Sooner Legends

My school is haveing a silent auction & we have to make a bed & breakfast themed gift basket. Please write your ideas of what we should put in it.

Luxurious bath items are a good idea, but I’d avoid pre-scented ones as some people are allergic to fragrances.

Buy some unscented bath gel or liquid castile soap. (I use Dr. Bronner’s peppermint castile soap myself, which makes a great shampoo too. If you can’t find either or can’t wait for it to be shipped, you can shave a bar of hypo-allergenic or unscented glycerin, cocoa butter or coconut oil soap into flakes and mix them with warm water; see link below). You’ll want to package the bath gel or liquid soap in screw-top bottles that hold about 4oz each with room to add essential oil and be able to shake the bottle to combine the oil well. Then include 2 to 4 vials of essential oils, and a card explaining that a few drops can be added to the soap for a custom scent.

Common essential oils that may incite a skin reaction on sensitive skin include basil, bay, birch, black pepper, cassia, cinnamon, citronella, clove, costus, cumin, fennel, fir, geranium, ginger, lemongrass, lemon verbena, melissa, myrrh, oak moss, oregano, parsley, peppermint, pimento berry, pine, wintergreen and all citrus oils (grapefruit, lime, orange etc.); these should be avoided.

Essential oils not on that list that work well in bath products include bergamot mint (not bergamot, which is a citrus oil, this is a mild herb in the mint family with a bergamot-like aroma), catnip (another mild mint unlikely to trigger allergies), chamomile, eucalyptus, jasmine, lavender, lemon balm, linden, mullein, rose, vanilla, violet and ylang ylang. You might want to avoid "flowery" or "girly" scents in case the winning bidder is male or intends to give the basket to a guy or a (straight) couple; "unisex" scents include allspice, balsam, cardamom, cedar, hyssop, juniper, marjoram, neroli, nutmeg, rosemary, sage, sandalwood, thyme and vetiver.

To go with the liquid soap, you can include a bottle of unscented / hypoallergenic hand lotion, body oil (mineral or almond oil), shampoo and/or hair conditioner, which can be scented with the essential oils the same way. (Some bath gel is suitable for both hair and body use.) You may be able to find attractive matching empty bottles to repackage all these liquid products in, and hand-lettered labels make a nice, B&B-style touch. The essential oils can be added by the auction winner to any of these products as well as the liquid soap, too.

You might also include either a large, plush washcloth — a big enough one can double as the basket liner — or a loofah, natural sponge or "bath puff". (You may hear that natural sponges and loofahs go moldy, but I’ve had one of each for 9 years without them molding or wearing out, even in a humid climate.) Other items that would complement the soaps and oils/lotions could include bath salts, body powder, a nail-scrubbing brush or a pumice stone.

In addition to (or instead of!) bath products for the B&B basket, you could put in things for the bed and/or things for breakfast. Suitable bed gifts could include a potpourri sachet (a fabric bag of herbs like lavender or chamomile to go under the pillow or between the sheets), a soft mask for blocking light out, or 2-4 high-thread-count (at least 500-count) or microfiber pillowcases. The suggestions for "pillow" chocolates or mints were also good, and many stores sell individually wrapped elegant candies.

For the breakfast element, you could include 1 or 2 mugs along with a selection of teas (try to include some herbal and some with caffeine, but nicer blends such as Darjeeling, Earl Grey or a green or white tea) and some of those single-serving coffees that are in a teabag-like filter. Premium hot chocolate packets are also nice, but avoid powdered instant coffees. You could also include some tea biscuit-type cookies.

Another nice touch for breakfast would be some gourmet jam (especially homemade; I don’t make jam myself but buy it at my local farmer’s market) and/or honey. Raw local wildflower honey or a fancy variety like eucalyptus, heather or tupelo, or a spreadable honey, are all nice "special" alternatives to regular clover honey. Local ingredients are great for the bed and breakfast theme since many B&Bs use local products for their guests.

On that note, any specialty in your area can go in the basket. In New England that might be a small box of maple-sugar candy, in Alaska it might be birch syrup or salmonberry jam, in New Mexico it might be smoked chiles. Supporting local businesses always helps your community, and some may even donate products if they know it’s for a charity auction.

Hope this helped — and good luck with your school auction!