[lrjohnson]

I'm not a big couponer/sampler, but I do pick up a lot of unopened/unused bath products, at garage sales and sometimes gift them. Some are small and some are sample size. I also get a few sample toiletrieseach year-not much, but some.

* I get baskets at garage sales/thrift stores for as low as a dime apiece.

* I gather up like colored items...I may not be able to have all melon, or all mint, but I can gather a few green bottles/lotions/packets.

* I put a bed of complementary colored tissue in the basket, usually saved from gifts I've gotten.

* I jazz mine up with bath salts I make, or jam I make, sometimes.

* I don't say "here are a bunch of samples" but if I am directly asked, I'll admit that I got a lot of good samples I wouldn't use and wanted to share. I try to make the presentation pretty so that it looks like I've put some time and thought into it.

I'd think of the particular giftees and their lifestyles and preferences: maybe an "on the go" basket for a frequent traveller, with the shampoo/functional stuff, perhaps enhanced with dollar store travel bottles. For for the harried mom: a pamper kit with the fun stuff-creams, lotions, bath stuff-perhaps enhanced with dollar store bath mnits/pillows. For a young girl, maybe 8-12, and selection of their very own private bath items, perhaps with a dollar store journal or something. A person recently at college/moving into their own place: the household samples: windex wipes, ziploc bags, that knd of stuff, maybe with dollar store sponge/cleanser/whatnot.