Stumble It!
Contest: iPod Shuffle for the Best Southern Gift Basket Ideas!
(Image from the Apple website)
What's that? Another contest? One where you can win an iPod Shuffle?! That's right!
The SW ladies have a fairly epic, relatively secret project up our sleeves. All we can tell you at this point is that we're compiling Southern uh... "gift baskets". Two sets of Southern gift baskets, in fact: one preppy and traditional, and one, shall we say, more along the lines of "dirty South" (ahem).
So what do you need to do to win this contest? Find the BEST possible item for one of our baskets. And then tell us about it!
Who: You
When: Sometime before Tuesday, October 27 at 6:00pm
Why: Because you could win a Shuffle. And they're great for going to the gym and traveling. Obvs.
How: Find a great item for one of our gift baskets. Leave a comment on this post. VERY IMPORTANT: You must copy and paste the link to the item you think we should include! Make sure to specify whether your item is for the traditional + preppy or the dirty South category.
Good luck!
Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 06:00PM
Reader Comments (55)
A big bottle of Firefly Vodka. So cute and so definitely Southern. http://www.fireflyvodka.com/
Given different accoutrements, this could easily fit in either basket. Add a bag of porkrinds and flask and it's Dirty South, fit for Foxworthy. But I'd vote for a recipe tag for a Ginger Glow (1 part Firefly, 1 part gingerale, a lemon twist) tied with satin ribbon to the stem of a monogrammed glass. Tres preppy, in the very best sense.
Yee Haw Industries is by far the best Southern find I've ever made. In the heart of Knoxville, definitely dirty South:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=32767039
A bowtie and belle band from Southern Proper. With choices of prints like "Butterbean Beau", "Cotton Pickin' Beau" and my personal favorite "Just Peachy Beau" ... I mean, it most certainly doesn't get any better than that. A "Sweet Magnolia" or "Cotton Pickin'" Belle band is the choice for the ladies.
Definitely southern -- the food & the men. http://store.pauladeen.com/product/587/26
two words: Lilly Pulitzer! You can get tons of Lilly Pulitzer goodies for a reasonable price, one is this make-up bag, which you could fill with make-up brushes and a lip gloss,
http://www.lillypulitzer.com/Bags/Brush-Worthy-Make-up-Bag/invt/70180&bklist=icat,5,colone,,accessoriesandfootwear,womensgiftsandaccessorie
Also, you could get these circle notes
http://www.lillypulitzer.com/New-Arrivals-for-Fall/Circle-Notes/invt/e1237&bklist=icat,5,colone,,stationery,statcorrespond
these coasters
http://www.lillypulitzer.com/Gifts/Coasters/invt/e1096&bklist=icat,5,colone,,stationery,statgifts
this mug
http://www.lillypulitzer.com/Gifts/Latte-Da-Mug/invt/e1249&bklist=icat,5,colone,,stationery,statgifts
and last but not least, this guest book, for the wedding!
http://www.lillypulitzer.com/Gifts/Guest-Book/invt/e1097&bklist=icat,5,colone,,stationery,statgifts
Lilly Pulitzer is preppy at its finest!
I would get this magnet made with the bride and groom's likenesses. What a wonderful save the date! :) http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9166396&ref=sr_gallery_5&&ga_search_query=feud&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&order=date_desc&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title
You need something pecan for sure! Divinity or pralines, Priester's Pecans here in Alabama (http://www.priesters.com/) make a lot of different varieties of pecan goods. And I keep thinking cotton, maybe a "cotton" scented soap? http://www.countryscents.net/index.php (this site has a goat's milk soap called "cotton pickin" which sounds cute.) A Nehi Peach soda? Some Burt's Bees chapstick (from Durham, NC!) Just some thoughts!
Mini bloody mary mix bottles would be perfect for the "dirty South" basket. Include Goody powder, saltines, a mini bottle of vodka and a bottle of water to help your guests recover from a night of too much fun!
https://www.tanksbloodymary.com/products/product_info.php?cPath=1_4&products_id=32&osCsid=e1f0716330de148729b0512a984e9452
Apple Butter would be delicious, very Southern, and you could make it yourself for pretty cheap and customize the containers for the occasion of the gift basket. Or you could do it the easy way and just have Harry and David's do it for you. Yum!
http://www.harryanddavid.com/gifts/store/product____shop-our-stores-harry-and-david_shop-our-stores-butter-preserves_5002738
This would work for either the Dirty South basket if you included biscuit mix or the traditional/preppy basket if you included scones or coffee.
I went to college in North Georgia and I used to love going to Helen during Octoberfest and visiting Nora Mills while there. Pretty much anything they have could be put in the Dirty South basket from their speckled grits, Grandma's pancake/biscuit mix, Georgia Moonshine jelly, funnel cake mix, Vidalia Onion dressing, blackberry jam, and the list could go on and on.
http://www.noramill.com/NoraMillCatalog2008.pdf
Yum, I'm ready for a visit to Helen now!
I thought of two items- one for each of the baskets.
For the Dirty South- I was thinking some fun items for a cocktail party
A Lilly Pullitzer Cocktail Shaker
http://www.preppyprincess.com/lillypulitzercocktailshakers.aspx
Some Cocktail Napkins with fun sayings-
http://www.preppyprincess.com/lillypulitzerbeveragenapkinswithfunsayings.aspx
And for the Preppy and Traditional-
A monogrammed coffee mug- what bride while planning can't use a little coffee on the go!
http://www.thepreppypolkadot.com/item_29/Preppy-Personalized-Travel-Mug.htm
And a cute tote to carry all your notes and such for planning the big day
http://www.thepreppypolkadot.com/item_108/Personalized-Reusable-Tote-Bags.htm
Love the giveaways!
