Last February our family packed up everything we owned into a moving truck and began our long journey from Maine to Georgia. Both my husband and I were raised in Maine, had our first two children here and almost our entire family resides here. Earlier that winter my husband had officially accepted a job offer in Georgia and we could not have been more happy that he was given that amazing opportunity. Our new life in Georgia has been so great, my two oldest children have adjusted very well and we even welcomed baby number three at the end of July. Being away from our family has been extremely difficult, as the kids were quite close with all four of their grandparents. We just received word from my in-laws that they have booked their flights and will be landing in the Atlanta airport on December 31st! The kids are anxious for their arrival and can not wait to share their new life here with their Grandma and Grandpa. Living far from them has given us pause and the need to stay ready in case of emergency or notification from their medical alert system. This is a very special trip for my in-laws and filled with many firsts. They will be flying for the first time, visiting the south for the first time AND meeting their newest granddaughter for the first time. Because they will only be here for one week, we are trying to squeeze in as much fun activities as we can in that short time frame. Traveling can be quite exhausting, I want to make sure that my mother-in-law supports her immune system during her trip, so I decided to make her a Vitamin C Inspired Holiday Basket. Making sure she gets 24-hour immune support will be vital for a successful visit. I also want her to feel comfortable and right at home since this is the first time she has ever been to our new home. We all know how uneasy it can feel to adjust to an unfamiliar place and I want her to be able to feel comfortable here right away.

Creating a basket really depends on the person you are creating it for because you are going to know their likes and preferences. My mother-in-law loves bath and body products, I always get her some for Christmas. I didn’t want her to have to bring that stuff along in her suitcase, the less she has to pack, the easier! So I made sure to include lots of bath products, which includes body wash and a pouf, a bar of soap and a bottle of lotion. Because I have three children that spread germs for a living, I thought a bottle of antibacterial soap would be perfect because we know grandma won’t be able to keep her hands off her grandbaby’s! I also included some homemade bars of soap that my husband’s coworker makes from his home. I thought this would be a special little treat and a great way to introduce her to some local products. We also stuck a bottle of Ester-C in there to help grandma support her immune system. When my parents came to visit, my kids were waking them up the crack of down and keeping them on their feet all day long. We want to give her that extra support to her immune system so she can keep up with her very active and loving grandkids.

I was very pleased with how the basket turned out, but it was missing something… it was not as personal as I had wanted. I had been wanting to try the DIY coffee mugs and just like that, I knew instantly that it would be the perfect last touch for the basket!

My mother is a super star crafter and has the most amazing imagination… creating beautiful crafts comes very easy for her. I have always been frustrated with the fact that I in no way, shape or form inherited any of her crafting skills. I think a lot of it has to do with my lack of patience and I have what I like to call “Craft ADD.” I find a dozen crafts I want to do, get really excited about it, start them all and then never finish. So when I discovered the very easy, simple, inexpensive and fun DIY coffee mugs, I immediately went out and purchased all of the supplies.

My favorite part of this craft is how short the supply list is, you may even have everything you need right at home. All you will need are some white mugs, I found mine at the Dollar Tree store. I purchased my other two supplies at Walmart, the Sharpies and rubbing alcohol can be found very easily. Sharpies come in so many different colors now and you will find much more than what I purchased at the store

The first thing you are going to want to do it wipe the cups down with rubbing alcohol to ensure you have a clean surface. The rubbing alcohol will also wipe the permanent marker off the cup effortlessly if you just so happen to make a mistake or don’t like your design. After your mugs have been cleaned you are free to design it however you please, we of course made a grandma themed mug. Once your design is complete, turn on your oven to 350, set your mugs inside and let them bake for 30 minutes. Once 30 minutes is up, turn off the oven and let the mugs cool down inside. Unless your use the oil based Sharpies, these mugs will not be safe in the dishwasher and must be hand washed. I was so pleased with how our mug turned out and just know my mother-in-law will love it and it will be a reminder of her visit with us.

All of the products and supplies mentioned in this post can be found at the Dollar Store, the Vitabath online website and you can find Ester C near the pharmacy at your local Walmart.

Do you have guest visiting you this holiday season? I would love to hear what kind of basket you would create for those special visitors! If you would like to help your friends and family support their immune systems this season, you can discover more about Ester C on their facebook page. Join the conversation on twitter using @officialesterc and #24HourEsterC