How to Curate a Gift

Welcome to the Art of Gift-Giving 

Yes, gift-giving (or receiving) is one of the five main love languages, but did you know there’s also an art to it? With so many special occasions and celebrations to give for, it’s easy to feel like the pressure is on, especially when the holidays arrive and your list is long. 
 
We have shared a slew of holiday gift ideas, gift ideas for her, personalized gift ideas, and Thoughtful Gift Ideas but now, we’re sharing a little more insight into honing the art of gift-giving for all types of gifts, and we believe the main way to do so is to curate the gift. 

Types of gifts:  

• Birthday Gifts 

• Holiday Gifts 

• Engagement Gifts 

• Wedding Gifts 

• Anniversary Gifts 

• Baby Gifts 

• ‘Thinking of You’ Gifts 

• ‘Thank You’ Gifts 

 

The problem is, with so many special occasions and celebrations to give gifts for, it can easily become hard, defeating, or even boring. Some common reasons gift-giving can feel overwhelming: 

• If you don’t know the person well enough to scout a fitting gift you know they’ll love 

• If you’re trying to pick something out for that person who “has everything” 

• When the fount of inspiration runs dry, and you find yourself looking for something “just to get something” 

Yes, the saying goes “it’s the thought that counts,” but... wouldn’t you rather feel proud of the gift you’re about to give?  
 
What are your gifts saying about you? Make yours unforgettable by curating your gifts. 

 

What is a Curated Gift? 

“Curated” by definition means carefully chosen and thoughtfully organized or presented. To us, that means going above and beyond just buying something and sticking it in a box. 

So, let’s break that down into two parts:  

• Carefully Chosen 

• Thoughtfully Presented 

 

Carefully Choose a Purpose or a Theme for your Gift   

This part tends to be the hardest hurdle to overcome if you’re uninspired with gift-giving, as it’s truly the bulk of the decision that can set the tone for everything else - kind of like setting the purpose of a gathering when you’re entertaining! 

To help inspire you, we have developed a sort of method to get the creative juices flowing.  

One idea to get some direction is to try taking note of a few “favorites” of theirs... 

• Are they a coffee or tea connoisseur?  

• Are they always in their garden?  

• Can you find them cooking up something special in the kitchen?  

• Do they love a specific recipe of yours? 

 

Select a suite of things within the common theme for a cohesive gift. If they love coffee, gift them with a new set of mugs, but add a bag of locally sourced coffee (our favorite local to us is Lucky Goat Coffee with a set of fun spoons. If they love a specific recipe of yours, pick out a stylish dish, prepare the recipe, and top it with a recipe card including the featured recipe.  

Or, think about their lifestyle to consider potential enhancements or ways to elevate these everyday moments... 

• Are they busy bodies that appreciate the convenience of having dinner taken care of?  

• Do they love quality time spent with girlfriends at happy hour? 

• Do they love trying a new recipe? 

• Are they frequent hosts? 

For busy bodies, put together the makings for a great dinner at home. For the adventurous cooks, choose a cookbook and pair with all the makings for one of the recipes you think they'll like. For the socialites or the frequent hosts in your life, collect the components for a happy hour in a box, or a movie night kit to give them everything they need PLUS the perfect excuse to indulge in their favorite activity of bringing people together. You get the idea! 
 
Still stumped? When in doubt, a bottle of bubbly or their favorite beverage never disappoints! 
 
Once you’ve nailed down a potential ‘theme’ for your gift, the rest comes together much easier because now you have direction and purpose! 

 

Create a Presentation 

Sure, you can create a beautiful presentation with a simple gift box or even a gift bag, but when you curate a gift, most often you are collecting a few components which inspires the opportunity to create an extra-special presentation that may be a little out of the ordinary! 

First, choose a vessel.  
 
Depending on the type of gift you choose, you may be able to use one of the components as your vessel. Some of our favorite vessels are a statement bowl, a pretty platter, a functional baking dish, a basket, or even a mug!  
 
