Summertime is a wonderful season, filled with sunshine, warm weather, and my personal favorite, casual and relaxed outdoor entertaining. I'm not one to show up to a party empty handed, and while I love to bring a homemade treat or bottle of wine, there are times when I like to do something a little more fun. Which brings me to gift baskets.

I love putting together gift baskets for friends, family, and clients alike, as I feel there's no end to how creative you can be. It is a great way to celebrate the recipients' personalities, a special occasion, a holiday, or even a theme or destination (like this New Orleans inspired basket I did a few years ago). 

I recently put together a summer themed gift basket for friends and clients, who are now fortunate enough to call Hawaii their home. (Can you imagine??) I wanted to give them a gift that could be enjoyed in their new home, or more likely, outdoors on the lanai. The same type of basket would also make a great birthday gift, hostess gift for a 4th of July celebration, or even just a fun surprise for a friend. So if you're looking for a good guide for a gift basket this weekend, this post is for you.

To start I hit up some of my favorite go-to stores, including HomeGoods, in search of the perfect items, including the "basket." I like to find containers that have multiple uses, and in this case, it's a casual woven serving tray that can function to easily transport drinks and food from the kitchen to an outdoor space. Metal or enamel drink tubs also work well for this type of summer theme.

I then begin to layer in items that corresponded to outdoor entertaining. When putting together a gift basket, I try to establish not only a theme, but also a color scheme. In this case, my summer/outdoor entraining basket will have a subtle nautical theme (a nod to their Hawaiian location) as well as a good mix of natural textures, neutrals, one strong accent color, and one metallic shade. Using this casual set of burlap placemats as a jumping off point, I picked a light red/coral as the accent color.

Playing off the red accent, I also included a set of dishtowels in a corresponding shade as well as a casual, rough cotton texture. Since it's not as significant of a texture as the placemat set, it's a good bridge between the rough placemats and the rest of the basket's contents.