There is nothing more southern than apple pie! For the dirty south basket try apple pie liquor: http://www.drinkpie.com/
You can add the mixers for a drink or have it solo as a shot- delicious either way! And it is PERFECT for this time of year!
For the Traditional +Preppy baskets I like southern crochet lace handkerciefs, with the optional monogram of course! Check these out at http://www.thelaceshop.com/wicrlaha.html
My fiance bought all his groomsmen a DIRTY SOUTH present for their gift basket. A pair of cuff links that are shot gun shells. It might be southern to some or redneck to others :) But either way they will love them the morning of our wedding when they are duck hunting.
http://www.cuff-daddy.com/novelty-shotgun-shell-cufflinks-yellow.html
Definitely more a traditional & preppy girl myself, so I have two ideas for that basket:
1) Vessel Ideation's ONE TeaKettle [http://www.vesselideation.com/one.html]
It's gorgeous and is the perfect sidekick for a modern woman with traditional habits... like, throwing teaparties?
2) Pink Loves Brown's Pink Polka Dots Suitcase Set [http://www.pinklovesbrown.com/item.php?item_id=424&category_id=57]
I love all of Nicole Balch's artsy-craftsy stationary, but with a little paper suitcase to boot, this is the sweetest and simplest way for a bride to be to get organized, and in style.
One for the dirty basket, my husbands favorite BBQ seasoning, Byron's Butt Rub!!! http://www.buttrub.com/ "A little Butt Rub Makes Everything Better!"
Being from the South, these are definitely under the dirty south category. Anything with cotton on it would be perfect to put in a southern welcome basket.
http://www.themississippigiftcompany.com/cotton-items.aspx
Kentucky Bourbon Jelly! Delicious, and undeniably Southern!
http://www.kyagr.com/Main.aspx?procedure=show_page(9242)
Also, I love homemade things in gift baskets. A Buttermilk biscuit recipe with all the ingredients (except for the perishables of course) could be packed in a mason jar with cute grosgrain ribbon tied around the top.
Sweet + Salty = Dirty South! Givnig a nod to a Tennessee-born bride and a groom from Maryland, we put Moon Pies and Crab Chips in our guests' welcome bags....a brown-paper handled bag, with a very preppy monogram label on the front.
http://www.moonpie.com/
http://www.utzsnacks.com/store/p-16-pick-60-single-serve-bags.aspx
I am from NC and live in Minnesota now. One thing I miss most are my Croakies! http://www.croakies.com/Products.aspx?cat=CRS I totally got made fun of when I wore them here my first summer, but I still rock them. I think these would be a wonderful addition to the preppy basket.
Additionally, a mint julep mix would be awesome, too.
http://www.islandweddingshop.com/page/IWS/PROD/gourmet-beach-gifts/PB-3307
This has been really fun!
How perfect is this beautiful Wren House. This would definitely fit best in the 'preppy and traditional' gift basket. Not only is it darling, but a portion of the proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Can't go wrong with that!
http://louisvillestoneware.com/shop/item/PINKD541/
What does every preppy southerner need???? CROAKIES of course! What makes Croakies even better???? WHEN THEY ARE MONOGRAMMED (with the bride and grooms wedding date or initials, etc). A perfect traditional and preppy gift that keeps on giving. Mix and match colors, fonts and thread colors to make the perfect Croakie for men and Women of the South :) I have pairs and someone always comments on them.
http://www.thepinkmonogram.com/php/first.php?ACT=5041
Maptotes! These adorable tote bags are available in a variety of city "maps" complete with local icons and places. I contacted the designer, Rachel, to see if she is able to customize a tote for a certain city. At $10 per bag, they can customize a tote bag with the city of your wedding and even add personal touches (ex. landmarks for your wedding, rehearsal, etc). With my wedding coming up in May, I am thinking these map totes would be great gifts to leave in the hotel rooms for out of town guests! I ordered the Paris tote for myself and it's absolutely adorable and affordable! Tres chic!
Visit the website http://www.maptote.com/
Chocolate Covered Pop-corn from Peterbrooke Chocolate!
http://www.peterbrooke.com/chocolate-covered-popcorn.htm
It's some of the best chocolate ever and covering popcorn... mmmmmm! It's sooooo good! And if the story behind it was included with the bag, that would make it a really cool gift!
And it's not really dirty, so I would suggest this for the preppy and traditional. Even though it's not the traditional way to eat popcorn.
~Since I'm a southern belle myself I will have to go with an item for the "dirty South" basket. The south is all about barbeque and some of the best sauce that I have tasted comes from The Treser Family Foods, Inc. which is local to me in Blacksburg, VA. Camp Sauce is ROCKIN' it's All Natural, Gluten Free and tastes DELISH::
http://treserfamilyfoods.com/
~I know that in the south we are all about the food and eating but we also love jewelry :) Pandora "Charm" Bracelets are huge around here in VA so a beautiful Pandora Bracelet with a "Southern Bell Charm" would be a great starter bracelet::
http://www.pandora-jewelry.com/US/Jewelry/Charms/Sterlingsilver/79517P.aspx
For the dirty south gift basket, it doesn't GET more southern than Crook's Grits. Growing up in Chapel Hill, Crook's is an icon and the epitome of southern feel-good food. At another local staple, you can buy branded Crook's grits and Good Old Grits Cookbook. Classic! https://www.southernseason.com/ppf/cid/15/m/0/n/15/p/2/s/0/id/5313/prod.asp