Who doesn’t love a great mug? I love giving them as much as I love receiving them, and that’s why they’re one of my go-to gifts. They’re great to give as they are, but you can also tuck some surprises inside to make things feel a little more personal. With Mother’s Day quickly approaching, I started thinking about the different things you can stash inside of a mug and came up with a few great ideas. You can even combine a few of these things!

Things You Can Tuck Inside a Mug to Personalize Your Gift:

• High-quality chocolate
• Several rolls of washi tape
• A selection of tea bags
• Various flower seeds — Click here to download our Free Printable Seed Packets.
• A handmade piece of jewelry
• Travel sizes of luxury beauty products
• Several handwritten notes
• A few tubes of pretty watercolors
• An assortment of beautiful fabric trims and embellishments
• Copies of cherished photographs
• A gift card or two to a favorite local store
• Several colors of nail polish

The Art of Presentation

I put just as much importance on the presentation as I do the gift. Because I’m currently working on our July issue of GreenCraft, I have recycling on my mind. There’s really no need to go out and purchase expensive gift-wrap that will just get tossed into the trash, so I headed to my stash of newspaper, which I keep on hand for a number of reasons.

Gift-Wrapping Instructions

Wrap the mug with newspaper. You can stick to a black-and-white portion of the newspaper, but I wanted to add just a bit of subtle color. To keep with the upcycled feel of everything, I wrapped some old jute around the package, though you could always use some torn fabric or pretty ribbon. To complete the look, I added a sprig of greenery as well as a single flower.

Project by Christen Hammons

Christen Hammons is the Director of Publishing for Stampington & Company and editor-in-chief of Somerset Studio, Bella Grace, Field Guide to Everyday Magic, and GreenCraft. She lives in Orange County with her husband, two sassy cats, and one scruffy dog.