Good morning! I know what you're thinking. Actually, two things:
     1.   Wasn't today's feature supposed to be New York?
     2.   Idaho? Is there more than the potatoes?

Well, the answer on both counts is "yes." Our NY feature has been postponed just a bit, but will be worth the wait! And yes, Idaho is best known for its potatoes. But at least in my mind, the state is also well-associated with something else: today's guest contributor, Marta Dansie.

Marta writes wonderfully on her blog, fitting entitled MartaWrites. She designs and calligraphs pretty things. She is the mother of a baby boy named Benji, whose first year of life she has shared in heartwarming detail. And, today she has happily shared welcome basket ideas for her newfound home in

Above, clockwise: Marta would begin with the good{ie} stuff: a ribbon-tied cellophane bag of {Sweets} from the unbeatable selection in her local grocery bulk food aisle. You can go "Willy Wonka wild," as she says, with old-fashioned candies.

This beautiful {Letterpress Print} is a stunning replica of a truly stunning local landmark, the Rexburg Mormon Temple.

Add a little jar of {Huckleberry Syrup}, packaged as cutely as Marta packaged her Blackberry Honey above. Idaho is famous for its huckleberry picking season!

Marta's photos of her own handmade Mini DiariesA pretty blank {Notebook} - I would choose one of Marta's, of course!- and a set of colored pencils. Idaho is full of fantastic scenery, quiet farm roads and shady trees inspiring spots to stay awhile and think.

Include little mini-pints of Reed's Dairy {Chocolate Milk} in a hand-delivered welcome basket. Or, place them in guests' hotel room mini-fridges with a welcome note taped to the refrigerator door. This dairy is a local favorite for ice cream, grilled cheese and milk made with pure ingredients like chocolate and potato flakes to thicken it up. Yes, potato flakes! Welcome to Idaho!

Don't forget a {Map}. You can drive in any direction and arrive in such beautiful places as Grand Targhee, Jackson Hole, Yellowstone Park, or Sun Valley. Play I Spy a Tractor with kids in the car, since you will pass a lot of potato fields!
from The Pioneer WomanTuck in a vintage Idaho postcard with a hand-written {Recipe} for twice baked potatoes.

For fun, include the DVD of Napolean Dynomite. This classic indie movie put Idaho and all its quirks and splendor on the map for our generation.

One {Dutch Oven Cookbook}, if for nothing else than its scrumptious Dutch oven peach cobbler recipe. Marta thinks this is the perfect toasty dish to cook in the mountains while camping in Idaho's splendid wilderness. Delicious dessert would make "roughing it" not very rough at all, I'd think!

And lastly, include a notecard listing some of your favorite local spots to visit. Below are Marta's Idaho Falls favorites, as described by her:

Marta's favorite Idaho photo {more}Snake Bite Grill: My favorite restaurant with fresh salads and hearty sandwiches and a killer slice of chocolate cake.

Pachanga's: The best Mexican food in town.

Lemon Meringue: My favorite gift shop filled with darling dishes, jewelry, stationery, candles and soaps.

The Defining Line Salon: A Bumble & Bumble / Aveda hair salon that makes me feel like I'm in New York City.

Smitty's: The old-fashioned pancake house that has been stacking 'em high and fluffy for years.

Thank you so very much, Marta. Coming up next are free Idaho printables to help you package up Marta's lovely ideas into an adorable welcome basket.

If you'd like to see previous Locale Lovelies state-by-state features, you can view them all {along with their free printables!} right here.
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A bit more, from the contributor: Hello! I'm Marta of martawrites.blogspot.com. My husband and I moved to Idaho a little over a year ago, both of us new to the area. The best part about moving around is discovering our new locale together. Idaho is full of gorgeous grain fields and farm animals and big wide skies. (I've never loved cloud formations the way I do here in Idaho.)

I always tell my husband that I feel like city mice who have arrived in the country! We love to enjoy the great outdoors of Idaho on weekend road trips (we have more snapshots of mama and baby cows than you could ever ask for!). This is an ideal place to appreciate nature, camp, hike, bike, fish, unwind, relax and raise a family.