Hearth & Ribbon

About

Hi, I'm Marlene

I didn’t really set out to start a gift basket business. It grew naturally from something I was already doing. I host curated gatherings for women 50+ in Ottawa, and I love creating experiences where women feel welcomed, cared for and a little bit spoiled. I pay attention to the details—the table, the food, the setting, and often a small takeaway gift that extends the experience beyond the event itself. For example, at a recent outdoor harvest gathering, each woman went home with a gift bag that included a beautiful linen dish towel as a keepsake plus an individual caramel apple dippers (caramel dip, small mason jar filled with mini marshmellows, and a fresh, crisp fall Macintosh apple placed in a cellophane bag and tied with a ribbon. At other gatherings, I’ve put together thoughtful little gifts around tea, reflection, the seasons or the theme of the event. I discovered that I genuinely love this part of the process: finding beautiful things and bringing them together in a way that feels intentional and special. I sometimes describe it as channeling my inner Hestia, the Greek goddess of the hearth and home. Hospitality, gathering around the table and making people feel at home have become an important part of what I create. That’s what drew me to learning how to make gift baskets professionally. Initially, I simply wanted to become better at creating the takeaway gifts I use at my own events. But as I started thinking about it, I realized this could become something more. I can imagine having a beautiful collection of ready-to-give baskets displayed when women come to my home for an event—something they might see and think, “That would be perfect for my sister,” or “I’d love to give that to a friend.” For me, it isn’t really about putting products into a basket. It’s about creating a feeling: warmth, beauty, generosity and the pleasure of giving someone something that feels as though it was chosen especially for them.

My gift baskets are thoughtfully curated rather than mass-produced. I love sourcing beautiful products from local makers, and because every basket is individually created, no two need to be exactly alike. I can work around food allergies and intolerances, accommodate last-minute and same-day requests when possible, and every basket comes beautifully wrapped and ready to give, complete with a handwritten note. I want the person receiving it to feel that someone genuinely thought about them—not that a basket was simply picked from a catalogue.

My ideal customer is someone who loves giving thoughtful, beautiful gifts but doesn’t always have the time to pull all the pieces together herself. She wants something more personal than a generic gift basket ordered online, and she appreciates locally made products, beautiful presentation and the little details that make a gift feel special. She may need a birthday gift, hostess gift, thank-you, congratulations, get-well or “just thinking of you” gift—and sometimes she needs it today. She wants to tell me a little about the person and the occasion, then trust me to create something beautiful, wrap it, add her handwritten message and have it ready to give.

I’m just getting started, so I don’t have a customer quote yet—but I’m proudest of the thoughtful takeaway gifts I create for women at my gatherings, designed to let them carry a little piece of the experience home with them.

Marlene Sadler