Opinions on unusual hamper idea

Triangle

Hi guys

This this the first year I've considered making hampers and it is also a year when money is extremely tight due to being on maternity leave so I'm trying hard to give thoughtful but cheap presents

My 27 year old sister has recently started volunteering with the Brownies and is 'Tawny Owl' She absolutely loves it, loves working with children and as kids we loved going to Brownies

So I'm thinking of doing a hamper along this theme. There is some fantastic old school Brownie stuff on ebay, will also put in brownie cakes and a book of activities to do with children (she also adores being an aunty to my little man) although I'm stuck for other bits to include!

What do others think? Does it sound a bit odd/silly? Thanks

VikkiiKawaii

I don't think it sounds silly, I think it sounds cool and thoughtful. If I was involved in brownies I would love it :j

kingfisherblue

I'm a Brown Owl and I would love this hamper.

As part of their Christmas presents for my assistant guiders, I have ordered keyrings from Tinkling Wishes, similar to the ones here:

http://tinklingwishes.blogspot.co.uk/2012_06_01_archive.html

Alison posts on MSE and I found her to be very accommodating. She made four keyrings for me, each one different than the others. For mine, I wanted the little pebbles to say Inspire, Trust, and Believe, although there are other words to choose from.

My daughter ordered a notebook (from Funky Pigeon I think) for me for Mother's Day. It has pictures of owls on the front and says Brown Owl's Notebook.

My sister is a Beaver leader and I printed several Scouting cartoons from the internet last year and put them into a display book (from the pound shop). You could do a similar thing with Guiding cartoons, amybe with a picture of a Tawny Owl at the front.

Most units have copies of printed resources, but it can be handy to have copies at home. You can buy them, and other Guiding items, from:

http://www.girlguidingukshop.co.uk/

This bumper pack of centenary goodies is great value:

http://www.girlguidingukshop.co.uk/bumper-pack.aspx

The book alone has a recommended retail price of £20, although Guiders could get it for £12.50 when it first came out. I know the other stuff is centenary related, but the bundle is worth it for the book alone - it is a large hardback with full colour pictures, and is a really informative and interesting read.

You could consider a badge book for her - very handy to have. Or alternatively, print out each badge and put into a file. This can be useful if you want to add notes, websites, etc.

http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/brownies/badges/index.html

Another idea is a year's membership of the Guiders website. This isn't an official website, but is popular among leaders. Joining the site is free:

https://www.guiders.co.uk

They do have Guiders Plus though, which costs £7.50 a year and has additional benefits:

http://www.guiders.co.uk/content.php/3-Become-a-GuiderPlus-member

Another cheap but useful idea is a list of international Guiding websites. I love the Irish, Auistralian and Canadian sites, as they have so many resources. You could combine this with a book of flags or an atlas or map. International activities and information come into the Guiding programme quite a bit, and we use a map several times a year for various themes.

Once registered, your sister will receive Guiding magazine every quarter. She might want to keep it (or at least, the activity pages at the end). A ring binder and plastic pockets are always useful to Guiders.

A few years ago I bought a wooden badge, owl shaped, from a craft fair. The chap burned Brown Owl into the wood for me. It cost about £3, but I haven't seen them since. Might be worth visiting craft fairs or googling though.

Tesco sell a set of four large mugs with an owl design. They cost £6, but you could look out for a single mug with an owl design. I bought one, but I'm not sure where, for 99p.

You could make a bookmark for your sister, either using a Tawny Owl design, or a Brownies design. If you copy and paste the Brownies logo from the Brownies website and laminate, it is a cheap but nice addition to your hamper.

Some Guiding members (adults and children) have badge blankets. You can get an ordinary blanket (about £1 for a fleece blanket from Ikea) or geet a Brownie one for £8.50:

http://www.girlguidingukshop.co.uk/Brownie-Camp-Blanket.aspx

cdsmiler

Lovely idea!!

Triangle

Thanks Vikki

Kingfisherblue, your post has almost left me speechless, so helpful and thoughtful :T If I could thank you a thousand times I would

Even more excited about putting this hamper together now!

kingfisherblue

I'd love to know what you put into it and how much you spend (I know I'm nosy ). A picture would be great too, if you can manage it.

A Tawny Owl badge with the trefoil:

http://coventryscouts.org.uk/BandT/index.php?_a=product&product_id=620

fatblackandwhite

I am afraid I have nothing to input, I just wanted to say what a lovely and very thoughtful idea. I also wanted to comment on what a very helpful post Kingfisherblue has made. :j

SCMP_2

I thinks it is a beautiful idea for a hamper. So very very thoughtful.