quickly go from “thoughtful” to “tacky” simply by cheaping out on the packaging. Rather than tossing everything into a paper or plastic grocery bag (which my sweet husband has definitely done), place your gifts into a sturdy gift box. These types of containers often cost just a few dollars, and when filled with your items of choice and inexpensive paper filler, your Valentine will be utterly wowed come February 14. Even if you just buy her some nice perfume, a nice gift box could seal the deal.

The Only Gift Box Guide You'll Need This Valentines Day | dreamgreendiy.com

Shop The Box: To The Moon & Back CardBarr-Co. Bar SoapBaudelaire Sisal Body ScrubberCapri Blue Jar CandleLollia Eau De ParfumSkeem Mini Apothecary Matches

Locally-owned Charlottesville Shops To Discover For Great Gifts: Darling Boutique, Rock Paper ScissorsEloiseRoxy DaisyDuoCircaThe Yellow ButtonBittersweet

The Only Gift Box Guide You'll Need This Valentines Day | dreamgreendiy.com

So tell me: what’s on your Valentine’s Day wish list? Or are you keeping things super simple this year? No matter what, I’d love for you to leave your own gift box ideas in the comments below.

As for us, John and I are actually in the midst of investing in new vehicles, so we’re feeling extra budget-conscious this year. As in, we likely will just buy each other cards and have a picnic on the living room floor surrounded by our pets this holiday. But that doesn’t mean it will be any less special, and hopefully next year we can go all out!

The Only Gift Box Guide You'll Need This Valentines Day | dreamgreendiy.com

Editor’s Note: Although all of the pretty pieces you see above hail from Anthropologie, this post isn’t sponsored in any way, shape, or form. I’m just a big fan of the brand and wanted to virtually share the goods with all of you.
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Brand New Brass Hardware In Our Mid-Century Kitchen

Brand New Brass Hardware In Our Mid-Century Kitchen | dreamgreendiy.com

Probably one of the worst things about renovating a home when you’re on a tight budget is how looooooong it takes. Each update has to be painstakingly saved for and only then does the research phase kick in. We’re talking hours, days, and sometimes even months spent looking at a variety of products and resources from all different brands, and then often times you’ve got contractors to coordinate on top of it all.

For that reason, our mid-century kitchen has been (and will continue to be) a work in progress for years to come. So far, we’ve updated the old formica counters with new granite, switched out the two-sided, too-shallow sink with an ultra deep version, added a gold faucet, and installed a white subway tile backsplash. We also removed wallpaper and repainted the space bright white.

Brand New Brass Hardware In ur Mid-Century Kitchen | dreamgreendiy.com

Brand New Brass Hardware In ur Mid-Century Kitchen | dreamgreendiy.com

All of these changes helped to breathe new life into the retro space, so much so that I was able to use imaginary blinders to ignore the rest. But then I took over the Better Homes and Gardens Instagram account for the weekend, and this photo of our mid-progress kitchen sparked a heated discussion about how dated the space still looked.

Now, I’m not really one to pay much attention to bitter, inconsiderate people, but a few of the comments hit home, namely where the hardware and scrollwork over the sink were concerned. My dad is coming in a week to help me fix the scrollwork once and for all, and John and I recently took care of a hardware update so that we could all feel a little more satisfied with this DIY reno.

Brand New Brass Hardware In Our Mid-Century Kitchen | dreamgreendiy.com

Brand New Brass Hardware In Our Mid-Century Kitchen | dreamgreendiy.com

Brand New Brass Hardware In Our Mid-Century Kitchen | dreamgreendiy.com

The original brass hardware (which you can see in detail pictured a few images up) was, in my opinion, really cute, what with its pretty cut-out flower design, but this kitchen makeover needed something a little more modern, and a little heftier to feel balanced. So, we packaged up the old hardware to sell or re-home somewhere else in the house, and started the process of screwing in brand new brass hardware.

Brand New Brass Hardware In ur Mid-Century Kitchen | dreamgreendiy.com

Brand New Brass Hardware In ur Mid-Century Kitchen | dreamgreendiy.com

Brand New Brass Hardware In ur Mid-Century Kitchen | dreamgreendiy.com

Brand New Brass Hardware In ur Mid-Century Kitchen | dreamgreendiy.com

The new cabinet and drawer pulls came from Etsy, via a shop called Forge Hardware Studio. To punch up the personality in our kitchen, we ultimately decided to combine two kinds of hardware silhouettes. For the drawers, we chose single-screw brushed brass round knobs, and for the cabinet doors, we went with 3-inch pulls, again in brushed brass. The total came to about $200 for everything, which seemed like a great deal for such a major upgrade, especially with the large number of cabinets and drawers we have.

Brand New Brass Hardware In ur Mid-Century Kitchen | dreamgreendiy.com

Brand New Brass Hardware In ur Mid-Century Kitchen | dreamgreendiy.com

Although a lot of commenters begged for us to paint the cabinets, I’m sorry to disappoint. There’s absolutely no way that I will be painting over that gorgeous original wood. Maybe it’s more obvious in person, but the grain is pure art, and I could never forgive myself for ruining that. So, new hardware will have to do, and happily, it’s all the upgrade we need to feel satisfied.

What do you think of our little upgrade? In case you happened to notice, we also recently upgraded our old white fridge to a new stainless version! The tight space limited our options pretty much to one fridge, but we love the new look (it looks white because of the glare from the windows). All in all, this kitchen is well on its way to being our dream space. Now to tackle that scrollwork…

Brand New Brass Hardware In ur Mid-Century Kitchen | dreamgreendiy.com

Brand New Brass Hardware In ur Mid-Century Kitchen | dreamgreendiy.com

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