If you find that the main parts of your chosen gift are the contents within rather than opening up, an opportunity for a vessel, scouting for a lower price point vessel, is probably of greater importance to you! Consider re-gifting an extra basket you have on hand or visiting a discount home goods store to stock up and have on hand. One of our favorite baskets we use all the time in curating gift baskets is a beloved style because you have the opportunity to conceal the gift a bit more by closing the lid or keeping it open to arrange the components of the gift for the ultimate first impression. 
 
Next, arrange the components inside the vessel. 

Start with the tallest/largest items in the back, and then work your way to the front. If you're working with fewer components, you can nestle or stack in an interesting way.  
 
Finally, wrap it up! 
 
If you want your gift to be seen for a stunning first impression, use cellophane or leave it open with just a ribbon tied around. Here, we suggest using a more textured or statement ribbon. 

If you’re after a surprise element, wrap it up with wrapping paper, a gift bag, or even fabric. We love getting creative and have found sometimes it’s fun to double-duty the components of the gift as the gift wrap to conceal the gift. Take a look at what we did with this hand towel + loaf pan and bread mix combo. 

 

Don’t forget the finishing touch to make it even more memorable!

Tie it together (literally) with an interesting detail element in the bow. A sprig of an herb, a textured bow, a fun straw or drink stirrer, or a stylish spoon or spreader elevate the presentation even more.  
 
Include a handwritten gift tag or note. Not only does this identify who the gift is from (especially important if it's a drop-off gift), but it also gives you the opportunity to hint or fully present the theme or purpose of the gift and the thought behind it!  

Follow these key steps, and before you know it, you’ll be the Picasso of the art of curated gift-giving.  

 

Curated List of Curated Gift Ideas (see what we did there?!) 

We’re sharing a few of our favorite ideas done-for-you ideas from curated gifts past: 

Casserole, Cookbook, and Cooking Tools 
Add a recipe card to this thoughtful bundle for the chef in your life! 

 

Pasta Dinner In A Bowl 
All pantry ingredients, so no worry about perishability! Especially thoughtful for busy friends or relatives - gives them a delicious meal and a night off from figuring out what to cook. 

 

Coffee or Tea in a Mug 
Clever drop-off gift idea for neighbors, clients, and friends. Add a little holiday figurine, a festive candy, or a fun spoon for an elevated experience. 

 

Bottle of Bubbly + An Ornament 
The most versatile gift idea because the ornament can be personalized or you can have multiple at the ready and it STILL seems like it was picked out just for them. 
 
Keep it simple by just tying an ornament to the neck of an affordable bottle of wine or champagne. 
 
Kick it up a notch by adding a Kitchen Towel as the gift wrap like we did here or personalizing the ornament and wrapping in cellophane. Love this idea? Here’s how to re-create this exact gift idea in 3 easy steps.  

 

Make a statement by adding a set of glasses or cocktail napkins to the gift. Everyone can use multiple sets of those! 

 

Bread Mix in a Loaf Pan with a Kitchen Towel 
We nestled a favorite brand of beer bread mix inside our Signature White Loaf Pan and wrapped it in a kitchen towel. Remember that finishing touch we discussed? Here it is in the form of a rosemary sprig! In the words of Elle Woods... gives it a little something extra, don’t you think? 

 

Appetizer Spread 
All the components for a build-your-own board and the perfect excuse for girls’ night! 

 

Plant in a Bowl 
Once the plant outgrows the bowl (or depending on how green the thumb of the recipient is, the plant expires), they’ll be left with a beautiful bowl to be enjoyed again and again.  

 

Recipe in a baking dish 
Technically still giving just one thing, but by adding a prepared food plus the recipe, they'll think of you when enjoying and making the recipe in the future! 

 

Make It Easy On Yourself 

…and visit a Coton Colors Flagship Store! By combining a few of our own designs, with complementary products we’ve hand-selected for each of our storefronts, we’ll work with you to curate a gift for everyone on your list. We help create a perfectly personal gift customized specially for the recipient, and wrap it in ways that to make giving it unforgettable.