diy bridal shower gift: pantry essentials

'Tis the season for wedded bliss. Showers and weddings on repeat. We're currently in the stage of life that is filled with all things white and/or baby-cute. Anyone else relate?  Maybe later I'll talk about some of my favorite baby gifts [ahem board books!], but for now lets focus on bridal showers.

I'm all for showering a soon-to-be bride with gifts of love, usefulness, and necessity. But sometimes the process of finding, printing, and searching in vain for an elusive registry item isn't the way I want to spend a few free precious hours. Not that I'm saying you should completely ignore a registry. As a bride once, I understand a registry's value and purpose. So this thoughtful and functional diy gift is for those showers when you need another option beyond the registry madness.

My mom and I first gave this gift a few months ago to a bride who had no registry. We were at a loss for what to do. You give towels and they might not match what the couple already owns. Appliances? They already had them. Linens? We weren't sure if any were needed or wanted. So we settled on pantry staples packaged in glass jars and gifted in reusuable grocery bags. What woman doesn't love an organized pantry?  The bonus reusable gift wrap is just icing on the cake! 

First, get yourself some jars. We bought ours from the container store, but HomeGoods is also a great place to find cheap glass jars in different sizes. One recommendation about the jars: make sure they are airtight. Otherwise, all your efforts to create a beautiful, stocked pantry will fail. I don't care how cute the jar is...nobody likes stale ingredients [and wasted money].

Next, decide what pantry essentials you'd like to give. Personalize the items based upon what you think the bride would enjoy. We settled on healthier basics like farro [did you expect anything else from me...love introducing others to this versatile whole grain], wheat bran, oats, pasta, and whole wheat flour. We also gave pantry staples that run low quick: dates, craisins, brown sugar, salt, cornmeal, chocolate chips, etc. And ingredients such as yeast and baking powder that lose their potency over time.

Fill the jars. [Note: Since yeast requires refrigeration, we left the yeast un-opened and gifted an empty jar for the bride to fill.] Reinforce the cute, but organized factor by adding labels. I got these particular labels at Target. Carefully wrap the filled jars in tissue and package in reusable grocery shopping bags with additional tissue paper. Be careful not to put too many jars in one bag or you'll have a shattered mess on your hands. Tie the handles off with a little burlap ribbon and you're set.

I promise the bride will adore this thoughtful gift and think of you each time they open their newly organized pantry!

Now isn't this present so much more exciting then a toaster?